How Pet Brands Can Harness the Power of Influencer Marketing

If you’re in the business of helping pets live their happiest lives, you may have considered pet influencer marketing as a strategy for communicating your messages to your target audience. We’ve recently noticed a shift happening in the pet industry and with pet owners, and we believe that now, more than ever, is the perfect time for pet brands to utilize influencer marketing.

Consider these recent trends in the pet industry:

• 21% of pet food sales has shifted online, with no signs of slowing down.
• One in four Americans says that they’re more likely to purchase pet food online than in traditional stores (Nielsen).
• The annual spend on pet food per pet-owning households has increased 36% from 2007 to 2017. Nielsen attributes this increase to the demand for higher-quality, premium food.
• Nielsen also said, “Sales of products that boast additional health benefits are on the rise — and shoppers are looking past marketing claims to base their purchase on what they see in the ingredient panel.” Pet owners increasingly care more about the ingredients in their pet’s food and are purchasing from brands that share similar values.
• The American Pet Products Association estimates $73 billion in spending among U.S. pet owners.

Whether dog owners are searching for tips on detangling their pup’s fur, or a cat lover is on a mission to find the healthiest food for her kitten, the internet and social media are go-to sources for finding tried-and-true, pet-related information. The content that bloggers and social media stars produce help with search ranking, too, so by partnering with the right pet influencers, the information brands aim to communicate becomes more readily visible to their audiences.

The Motherhood’s network of top influencers is chock-full of animal lovers and pet owners! We took a survey of them to gain insights on how they celebrate, show off and spoil their favorite creatures.

• Nearly all respondents (92%) who have pets said that they include their pets in their social media and blog content.
• 14% said they have a dedicated section of their blog that focuses on their pet(s).
• About half (43%) of those who said they post pictures of their pets on Instagram reported higher-than-average engagement on those animal-centric photos.
• From our survey, it is clear that pets are true members of the family: 76% said they buy gifts for their pets for the holidays, and 64% have a special birthday celebration for them. We love that!

And perhaps the biggest takeaway from our survey, 85% of influencers said they want to work with a pet brand in an official capacity. The opportunity is there, and we can help you create a custom, authentic campaign to get your brand in front of pet influencers and their readers/followers who share your love of our four-legged friends.