Influencer marketing has taken the branding world by storm, and some of the most unusual suspects to find real success in social media marketing are pet influencers. There’s just something about seeing a happy dog, cat, bird or gecko on the newsfeed that makes people feel delighted.More and more animals are getting their social media platforms today, and this has led to a growth in pet influencer marketing. These petsfluencers promote everything from pet food and supplies to fashion items, cleaning aids and even cars.
What are pet influencers?
Influencer marketing involves approaching a social media personality with a large following, with the intention of asking them to promote your brand’s products or services, as a part of your marketing campaign.
Influencers in the pets niche can help you market your products and services in creative and innovative ways, from pets wearing certain clothes belonging to a fashion company, to pets indulging in a brand of pet food or playing with toys that can, in turn, inspire other pet owners to replicate those experiences with their own pets.
People develop strong bonds with animals pretty easily. Animals can even symbolize different human experiences and feelings, such as the ‘lone wolf’ or the ‘transformation of the butterfly’.
This opens doors for brands and companies outside the pet market to welcome and use petsfluencers. A powerful example of this is the collaboration between Loki the Wolfdog’s and Mercedes-Benz.
This kind of success has been repeated by various brands, both solely dedicated to pets and pets supplies, as well as other brands. Buddy+Boo, a petsfluencer with over 500,000 followers on Instagram, successfully collaborated with Virgin America, much to the delight of various pet lovers.
How do petsfluencers help in product marketing and branding?
There is a growing market dedicated to helping brands find the right petsfluencer to market their products. But why has petsfluencer marketing become so popular?
- Happy feelings: Animals make people happy. Whether it be a fashionable chihuahua, a cat that survived a harsh life to find a loving family or a parrot that loves saying the most unusual things. In a world where people are often met with startling, negative or controversial news, pets offer a channel where people can relax and feel happy.
- High engagement rates: If you want social media platforms to work to your advantage when it comes to reaching wider audiences, your posts need high engagement rates. These include likes, comments and shares. Content featuring animals are already highly shareable, and people are more likely to tag their friends and families on such posts, as well as leave positive comments.
- Generate word-of-mouth marketing: The best way to make a marketing campaign go viral is by generating word-of-mouth spread. This happens more often where animals are concerned, leading to higher traction for your products and services.
- Brand story: Involving a pet influencer can provide you with unique opportunities to tell your brand story in an engaging way. A makeup brand is more likely to be seen as cruelty-free if they involve pets in their marketing campaigns. Similarly, a healthy and fluffy cat eating a certain pet food live on a social media channel will help consumers feel more secure about purchasing that same product for their pets.
- Develop brand loyalty: People trust animals more easily than they do other people. That is why it is easier for people to develop bonds and connections with animals on social media, even if they don’t personally know the animals. Remember how famous Grumpy Cat became, and how there was an outpour of sadness when the cat eventually passed away?
Companies that specialize in pet supplies love to approach popular social media animal accounts to promote their products and services.
Pet foods, grooming supplies and toys for pets all do great with petsfluencer marketing, but so do all other kinds of marketing.
Chloe the Chihuahua is as successful in marketing the Clorox brand as the Whiskas cat is with the popular cat food.
Petsfluencer marketing is a powerful way to make your brand gain the traction it needs. So if you’re in the market for a social media influencer, a petsfluencer may be a better choice than you realize.