3 Simple Ways to Build Facebook Reviews for Your Dog Daycare

It's impossible to understate the importance of social media marketing for small businesses. Social media advertising is perfect for small businesses. We don't have the million-dollar budgets that large businesses have so we have to make due with the smallest of budgets.

Beyond social media advertising, there's another aspect of social media that we're going to talk about today: reviews. Positive reviews on Facebook can significantly enhance your dog daycare’s credibility and attract new clients. Reviews not only provide social proof but also help potential customers gauge the quality of your services.

Just take a look at the reviews for DoggieDashboard. When potential dog daycares are looking for software, they read our Facebook reviews and they can see that we're trusted by hundreds of other dog daycares. That kind of social proof is huge when trying to attract new clients.

This week, I'm going to be talking about three easy ways your dog daycare or boarding kennel can generate more Facebook reviews, and in turn, get more customers. Let's dive in!

1. Provide Exceptional Service and Request Reviews Personally

The foundation of getting more positive reviews starts with delivering outstanding service. Ensure that every interaction with clients and their pets is exceptional. From the initial inquiry to daily care, aim to exceed expectations. Satisfied clients are more likely to share their positive experiences in a review if they feel their expectations have been met or surpassed. Once you’ve provided a great experience, don’t hesitate to ask for a review.

Timing is key; request reviews shortly after the service when the experience is still fresh in the client’s mind. You can do this personally during pickup or via a follow-up email or text message. Include a polite request for feedback and provide a direct link to your Facebook review page to make it easy for clients to leave a review. By using DoggieDashboard, you can create an "ask for review" template that you can send to your clients asking them to leave a review for your website. When you're on the Appointment Follow-Ups page, you can see which clients have been asked for reviews and which appointments have already been "followed up" on.

Here’s a sample request you might use: “We hope you and [Dog’s Name] enjoyed your visit with us! If you’re happy with our services, we’d greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to leave us a review on our Facebook page. Your feedback helps us continue to provide the best care possible.”

Make sure you send your "Request for Review" within a week of the appointment. If you're sending requests for appointments that happened months ago, your clients are most likely not going to leave a review, and if anything, they might be weirded out that you're writing to them so far from the original appointment.

2. Incentivize Reviews with Small Rewards

Incentivizing reviews can encourage more clients to share their positive experiences. Just make sure you're not breaking any rules before offering rewards for reviews. Offer small rewards or discounts as a thank you for leaving a review. For example, you could provide a discount on their next service, a free treat for their dog, or a special grooming add-on. You want to make sure that you're not paying for reviews. You can't give out free services in exchange for reviews, otherwise it will look poorly. If people can tell that your reviews aren't organic, meaning they sound very basic and stale, they're going to know that they aren't honest reviews. Honest reviews are well-written and usually highlight a few features of your business. A review that says, "Great business" or "Enjoyed experience" screams that you bought it.

Be transparent about the incentive; ensure clients know that the reward is a gesture of appreciation rather than a condition for a positive review. This approach maintains the integrity of the feedback while motivating clients to share their experiences. Make sure to promote this incentive through your website, social media channels, and in-house materials to maximize participation. Also, make sure that you're rewarding both negative and positive reviews. That way, it shows that you care about getting feedback, not just getting positive reviews.

3. Engage with Existing Reviews

Engaging with existing reviews shows that you value client feedback and are actively involved in your online presence. Respond to reviews promptly, whether they are positive or negative. Thank clients for their positive feedback and address any concerns raised in less favorable reviews with professionalism and a willingness to resolve issues. I have to say that one of the best ways to see if a business is worth visiting is to read how they respond to negative reviews. Everyone can respond nicely to positive reviews, but if a business is capable of responding to negative reviews in a positive way, that shows that they take their business seriously and that they care about the customer experience. I'd rather go to a dog daycare that has a few negative reviews that have been replied to in a professional manner than to a dog daycare with 100s of phony "Great service. Would return!" reviews that are obviously fake or purchased.

96 Page Views since April 14, 2025