It wasn’t his flawlessly curled tail or lengthy pink tongue. Nor was it his froglike legs or bulging belly button. It was the way he spun in circles, like a helicopter preparing for takeoff, when he was about to poop. He twirled like a tiny ballerina. I knew my dog was a star the first time I saw him defecate.
My pug, Chase, does not just have looks. He has personality. He trots like a show pony. He screams like a pig. And most importantly, he craps with flair. Not every pet turns part of their daily routine into a dramatic dance, after all.
I knew he needed his own Instagram account almost as soon as we adopted him. My dog was undoubtedly a star. But first, he required a handle that captured his quirkiness. By the grace of God, the handle @Pringlesthepug was available. I snagged it, and Chase quickly transformed into Chase Pringles, Attorney at Law. Why an attorney, you might ask? He exuded wealth, success, and an appreciation of fine scotch. It felt right, and I went with it.
Chase Pringles, Attorney at Law, shared thoughtfully planned images and captions several times a week for almost a full year. Chase showed off his necktie collection, drank at dive bars, and dispensed details about lawyer life. He (we) followed well-known pets, commented on dog-related accounts, and brainstormed product placements that could propel Chase’s rise to fame. It was delightful.
After six months, Chase had well over 1,000 followers and received at least 120 likes per post – and sometimes many more! I felt like we were on the brink of something. I thought to myself, “maybe a dog food company will want to collaborate. Maybe he’ll be a dog leash model. Or, he might even be the face of a pet-friendly hotel.” Yet, those things did not happen.
Eventually, I lost momentum with our Instagram stardom goals. Work and family obligations took priority. I could not sustain spending at least two hours a day interacting with other accounts and coming up with creative content ideas for Chase.
That’s when I fully grasped that social media management and marketing is hard, time-consuming work, even for managing my dog’s social media presence. And I was only generating content for one channel!
Chase still shared photos, but they weren’t as thoughtfully composed. Lighting and style were no longer a priority. The captions were rushed, and updates were less frequent. We no longer contributed to the community by liking or following other accounts. Chase lost followers, but I was happy to walk away from the role of being his social media manager.
As Sprout Social points out, “a social media manager can be a marketer, a strategist, a copywriter, a designer, an analyst, and a customer service rep—sometimes all in one day.” Social media practitioners must be skilled in writing, communicating, creating, marketing, analyzing, and providing customer service.
Social media offers personal and professional communicators the opportunity to engage with the public while using new technologies. When done right, social media managers’ work can raise awareness, inspire growth, and engage audiences. This is true of social media activity for businesses, organizations, or even pugs (have you met Doug the Pug?).
While my time as Chase’s social media manager was short-lived, I learned a lot. Many lessons have stayed with me and guided my social media approach in my career as a professional communicator.
The Top Ten Lessons Learned from Trying to Make My Dog Insta-Famous (That You Can Apply in Almost Any Social Media Management Role):
- Create a content calendar as far in advance as possible. Your calendar can include national holidays, seasonal themes, and other relevant topics. Plan for frequent and regular posts. On the other hand, you also need to adapt or pause your plans when faced with global, political, social, or organizational crises.
- Understand the time involved with commenting, responding, and engaging with your community. Days off are rare. To build a following, you must engage with several communities. That means liking and commenting on content whenever possible.
- Know the audience you have now and the one you want to attract in the future. Learn their pain and passion points. Social listening can help you better understand audience interests, emotions, and favorite channels. Practicing social listening should guide your planning by putting your audience’s needs ahead of your own.
- Find ways to get in front of new audiences. Tag your location, a product in the photo, or an account that might share your content. Stay mindful of developing partnerships.
- Identify your voice and your brand. Your followers should understand who you are and what to expect from you.
- Write your captions well. Be clear, concise, and avoid typos. As they say, “think before you ink.” Be creative and have your own unique voice.
- Use hashtags thoughtfully. Take note of what hashtags work for you. You do not always have to use 30 hashtags every time you post. Often, including so many won’t significantly impact your reach and makes your written content appear cluttered.
- Do you have an exceptional talent or niche? Focus on that. Consider creating a branded hashtag to communicate and share what makes you different. Encourage your audience to use it.
- Take good photos. You do not have to be a professional photographer, but find good lighting and consider your composition. And do not discount the power of video.
- Experiment with the different content creation tools that are available to you. For instance, you can now publish posts, stories, reels, and live content on Instagram. Every channel offers different options. Don’t limit yourself or stick to only one type of content. Try them all.
When I first brought Chase home, I didn’t understand that managing his social media would be a full-time job. We now know that he might never reach celebrity status. But, every night, when he does his potty dance in the backyard, I look at him and he looks at me. With his knowing glance, I swear he almost seems content that he helped me understand these vital social media lessons. And that’s good enough for both of us.