Pets have captured social networks. Their cute photos draw the attention of Instagrammers from all over the world. And their fur, four legs, and collar do not prevent them from cooperating with world famous brands.
These cute animals can compete in popularity with celebrities. And thanks to the partnership with such renowned brands as Zappos, Mercedes-Benz, Purina, and Google, the owners of fluffy celebs can earn real money.
How To Make a Dog Famous on Instagram
Here are the steps one Instagrammer used to promote a dog on Instagram – from finding a unique gimmick on down to using an Instagram bot.
Step 1 – Find the Gimmick
A pet-owning Instagrammer said, “It took me a whole year to attract the first thousand followers for my personal IG account. The first thousand followers for a new doggy account only took two weeks.”
It is easier to attract an audience once there is a clear understanding for whom the content is published. For example, a mother of four children can easily share tips on parenting with new parents or parents-to-be. Someone who travels all over the world can easily attract a travel audience. A barista who brews fresh coffee in a Turkish coffee pot, and creates coffee masterpieces every day will easily attract an audience of coffee-lovers.
But to fudge everything, having decided to become famous in the blogosphere, will probably not work. For example, stories about distant countries, as told by someone who has never traveled, to an audience of moms on maternity leave, is likely headed for failure.
Step 2 – Be Sincere
Be, not seem to be!
Someone who wants to blog about travel, but has visited two or three countries has a credibility problem. Stealing pictures of the Norwegian fjords from a friend is also not a good idea. It is better to find exciting places from a city closer to home, and write useful feedback about them.
Honesty, authenticity and transparency shine through any marketing effort. This is a trend in modern society, and people can detect fakes.
Step 3 – Be Consistent
Initially determine the frequency of publishing posts and videos. Consistency across both formats is important. For video content, plan to incorporate engaging clips that showcase your dog’s personality and daily antics, ensuring your audience gets regular updates.
Once followers see an ongoing stream of posts, they want to see them continue. Do not disappoint them by stopping the flow due to running out of vacation pics. Prepare for that time by scheduling the next out-of-town weekend ahead of time, to provide a seamless transition.
Run Instagram just like a life that is easy to maintain daily. People are interested in a wide range of things. The most beautiful cakes, a favorite cat, talking about fitness, demonstrating martial arts, drawing cartoons or manga, and paper-folding skills all can find audiences looking for great content.
Cope with the task by using quality automated services to schedule posting. The most successful people are usually those who have a system. Plan each publication, fix the right time for posting, create quality posts, be authentic, and enjoy some free time.
Step 4 – Use the Right Hashtags
Use hashtags for each post, but do not use all of the same ones every time. Try to find only the most relevant tags. Using irrelevant tags, trying to trick an audience to visit will cause the promotion to fail.
Some people use an onine hashtag generator to come up with the relevant tags. For instance, use #puppy #pet #instadog #petstagram #animal #nature #doglover #animals #pets #puppylove #dogoftheday #doggy to add to the caption of a dog picture.
Step 5 – Mass Following and Mass Liking
Decided on the theme of the channel and created the content? It’s time to promote the channel to the whole world.
Start by liking and following the target audience. This can easily be done manually. Be very careful using an Instagram bot to attract the target audience. A bot automates the processes of mass liking and following, but be sure to stay well under the IG limits.
A good bot can be safe and more convenient than doing it manually. Moreover, some bots offer advanced features, which allow likes on posts, comments and account feeds. Liking and following increases the visibility of the account.
When the target audience is chosen correctly, and the content is interesting and timely, the number of supporters and admirers of a pretty or smart dog will continue to increase.
Be sure to also do this manually. In the long run, there is no substitute for the human touch.
Step 6 – Communicate With Followers
While building towards the first few thousand followers, it is vital to open a dialogue with them. Otherwise, there is a high risk of losing them. The best channels take the time to write Direct Messages with greetings. Thanking people for following helps retention. Remember that while some of these followers may be bots, most of them are real people.
Commenting on their photos is not a necessity, but it will increase their engagement.
Some automation tools are useful for mass-liking and reciprocal following and messaging. Automation is less time-consuming and much more efficient, but the authentic human touch is better. Interacting with people, while time-consuming is the mark of an authentic, successful influencer.
Step 7 – Be Selective With Advertising Offers
Tada! Once the account has grown to several thousand followers, expect to see offers for advertising arrive. The initial offers may not always relate directly to the channel’s main topic. For example, the dog instagrammer received offers from companies selling cheap coffee, whitening strips, and beauty-products that were new, and not well-known. Obviously, these were completely unrelated to the dog.
Maintaining a high quality account takes time and effort. In this process, trust is gained from followers, who participate by reading, liking, commenting and interacting.
Now, the main thing is to not lose the trust of the audience. Introduce advertising slowly, maintain a high percentage on non-advertising content. Avoid the urge to advertise cupcakes today, and praise the fitness center near home tomorrow. Only advertise the best products and services that were tested first hand.
Step 8 – Incorporating Video Content
With Instagram’s evolving features, video content has become a key player in engaging audiences effectively. Influencers can leverage video to showcase more dynamic and interactive content. For instance, videos of the pet playing, performing tricks, or even just being adorable can captivate an audience much more than static images.
For those new to video editing, tools like Flexclip offer a user-friendly platform to create high-quality videos without needing expert skills. Flexclip provides templates and easy-to-use editing features that can help produce professional-looking videos directly from a browser. Whether it’s a funny moment or a training session, using Flexclip can elevate the content quality, making it more appealing and shareable.
Step 9 – Leverage Video Engagement Strategies
Engaging followers isn’t limited to photo posts. Videos on Instagram allow for a richer storytelling opportunity and can generate more comments and shares. Utilize Instagram’s video features such as Reels and Stories to publish short, engaging clips that can capture fleeting moments or share day-to-day activities. These formats are particularly useful for creating a sense of immediacy and connection with the audience.
Also, consider hosting live video sessions to interact in real-time with followers. This can be a Q&A about the dog, a live training session, or just a fun interactive playtime. Live sessions are excellent for building a real-time connection with the audience, showing the authenticity of interactions with the pet.
The Greatest Pet Influencer
Follow all the steps above, and it’s a high probability that the new dog channel will become one of the greatest pet influencers. Anyone can make a dog famous on Instagram. It requires a plan, a system, and persistence.
