As a nation we are suckers for animals and animal stories, whether that is sob stories, heroic tales of ‘lassie come home’ or cats busily playing with balls of wool. A recent report showed that pictures of kittens were ten times more likely to be viewed and shared than other pictures.
So how can small business benefit from our love of all things cute and fluffy? In a previous blog I extolled the virtues of using YouTube to its best advantage. Put simply if you have a cute video of a pet or even a friends pet this can very easily become viral and get your message passed on almost by stealth. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to create an advert for your business that will be shared quickly and widely amongst your target market. Pictures of pets to your blog or Facebook photoshopped and edited are also a great idea.
Obviously the big boys are also aware of our love of animals and will use that to good effect, none more so than telecoms giant Three who have the performing shetland pony.
I rather suspect some computer generated moves in the video ! either that or there is one very talented pony living wild in the highlands and islands. Admittedly we don’t all have a moon-walking pony to hand but the principal of using a pet to get your message over remains. You have opportunities lying at your feet at this very moment. People love animals and will share without thinking, get your pictures and videos uploaded and get your message across. If I can help in any way please feel free to contact me.