Did you know that brand engagement is three times higher with Instagram Marketing than Facebook?
Why?
Because consumers are becoming increasingly visual. Big chunks of text don’t get us to notice brands. Beautifully composed pictures do. And Instagram is the channel to do it.
According to squarelovin, 1 billion users use the platform every month – and 63% of users log in once a day. Not only that, 18-34s are the most active age group, the prime demographic of consumers.
Via squarelovin: 22 Instagram stats for 2020
Plus, Instagram is still in its growing stages. Businesses can increase their brand reach through organic means. That means good news for small businesses.
Pet Stores most usually are small businesses, operating out of just one store. They don’t have the budget to spend on marketing tools. They might have to invest in ads to get noticed on Facebook.
Thankfully on Instagram, a good social media strategy can be enough to bring high traffic to your pet store.
10 Adorable Examples of Instagram Marketing for your Pet Shop
Pet Kiwi – Actively Posting Cute New Zealand Rescue Pets
Pet Kiwi in New Zealand is a pet store that hosts adoption events to find homes for rescue dogs and cats. Their mission offers vet services and pet essentials in its stores.
Pet Kiwi has a very active presence on Instagram. They post pictures and videos of their pets one or two times a day. Most social media experts recommend posting 1-2 times per day. Posting more often might appear spammy while less often might get you off the minds of your viewers. You’ll find their posts filled with their pets in action. The posts are sharable which helps increase organic reach for the brand. The brand uses Instagram to promote their adoption events.
Daisy Pet Shop – Dynamic Posts and Insta Grid
Daisy 2018 Pet Shop has adopted a very Instagram approach to their Instagram Marketing. They have very dynamic Instagram posts where they upload a series of posts to make one complete picture. Needless to say, the pictures are stunning and get attention – you won’t even notice that their captions and posts are in Persian, not English!
Some of their photographs are pretty good but what’s best is the way they are using the Insta grid as tiles to create a bigger picture.
This pet store has really understood Instagram – it’s all about beautiful pictures. To avoid viewers skimming through their best pictures, they have cleverly magnified them using the new Insta trend by uploading 9 pictures to form one complete picture.
SATOO Reptiles – Stunning Reptile Photography
SATOO Reptiles isn’t your usual pet store. This Ohio-based pet store sells reptiles, all kinds of reptiles. A reptile pet store on Instagram makes a lot of sense. Especially when you have great pictures to show.
SATOO Reptiles is winning at Instagram through their stunning photography. Mini reptiles crawling on hands. A man holding snake thrice his size. The stuff of National Geographic.
Another interesting Instagram technique that many follow is posting a Carousel or mini-slideshow on Instagram. Two pictures posted together. They show as one post but you can view the other picture by swiping left.
How does this help SATOO?
It increases the time your viewer spends on the post. Most viewers would swipe left to see the next picture. This opens are a larger window for viewer engagement. With two pictures, your viewer is more likely to comment, like or even remember the post.
SATOO Reptile has also cleverly worded their bio. They have their website, their phone number, their location and a little description of their shop. In the 150-character limit bio, SATOO tells all that’s necessary.
Mega Pet Store – Relatable, Cute Animal Candids!
Mega Pet Store on Instagram has a commercial feel to it. Their pictures aren’t National Geographic material but what’s working for their social media campaign is the way they are photographing their animals: honest, sweet and kindly
While going through their feed, there was an occasional aww moment. Dogs wearing rabbit hairbands, a hairy Cachorro sporting a ponytail and poodles wearing clips.
Other than that, posts on their social media account show an inside look at the store. The products they sell and the customers they cater to. Candid pictures of the store and products build trust and connection with the viewers.
The bio and captions are in Portuguese since the Pet Store is in Brazil. Since the store is aiming for a local clientele, using the local language makes sense. You’ll find that the hashtags are in English. This makes the store easily searchable on Instagram.
Merrick Pet Care – Wholesome Pet Food with Videos
Merrick Pet Care is US-based wholesome pet food store.They have a lot of interesting things going on in their Instagram feed. They hold contests and giveaways, one of the most popular engagement strategies on Instagram. You’ll find that their posts are a mix of pictures and videos. Photos drive more likes to your post, while videos get more comments. This way Merrick is using both mediums to increase engagement for their Instagram marketing.
The product photography is also beautifully done. Since Instagram is more aesthetic than social, good photos are the key to attracting followers on Instagram. Each picture comes with a whimsical caption and appropriate hashtags, making the store easily search-able.
