Notes for owners · Industry playbooks
Pet grooming marketing: how to get grooming and boarding customers
Pet grooming marketing works on Maps, reviews, before and after photographs and fast replies. Boarding is won on trust. Here is how to fill both, and what a plan should cover.
The GullySales team · Updated 15 Sept 2026 · 6 min read
Rules for this trade differ by state and professional body, and they change. Check the current position with your own council or adviser before you act on anything here.
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Pet grooming marketing works best on the channels where pet owners already look: Google Maps, reviews, Instagram, and word of mouth from other owners and vets. Show real before and after photographs, state your prices and services clearly, answer WhatsApp enquiries within minutes, and remind every customer when the next groom is due. Boarding is different, because the owner is trusting you with their animal for days. It is won by showing where the dog sleeps and who is there at night.
Why pet owners choose one groomer over another
The first question a pet owner asks is whether their dog will be handled gently. After that they look at the finished cuts and whether the salon is clean. Price matters, but the owner of an anxious Shih Tzu will pay more for a groomer they trust.
They check your Google reviews, look at your photographs, and ask other owners in the apartment WhatsApp group or at the park. Many ask their vet. Your marketing is mostly about making those checks easy and positive.
Pet grooming marketing that actually brings bookings
Google Business Profile first. Most people search "dog grooming near me" or "cat grooming in" their locality. Your profile needs the right category, services with prices or price ranges, working hours, photographs of the salon, and every review answered. See our Google Business Profile management work.
Before and after photographs. Take them for every groom, with the owner's permission, and post the best on your profile and Instagram. They show your work better than any description.
Ask for a review at pickup. Ask every owner as they collect their pet, and send the link on WhatsApp before they leave.
Clear packages. Bath and blow dry, full groom, breed cut, nail trim, tick and flea treatment. State what each includes and what it costs for small, medium and large dogs.
Reminders. Most dogs need grooming every few weeks. A WhatsApp reminder at the right interval brings the owner back without them having to remember.
Vets and pet shops. A nearby vet clinic or pet store that knows your work sends customers. Visit, leave cards, and send a note when you get a referral.
Pet boarding and dog boarding marketing
Pet boarding marketing is about trust, and dog boarding marketing in particular turns on showing the owner exactly how their dog will spend the day.
- Photographs and a short video of the space where dogs sleep, play and eat, and the outdoor area if you have one.
- The daily routine: walks, meals, play time, rest, and who is on site at night.
- Your rules: vaccination records required, temperament checks, and how you handle a dog that gets unwell, including which vet you use.
- A trial stay or day-care session before a long booking.
- Photographs and updates on WhatsApp during every stay.
Demand peaks during school holidays, Diwali and the new year, when owners travel. Start reminding past customers a few weeks before, because those dates fill first.
Where grooming and boarding enquiries get lost
Most salons lose more customers after the enquiry than before it. The common leaks are easy to spot once you look.
The phone rings while both groomers have a dog on the table. Nobody calls back. A WhatsApp message asking the price for a Golden Retriever gets a reply the next evening, after the owner has booked elsewhere. A boarding enquiry for Diwali gets a price and no photographs, so the owner keeps looking. A first-time customer is never reminded, so the second groom happens at whichever salon she sees first.
Fix these with one WhatsApp Business number shared by the front desk and the owner. Save replies with prices by breed size. Make it a rule that every missed call is returned within the hour.
What a pet grooming business plan should cover on marketing
A pet grooming business plan usually covers the location, equipment, staff, pricing and costs. Make sure it also covers how customers will find you and come back.
| Section | What to write |
|---|---|
| Who you serve | Dog and cat owners within a few kilometres; the breeds common in your area |
| Services and prices | Each package with what it includes, priced by size |
| How customers find you | Google Business Profile, Instagram, vet and pet shop referrals, apartment groups |
| How enquiries are answered | One WhatsApp Business number, a reply within minutes during working hours |
| How customers return | Reminders by grooming interval, a simple loyalty offer, boarding reminders before holidays |
| What you measure | Enquiries by source, bookings, repeat rate, reviews each month |
| First months' marketing budget | A small amount for a local search or social campaign, if needed |
Keep the numbers in the plan conservative and your own. A plan built on another city's prices or someone else's repeat rate misleads you.
What does this look like in practice?
For example, take a grooming salon with a small boarding space in JP Nagar, Bengaluru, run by two groomers and an owner. The details are illustrative. Bookings came from walk-ins and a few regulars. The Google profile had old photographs and unanswered reviews, and boarding enquiries got a price over the phone and little else.
The owner updated the profile with prices, new photographs and replies to every review. She started asking for reviews at pickup, and sending a reminder before the next groom was due. For boarding she recorded a short video of the kennel and the daily routine, offered day-care trials, and sent photographs to owners during stays. Vets nearby got cards and a note about the boarding rules. Regulars now come back on the reminder. Boarding customers arrive having already seen the room.
What to do next
Look at your Google profile as a new pet owner would. Check whether it shows your prices, real photographs and replies to reviews. Fix what is missing this week. If you want help with Maps, reviews, reminders and the enquiry replies together, see how we work with pet services businesses or tell us what you need.
