Influencing Millennial Pet Owners: Yelp Reviews Make Their Tails Wag
According to a study by Wakefield Research, the millennial generation — those born between 1980 and 2000 — is set to have more spending power than Baby Boomers by 2018. One statistic from Appfolio, a property management company, suggests that over 76% of millennials are pet owners.
As a millennial and a pet owner, I can't speak for all my peers, but I can offer anecdotes of my own.
Millennials: The First Digital Natives
It's often said millennials don't remember life without the Internet. While that isn't strictly true for me, Google is my first stop when I need information.
After 15 years on earth, my cat, whom my parents had adopted when I was in middle school, was terminally ill. We agreed that simply letting the veterinarian dispose of the remains didn't seem right for a member of our family, and I took on the task of finding how to properly memorialize her. In this case, Google was again the first resource I used to find pet memorial services in my area.
However, not all sources of information on the Internet are worthwhile or trustworthy. In an article from the Columbia College Marketing Division, researchers found millennials look to friends and experts to recommend brands, products and services. In this case, the word expert doesn’t necessarily mean someone with professional or academic credentials, but rather someone with first-hand experience.
In my case, I consulted a variety of sources to figure out which pet memorial business would be the best choice. First I turned to my peers in the form of a question on Facebook. But few had suggestions for me, and with my cat's final visit to the veterinarian looming, I needed to make a decision soon.
Making The Call With Yelp
My next stop was the business review site Yelp. I don’t completely trust Yelp nor do I take every word written by users as gospel, but the website is one of the only places cataloging experiences with pet memorial businesses in my area. One pet memorial company had multiple reviews that said the pet memorial company ended up charging substantially more than they quoted. This was a red flag for me.
I ended up choosing a company with more favorable reviews, and was happy with my experience. The staff was compassionate and professional, and they were patient with our questions about their available services. We now have a fitting remembrance for our cat.
We might have received excellent service at the pet funeral home I decided against, but I wasn't willing to take a risk. Besides, with the second pet memorial company's stellar reviews, the choice was easy.
Online Reputation Management For Pet Memorial Businesses
The idea that pet owners, especially those from my generation, can be influenced by reviews written by people on a website that has no direct connection to your pet memorial service is frustrating for many business owners. There are ways, however, that you can help shape the online conversation about your pet memorial company.
One way is through working with a company that offers online reputation management. Reputation management experts monitor review and social media websites and track mentions of your company. They can ensure positive reviews get the most attention, and mitigate the impact of negative reviews.
Pet Legacy Marketing's reputation management services are specially designed for businesses in the pet loss services industry. Our reputation management experts know where pet owners go to sound off about their experiences at pet memorial companies, and we know how to lessen the impact of negative reviews and solicit genuine positive experiences from pet owners. We also know how to monitor these websites to make sure every review is spotted quickly. That way, fraudulent reviews can be found before they become part of your company's narrative.
If you want to continue to attract millennials as the group’s spending power increases, reputation management is a must for your pet memorial business. Contact Pet Legacy Marketing today to learn more.
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