Pet Co Foundation – Storytelling with Posts
Pet Co Foundation is another Pet Store Marketing on Instagram done right. Their news feed tells a story. You’ll see pets alongside their new happy owners. Pet Co has been able to create a brand for itself by focusing on concepts like love and sharing. They have a consistency in their social media posts- a similar message of love and happiness. These posts show you what’s happening with their business. And isn’t that the whole point of social media. Getting your potential customers to get to know you. The company posts about events, contests, stories etc.
Northern Pine Customs – Filters for Custom Pet Furniture
Northern Pine Customs on Instagram is absolutely beautiful. This pet shop sells custom-made dog crates and feeders.
On Instagram, you have to make your viewers think, ‘I want this’.
And Northern Pine Custom is doing that. People who may not have a pet would want one seeing their crates, feeders and other pet furniture. They show in-store pictures of their products and also products placed in homes.
Another interesting technique you see on their Instagram account is a consistent use of filters. Which is good. If you are using the same filter each time, you give your Instagram a branded look. The consistent filter can easily become your business’s trademark.
PS 9 Pets – Hashtag Game and Business Bio
The Instagram Channel of Ps 9 Pets is a good example of what you should be putting in your bio. Within 150-characters, the pet store has shown that they have a 14 years experience and are voted best pet store in Williamsburg. They also give their number, location. The pet store uses Emojis to add a level of interest in the bio. Emojis are a good way of condensing information into one or two characters.
The pet store uses cute and often whimsical images of the pets at their store. This goes with the feel of Instagram Marketing. Something that doesn’t take long to digest and is pleasing to look at. For Easter, they did a post of a dog relaxing in a basket filled with mini-Easter bunnies. Putting up holiday centered posts on social media offers better reach and exposure. Most businesses increase their social media posts during the holiday season. That’s the time when your customers are willing to spend more. Later you can turn these first-time customers into loyal customers.
Nekojam Online Pet Store – Cute Cuddly Pet Pictures
The first post you’ll see on The Nekojam Online Pet Store is a cat relaxing on a basket. That’s super cute. Pet stores have great the advantage of having such great models right in their stores. Nekojam uses them frequently. Making them appear cute, lovable, cuddly will get sales growing. The company offers giveaways to drive organic traffic to their social media account.
PerroMart: Featuring Customer Posts
PerroMart is a pet store retailer that also offers a subscription box (PerroBox) and a pet magazine (PerroPet). The genius of keeping a single Instagram account for their lines of business helps with cross-promotion, reducing the strain of maintaining three Instagram accounts.
Another deft way they’ve made managing Instagram better – by featuring customers under the hashtag #PerroHighlight. Making use of user-generated content is a great example of community marketing – sending some love back to the fans. Plus, some of these pets have a bigger fan following!
Takeaway Lessons on Instagram Marketing For Your Pet Shop
Here’s how you should be doing Instagram Marketing for your pet shop:
- Share beautiful pictures: When you open Instagram, you’ll see one stunning picture after another. On Instagram it’s not about content, it’s about pictures- aesthetically pleasing ones. You don’t want your business to stick up like a sore thumb with yearbook-boring pictures. A candid picture from your store is also a very good idea.
- Crisp, short bio: You only have 150 characters to write your bio. Use the characters wisely. Give your location, your number and a few words to describe your unique selling perspective.
- Caption your posts: Let the reader know why you are posting. Ask a question in your caption is a clever way of getting comments on your post.
- Use Hashtags: Hashtags in your posts allow your posts to be properly categorized and searched. You can increase your post engagement by 12.6% through hashtags. With hashtags, you can get your potential customers to search your company easily. Find out hashtags your competition is using, analyze the results on each hashtag you use.
- Upload Videos Occasionally: Videos offer a better engagement. Your viewers are more likely to comment on a video than a photo. And videos with cute animals takes the cup.
- Tell your Story: Pictures are a great way to tell your story. Everyone loves a good story. We grew up listening to them. With storytelling, you can create an emotional connection with your audience.
- Stay tuned to Insta-Trends: Since Instagram is still developing its user experience, it’s evolving every day. Keep abreast of the changing to stay ahead of the pack. Look at what others are doing.
- Hold a Contest: Everyone loves free stuff. A contest is a good way to drive traffic to your account. It boosts engagement, increases followers and develops a good rapport with the company.
For other ideas on digital marketing for your pet store: check out Candybar’s resources: