Canine Social Media Influencers

WRITTEN BY: ALYSSA HELMS, SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR

The social media craze is a real thing; raise your hand if your screen time has gotten higher because of last year! You may find yourself glued to Tik-Tok and Pinterest for hours, or perhaps find yourself checking out social media pages with lots of followers and end up following them because they appeal to your interests. Influencer marketing reached an estimated ten billion dollars in 2020 and the value of the market will only exponentially expand because ANYONE can turn themselves into an influencer. I’ll simply be focusing on those who have fur and are four-legged. If you are a creative dog owner or have a unique dog who you want to get involved in the influencer world, here is your personal tip-guide to social media success, as well as some insider secrets from pros who are already slaying the game.

The start-up is always the hardest… you may be skeptical of whether or not your dog-fluencer account will thrive. Every dog-fluencer’s owner is infatuated with their pet, but so is every other dog owner without a large fan base on Facebook or Instagram… So why not try? Ask yourself what you love about your dog. They uplift your spirit everyday and have opportunities to uplift others too! How are they different? What are their quirks? Maybe they have a signature pose or stick their tongue out a certain way. Every dog has its own personality and that should be the first thing to consider when beginning a social media account for your fur baby. Find out what is so special about your dog and capture it in pictures and videos, your followers will see it too!

Scroll through your camera roll right now (or after you check out the rest of the magazine), I’m sure your pets will appear pretty often. Making your dog a social media star is very time consuming and will require many (and I mean many!) photoshoots. Some dogs are born to be models, but most have to bribed with favorite treats, toys, or even humans. Kelly Trout, the owner of @maddythesharpei, says her model of a dog is just being herself when she poses for her mom, incredibly sweet, protective, and loyal. While it is great to have an Instagram, Youtube or Facebook famous pet, it is going to take a lot of effort and passion to be successful. Content must constantly be created so dog owners must be prepared to have and take plenty of pictures. Most of the famous influencers use their platform to post multiple times daily. By capturing more than one picture or video, you are capturing all the cuteness, thus keeping the attention of your followers who are always looking for more content from you and your pet. To start up, post content to one platform and if you are successful and have the time, cross pollinate and go to multiple platforms. Spreading the word about your account and staying active will help your dog-fluencer rise to success!

Photography skills are a crucial part of social media success. Pictured: @finneganthepitbull

Photo by Southern Vintage Photography

Social Media Celebs

Jiff Pom @jiffpom Over 10 million Insta and 22 million TikTok followers. Best known for cute videos walking on 2 legs and cute outfits

Doug The Pug @itsdougthepug Over 13 million followers. Best known for dressing up in costumes and videos

Crusoe @crusoe_dachsund Over 10 million total followers. Best known for creative videos and costumes.

Walter Geoffrey @waltergeoffreythefrenchie Over 1.5 million followers. Best known for emotional breakdowns and being dramatic.

Agador @poochofnyc Over 200k followers . Best known for creative outfits.

Perhaps you have heard of Doug the Pug, seen YouTube videos of Mishka the talking Siberian Husky, or the meme of Maru the Shiba Inu. These viral pups did not miraculously get famous. All the famous dogs have a design behind their brand; it takes a lot of effort from both dog and dog owner to keep the attention of an audience. When it comes to public online content, you only have 2-5 seconds to catch the eye of someone scrolling. Every post, comment, share, etc. counts, even if it is later deleted. Screenshots and digital words last forever, so in order to appeal to as many people as possible, be authentic, ask and answer questions, and address everyone without becoming too biased. Kelly says she has used her followers to gain insight into their perspectives or opinions on various topics which has been beneficial for research for schools to learn more about people. Marketing with brand owners can and will benefit both your dog-influencer page and the brands, which brands heavily rely on. Following similar pages and collaborating with them will allow you to expand your fan base and connect with people who share the same likes and interests. You can collaborate with other dogs, brands, and influencers to gain more exposure or promote your brand. It also helps to build relationships in your community.

Local Social Media Influencers

Maddy @maddy_sharpei Over 42k followers. Featured in this issue of Lowcountry Dog.

Puppies & Pinot @puppies.n.pinot Over 33k followers. Featured in 2021 Lowcountry Dog Calendar.

Tiny Toy Gia @tinytoygia Over 25k followers. Winner of 2018 Lowcountry Dog Model Contest.

Captain The Great Dane @captainthegreatdane Over 16k followers. Captain featured in April 2017 Issue (RIP) and Gregory, 2020 Model Contest Winner.

Turning your superstar into social media’s superstar is going to take alot of passion and patience. It is alot like dog training, it will require consistency, loyalty, patience, time and commitment, but the rewards are worth the wait. Be original, be creative, be consistent, and be real! The rest will follow. Four-legged influencers are a brand in and of themselves. Whether you are making an account for your fur baby just to capture all the cute things they do or you want your pup to make it big, nail down your goals and channel whatever mission you are going for and create content around those ideas. Most dogs want nothing more than to please us and social media success is similar. Pet blogging and social media growth is a marathon not a sprint, so keep that in mind as you start or continue your path to e-success. ■