So I’m planning to go to my first networking event in a few weeks; it’s a very neat sounding conference near where I live called BlogPaws. If you are an animal blogger reader (and I know there are a bunch of you), you should go check it out!
Thinking about this whole Blogpaws thing got me wondering though: so many people run animal businesses, or blogs based around animals, which is great. But how do you brand and market really effectively with animals?
I brand with animals around here, well, with one in particular. He even has his own bio now! When I started branding with Didy way at the beginning, it wasn’t really conscious. Part of it was an offshoot of my lifestyle: I really am one of those dorky people who spends all day in my pajamas writing and hanging out with my dog. And my dog has enough personality that he’s hard to ignore, so he sort of worked his way naturally into my branding. I’ve ramped up the dog aspect of my brand a lot in the last few months, because I’ve found that it’s a wildly effective tool (and because my dog is awesome and clearly an unofficial business employee).
The first trick to branding with animals is to make sure that if you’re using one animal as a focus, or writing as an animal, it really needs to have a strong personality. Most pet owners will tell you that their pets have naturally strong personalities. Pets are like people in a lot of ways: they have likes, dislikes, favorite foods, pet peeves, and hobbies. Animal lovers know this, and more importantly, they expect to see this reflected in sites about pets and pet products. If you’re writing a biography of a dog or cat, make it spicy, funny, and full of personality, just like you would if you were writing about a person.If you’re stuck, think about what kind of person your dog or cat would be. Would they drink beer and watch NASCAR? Would they read Tolstoy wearing a smoking jacket? How do they feel about tv and music? All of these are great questions to tap into the voice of your pet.
Second, think about what your pet or animal means in the larger picture. I brand with Didy not just because I love him, but because it’s smart marketing. For me, branding myself as a girl and a dog gives off the impression that I am small, personal, and not just a writing factory. These are all good marketing impressions. If I was running an animal site, I’d probably still brand with Didy, but I’d highlight the fact that I’d adopted him after he had been abused and stuck in a shelter for six months. After all, these are big animal issues that really get people talking. Branding with animals is about more than the cuteness factor; animals can be used to highlight all kinds of causes, world issues, and charity work.
Finally, if you’re branding with animals, don’t take it too seriously, please. Ever seen a very professional site written from the perspective of a dog or cat? Yeah, it’s kind of silly. If you’re going to do the animal branding thing, try and roll with the sillier writing voice. You cannot write a completely professional bio of a dog, so don’t try. Make some jokes, be silly, and use it as a way to insert some humor into your web copy.
Do you run an animal blog? Do you run an animal Twitter? Are you thinking about going to BlogPaws and want to hang out? Leave a comment!
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