We are living in a world where social media holds the attention of most of us far longer than any other form of media and it’s not surprising really.
We spend so much time on social media because it entertains us, educates us, keeps us up to date on world events as they happen and most importantly it keeps us connected with what is happening in the world of our friends and family.
Today there are quite a lot of social media platforms to choose from, outside of the original network Facebook there is now Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Pinterest, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Twitch and probably another dozen that I failed to mention and another dozen in development about to launch.
And with each successful launch of a new platform, new features and functions are developed in the existing group to compete with the new offering. Facebook and Instagram added Stories due to Snapchat, now Instagram has introduced Reels to combat TikTok and I hear Youtube is set to add a short form video platform to compete with Tiktok also.
With the growth of social media a lucrative industry has developed within it. Influencers (as the name suggests) are people, pages or accounts that in particular genres have built up a community of followers that they have influence over and could affect their opinions and buying decisions.
Like anything with an audience, marketers have swooped in and now pay these influencers to promote their clients goods, often having to deal with an agency, as the rise of the number of influencers and the success of influencer marketing has led to the creation of agencies to manage them.
Now let's get to the subject of Pet Influencers (yes that is a thing). You may have seen in your scrolling sessions, particularly in Instagram that there are pages set up not for the Hooman, but instead for the Hooman’s Pet or Pets. These pages are usually full of daily pics documenting the daily routines and habits of someones Fur Buddy and are becoming the marketing flavour of the month for products in the Pet Industry keen to get underpriced attention for their brands.
Can your pet become a Social Media Influencer I hear you ask? and as the Hooman how can you benefit from doing the work required in setting up a page, building an audience and doing deals with advertisers? If you want to know more … read on!
What Do I Need to Do to Start?
Most of us already have personal social media accounts, so what you will need to do is to set up a page for your fur babies. This is a really simple process but it pays to give some added thought to the name of the page (funny but relative titles work well), invest some time with the design of the page (Canva is a great place for design numpies like me) and also make sure your descriptions in the about sections tell people why they would want to follow you.
Once the page is set up it is time to build content. You may already have a bunch of photos on your phone to get started which is great. When using them be sure to set a posting plan that is constant and consistent, so you might choose 2/3 posts a day (which you can schedule). The best posts tell a story in pictures and in words and educate the reader, also remember to use relevant hashtags so people can find you.
Once you start posting regularly and there is something for people to see on your page, you can look at building your audience. Some tips to do this organically (for free) is to like other Pets pages, especially those that are the same breed, or have something in common as they get a notification that you are following and will most likely follow you back. Another way is to search relevant hashtags and comment on other pages' posts, just make sure your comments add value and that will help get you noticed.
You can also run ads for your page to get it in front of people for them to like it and you can buy followers. The former is ok if you don't have the time to do everything organically, the later is not worth it as most companies will use the apps that have been developed to do a followers check before sending you products or spending any money hiring you.
But don't think you need to have Cardashian like follower numbers to have companies approach you. Many companies, including my business Personalised Pet Collars look for micro influencers to help promote their brands. This is where most Hooman’s reading this will benefit most, scoring a swag of free food, snacks and products in lieu of posting pics once you receive it so they can use it for their social proof.
Once you have built up a bit of an audience and are posting good value adding content regularly you can start reaching out to companies you want to work with, this can be done as easy as DM through the social platforms you are playing in.
For those of you that want to have a good go at influencer life, I asked my good friend Megan Rose who is the founder of The Connect Agency who represents influencers to give me her Top 5 tips to being a successful Pet Influencer, here they are
- Content, content, content! You need to develop engaging content with your Pet and lots of it! Cute poses, accessories and outfits and fun and engaging copy – bring your Pet’s brand/ personality to life via the content you capture.
- Consistency – ensure to post regularly and engage with your audience. Definitely try to post daily or at least 5 x days per week.
- Community – build your own community with your engagement – ensure you are responding to your follower’s comments and making them feel valued
- 4.Connect – Connect with other pet influencers, influencers with pets and brands you want to work with – follow them and comment on their feeds, you will grow your account quicker by doing this.
- Commit – when you are engaged for a campaign, ensure you deliver on the brief – read it! Follow up and deliver in spades with brands you collaborate with and you’ll soon keep booking more campaigns!
I hope Megan’s 5 tips (and everything else in this article) helps you become a successful Pet Influencer. Be sure to reach out to us at Personalised Pet Collars if you do decide to become an influencer … we would love to work with you helping keep your communities Pets safe and sound.