Vincent E. Pacheco Blog: Dozens of social media animals—really

Thursday, October 6, 2016

Dozens of social media animals—really—that you should emulate

I came up with a great idea: Wouldn't it be fun to write a post, "Five Animals with a Better Social Media Strategy Than You," and then highlight what we could learn from these "social animals"? (Gah, I kill myself.)

So I turned to Facebook to ask people who their favorites were.

I quickly learned that this post should be titled: "5 Million Animals with a Better Social Media Strategy Than You," because our animal buddies are kicking our two-legged butts in that regard.

So, although this list is not comprehensive, here is a sampling to help inspire your own social media strategy:

Doug the Pug: OK, Doug got so many votes, I doubt he can even count that high. Make sure you have some free time before you click over to his page, because it's a rabbit hole that you won't escape from quickly.

What makes Doug great?

He has a strong, unique voice.
He uses visuals like a freaking pug boss.
He plays into contemporary culture and trends.
He is extremely responsive and interactive with his community.

Pibbling with Theodore: Another all-around crowd favorite, he's so popular that his mom got the word "pibbling" into the Urban Dictionary. (I'm still working on getting PetroPower there.)

Animals are clever, and I'm convinced they are smarter than people, as well as being non-judgmental and always there to cheer you up. That's why they're so popular on social media—no snarky comments, no bullying, just good fun.

Why everyone loves Theo:

Strong and unique voice and personality
Relatable situations and struggles
Interactive persona
Clever memes and signature catch phrases

Loki the Wolfdog: One major thing you can learn from Loki's social media strategy: imagery. The beautiful use of photos and video is breathtaking and makes me jealous of Loki's adventures.

Gawk at Loki because of:

Amazing imagery and user of photographs and videos
Simplistic, yet effective content style
Visual storytelling

Esther The Wonder Pig: Esther is a case study in clear and consistent messaging. She would be a PR pro's dream spokesperson. She has clear talking points to get across, and she does so in a variety of ways, with a light and fun tone. Regardless of whether she is dressed up, going for a run or just lounging around, she keeps on message.

Why Esther is oink-aful:

Consistent personality and voice
Clear and targeted messaging
Consistent talking points and great segues

Here are a few others with unique social media strategy and tactics, specifically when it comes to using content and voice to connect with their niche audience:

Cat Food Breath: If you have a cat, you'll get it—it's painfully relatable

A Single Bear: This is the most philosophical bear on social media; you can ponder the universe with him.

Captain Cowpants and Dimitri the SharPei:

Almost any animal person will tell you they imagine distinct voices for each of their furry (or scaly, or feathery) children. Cappy and Dmitri bring that to life on social media, which makes their vibrant personalities all the more charismatic.

Why you will crush on Captain Cowpants and Dimitri:

Strong and consistent voice and personality

(Note: Of those suggested, I didn't include them if they weren't managed by the animal, weren't currently active, were a personal account vs. a page, or were posted after this post was set to publish-although I tried to add a few of the later ones. If I didn't include you, that doesn't mean I don't love you and your social animal.)

Facebook:

Rhea The Naked Birdie (warning this one is NSFW, because naked)

Teddy Bear the Porcupine

Life of Pikelet

Cole and Marmalade

Draven the Therapy Cat

Evie the Pit Bull