They snore, they drool, they’re hairy, and they’re better at Instagram than you. No, I’m not talking about your exes—I’m talking about dogs. For creatures that don’t even have opposable thumbs, dogs are dominating Instagram feeds around the world quicker than you can say “Sit!”
Animal Instagram accounts may have brought so much joy to the platform, but it’s not all fun and games for these four-legged pups. The dog Instagram community has become a phenomenon that’s proving lucrative to their socially-savvy owners. New York’s most Instagram famous dog, Marnie, boasts over 1.9 million followers—a number that you can imagine is attracting businesses and brands looking to add some canine charm to their marketing efforts.
With follower counts like this, it’s obvious that there are many dogs who are better at Instagram than us. We take a look at some of our favorites below, and find out exactly what it is that’s given them such doggone success.
Must-follow dogs of Instagram
Marnie the Dog
Social media tip for success: Listen to your audience
Marnie the Dog is probably one of the most well-known pooches on this list. As mentioned above, she has over 1.9 million Instagram followers—a number that shows no sign of stagnating. She’s attracted the attention of celebrities such as Taylor Swift, James Franco, and Jonah Hill, but doesn’t seem to let it phase her.
The New Yorker wrote a profile about Marnie, calling her The Most Famous American Dog on Instagram, a title that she deserves based on her charmingly wayward tongue alone. Although Marnie’s looks definitely have a lot to do with her popularity, she also has an in-tune social media manager to ensure she’s spreading joy as far as possible.
Her owner and best friend Shirley Braha describes the way the duo found success: “I got 400 followers in the first month, which felt like a lot, so I decided to start paying attention to what resonated with people and doing more of that.” For social media marketers, this is a great example of how social media listening can help you tailor your content to fit your audience.
While Marnie doesn’t do sponsorships (don’t call her an influencer!), she sells merchandise of her famous mug online.
Chloe The Mini Frenchie
Social media key to success: Work with influencers
When you’re just starting out on Instagram, it can be hard to get your account off the ground. You know you have great content, but your audience hasn’t found you quite yet. Chloe The Mini Frenchie solved this classic problem by working with a bigger name in the dog Instagram world at the time, Manny the Frenchie. Manny the Frenchie shared a photo of Chloe with his massive following of more than 1 million Instagrammers, giving Chloe her big break.
Once her brand had been established, Chloe continued to work with—and appear on—other dog influencers’ feeds, further boosting her own exposure and follower count, which now sits at 135,000. By engaging with valuable influencers, accounts like Chloe’s can find and engage with relevant communities.
According to Racked, “Chloe has done shoots for Martha Stewart and Barneys; produced clothing collaborations for the women’s brand Bow & Drape; eaten PetSmart’s doggy ice cream on camera; starred in a Budweiser Super Bowl promotion; and been paid to attend pet events at fancy hotels.” Ah, it’s a dog’s life.
made my @todayshow debut this morning ☺️ #bts on the snap (👻: ChloeTheMini)!
Toby LittleDude
Social media tip for success: Find your voice
Toby LittleDude is an adorable regular at the Hootsuite offices as one of the employees’ favorite #HootDogs, and his presence can command a room like no employee. His personality shines through in the best way, and he is known to wag his little tail in response to somebody simply walking by. On Instagram though, Toby’s personality really comes out to play.
His account is a goldmine of attitude and good-natured sass that sets him apart from the crowd. The hilarious spot-on captions accompanying his photos, along with his consistent photo style, have established a definite brand voice. He also makes sure to answer questions and respond to comments on his posts, all while staying on-brand.
Our post A Brand of One: On Social Media Branding for Professionals, explains that to maintain a consistent social media brand (like Toby does), you as a social media marketer should “Make a list of the qualities and values you hope to embody as a professional and use it to shape your existing voice for social media. Decide in advance the type of language you’ll use and how you’ll address various situations on social media.” Focus on your brand voice and follow Toby’s lead to Instagram success.
Pam Loves Ferrari Boys
Social media tip for success: Create compelling social video
Pam from Pam Loves Ferrari Boys skyrocketed to success when an Instagram video of her wearing sunglasses and driving a little red car became a viral sensation. Pam’s charm was obvious, as was the creativity behind her content.
Now with over 34,000 followers, Pam has kept up her Instagram antics with a well-oiled content machine. She uses Instagram video in a truly unique manner, and could easily be called one of the most original users (is “artists” too strong a word?) out there. Not only has she created an incredibly endearing brand, but she’s woven it throughout her content without sacrificing any of her personality. This is especially evident in her videos.
Pam’s Instagram videos are ones that I could (and do) watch over and over again. I can’t pinpoint the exact reason why, but it’s safe to say that the combination of over-the-top creativity, dedication, humor, and cute-factor causes me to click the share button quicker than I ever have before.
Pam has an adorable voice that is heard throughout most of her Instagram videos. Just like Pam, you can build your brand through Instagram video by:
- Showing fan mail and user-generated content
- Filming product reviews
- Sharing useful, industry-relevant how-to videos
- Featuring behind-the-scenes video content
- Announcing new products and product developments
You already know the power of social video, so put this power into practice by trying out some of Pam’s tactics.
Aqua Corg
Social media tip for success: Use hashtags
While Aqua Corg could have found success based on his cuteness alone, using hashtags has definitely helped them establish an Instagram following of over 109,000. As I explained in my post 7 Social Media Tactics You Should Use Today, “The hashtag is one of the easiest-to-use organizational elements available on social media, acting as a virtual filing system.”
Hashtags help make your posts discoverable, grouping relevant content together so that it can easily be found by other users. In order to not take away from his captions, Aqua Corg adds a comment with a group of relevant hashtags. For example, some of the hashtags Aqua Corg uses regularly include #corgi, #dogsofinstagram, #corgistagram, and #dogsofinstaworld.
To find the hashtags that work best for your brand:
- Take a look at what your competitors are using
- Test certain hashtags and see which bring you more engagement
- Be specific to attract the most relevant users
- More is more (Instagram user Max Woolf found that posts with 30 hashtags—the maximum amount allowed by Instagram—receive three times as many likes as posts with fewer hashtags)
- Keep them relevant and avoid spamming
Hashtags can be a powerful feature, so use them for good, not evil. Think about the kind of content you would hope to find through a specific hashtag, and tailor your own hashtag use accordingly. Like Aqua Corg, there is success to be found through the humble hashtag.
Dogs can teach us countless lessons in life—from how to listen to your instincts to how to succeed on Instagram. If you thought you knew everything about Instagram, the top dogs listed above show that you really can teach an old dog new tricks.
In addition to keeping up with your favorite dog influencers, you can use Hootsuite to schedule posts and manage your brand’s Instagram presence. Try it today.
The post Social Media Secrets from Dogs Who Are Better at Instagram Than You appeared first on Hootsuite Social Media Management.
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