As devoted pet owners and small pet business owners, we understand the importance of fostering a strong and connected community. Our industry is full of passionate and dedicated individuals, driven by our love for our furry, feathered, and scaly family members.
To better understand this community’s needs, interests, and perspectives, the BlogPaws team recently conducted a survey inviting all community members to share their thoughts and experiences. This included questions related to content creator/brand relationships as well as questions to help us better understand how the pet industry is represented within our community.
Today, we’re excited to share some of the captivating results of this survey and what they reveal about pet ownership, the pet industry, and content creation within our niche. So, join me as I take a deep dive into our findings…
Who is the BlogPaws Community?
Before we dig into the finer details of content creator/brand relationships – Who is the BlogPaws Community? For those who are unfamiliar, the BlogPaws Community is an inclusive global community of small pet business owners, bloggers, influencers, and other pet industry professionals. It can be found on Facebook and is free to join. But that description is relatively broad in terms of exactly who we were talking to with this survey, so let’s break it down.
Bloggers make up the largest percentage of the community at 50.8%, followed by Influencers (20.6%). Small business owners were broken down into three separate categories: Small Product Biz, Small Service Biz for Pets, and Small Service Biz for People, accounting for 15.9% of the community. Adding even more interest to this breakdown, this question asked respondents what they consider themselves primarily to be – but we know that a majority of our community members wear multiple hats!
Our community spans a wide range of experience levels, ranging from those new to being in business in the pet space to small pet business owners with over ten years of experience. The breakdown of just how long each member that completed the survey has been in business was as follows:
- 17% 0 to 2 years
- 9.4% 3 to 5 years
- 2.1% 6 to 10 years
- 41.5% 10 years or more
Many of the BlogPaws Community are solopreneurs, with 75% reporting that they don’t have the help of employees or contractors in their business.
Where to Find the BlogPaws Community on Social Media
In addition to knowing who the BlogPaws Community is, we wanted to better understand where the community is represented online. This includes which social media platforms our community members are actively using.
It came as no surprise to any members of the BlogPaws Team that the most popular social media platforms being actively used were Facebook (92% of respondents), Instagram (84% of respondents), and Pinterest (64% of respondents). Other mentioned platforms included TikTok, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Discord.
Brand/Content Creator Relationships
One of the most powerful stats revealed during the survey was that 100% of content creators want long-term brand relationships. They aren’t looking solely for a quick one-off contract. Instead, they would rather build an ongoing relationship that will benefit both parties.
These brand/creator relationships can take several forms, with the three most popular being product reviews on a website, evergreen content features, and product reviews on social media.
Building brand relationships can occur in every corner of the pet industry if a brand and creator find that they (and their audiences) “fit” well with one another. But some products were more popular among the creators in the BlogPaws Community than others. When asked what products creators were most interested in, the top responses included (in order):
- Toys + Enrichment (97.4%)
- Treats (71.1%)
- Outdoor + Travel (68.4%)
- Home + Home Care (57.9%)
- Food (57.9%)
This isn’t to say that brands in other areas of the industry should be discouraged from focusing on building connections. However, some companies may need to search a little harder to find a creator whose audience will connect with their value.
If you are a brand actively searching for creators to partner with, the next few statistics can help you better understand what creators consider important in their brand/creator relationships. This will help you better position the value you are providing and present an opportunity that will touch on the values they are actively searching for.
According to the survey, the most important thing that creators want in their brand relationships is the ability to be creative. Contrary to popular belief, content creators aren’t seeking out brands to inspire topics for their content creation. Nearly 60% of the creators in our community identify knowing what to write as one of their strengths. Instead, they want to connect with brands that will allow them to tap into their creativity and speak to their audience in the ways that best resonate with them.
This was closely followed in importance by the reputation of the brand and the reputation of the product. Creators work hard to build a community they genuinely care for, building trust through transparency and honesty. This means that they aren’t interested in pitching brands or products that will fall short of their expectations or tarnish the trust that they have built.
The Future of Content Creation in the Pet Industry
What does all this mean for the future of content creation and brand relations in the pet industry? The most important takeaway for both creators and brands is that industry professionals on both sides of the equation are interested in forming mutually beneficial relationships. If you are interested in moving forward with new connections to propel your business forward, this is the perfect time to reach out and start those conversations.
The pet industry is made up of people who are emotionally invested in their work. We are pet parents and animal lovers, which comes through in everything we do.
From sponsored posting to affiliate marketing, business success in this industry is possible. Start by identifying brands or creators that speak to your audience directly. For example, if you are a raw food brand, you will have the best success connecting with creators passionate about raw feeding. From there, consider which social platforms your target audience is active on to target your efforts strategically.
Most importantly, have fun! Everything we do is rooted in our love for our pets – so let that love shine through.
Do you currently have any long-term brand/creator relationships? If so, we would love to hear your experiences in the comments.
About the Author: Britt Kascjak is a freelance writer and content creator with a background in digital and social media marketing. In addition to being the BlogPaws Director of Content & SEO, she also runs her own personal blogs Shed Happens, The Kas Pack, and Lucifer the Rescue Pup. When she’s not working, she can be found volunteering in the rescue space, camping, hiking, canoeing, or spending time with her 3 dogs and 2 cats.
