Back in the day, I made one of my dogs a Facebook page. It was really so my mom and I could play Facebook games with it and not have to like, interact with real people. I eventually made one for the other dog, just because. I think my mom still goes in there once in a while and posts something “from” the dogs.
As Instagram became popular and then was acquired by Facebook, I noticed a lot of my friends not only moving over to the picture platform, but also creating sub-accounts: amateur modeling careers, gaming accounts, home business sales programs, small businesses and the like all started beckoning to me.
And then came the dogs.
Some have said they separated their dog, cat, iguana, rabbit, and wildebeest photos from their regular feed into a subaccount dedicated to their pets for those who were more interested in their pets than say, their hobbies or the clubs they were involved in. Have I considered creating a sub-Instagram account for my pets, like I did for the dogs on Facebook?
Here's why I haven't... yet:
I almost never post on my actual, personal account
So I have some great ideas for artistic model sets, or design ideas, or clothing layouts, or just sweet pictures of my furry babies, you know, like it’s for, but I typically end up posting an old shot of the dog or cat looking excruciatingly cute or one of my lame selfies. I don’t get an extreme amount of “likes” on anything (probably because I set almost all of my accounts to private) and when people comment, they comment heavy and suddenly I have a lot to respond to. I post anywhere from once a week to once every few months, despite wanting to post more. However, my friends, both with and without subaccounts, will post upwards of seven times a day, not including to their “story” that isn’t an actual post to the profile as much as it is a small, timed post. The average I see is about two photo posts and three stories a day. I, typically, will post a photo once every four times I open the app with the intention of posting a photo instead of scrolling. It would likely end up being a disservice to my pets for me to manage an account for them.
I social media “manage” random stuff and I have no stamina left
Speaking of social media management, maybe I’m just half-in to too many social media accounts on too many platforms, but... actually, that’s probably it. I sort of half-manage, or volunteered to help with, or maintain on my own a handful of social media accounts including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Brand management is a lot, my dudes, and it takes real work to develop content plans and scheduling and all that jazz. That’s probably why I post sporadically and occasionally answer the messages and don’t do much more. If you only have one account or one extra page to manage, a pet Instagram probably wouldn’t be too much trouble to maintain. But, I can’t even content plan for my own personal accounts and I’m pretty lax on some of the other accounts I am a part of, so I don’t think tossing another flaming pin onto the juggling unicycle bear is such a great idea.
You might grossly exaggerate your pets’ fame
I love my cat and my dog, and I think they’re just so cute. And snuggly. And precious. And darling. I take a bunch of pictures of them all the time. I bet you do the same thing with your pets. But how much do other people care about our pets? Be honest, how much feedback are you expecting when you post pet pics publicly? Like I mentioned above, if you’re not posting a ton consistently or frequently, chances are you’ll get low feedback solely based on algorithms. But your mom will probably have notifications on, and will like all your pics, at least.
Branding can bite
Hey you, yeah, you’re responsible for branding, content scheduling and creation if you’re gonna be semi-serious about it. It's all about them, but Fido and Fluffy don't have thumbs, and they're not going to voice any ideas to you. Playing it casual with lackadaisical posting IS always an option, but I've seen plenty of pet accounts go from "just a cute pic!" to a celebrity-style shoot, and I've also seen plenty stop posting after less than a month. Some content control will likely be required, on some level.
So, should you do it?
I like it when other people make these accounts and I bet most of my feed is populated by dogs and cats I don’t know that I have liked enough photos of over time to alter my algorithm. I like the idea of a subaccount to put towards artistic expression, branding, or whatever, so naturally, I should consider my pets as a possibility for a topic. Will I do it? Probably not anytime soon. But will I still post pictures of those sweet, tender lambikins curled up on chairs or hiding under a blanket? You bet your Instalikes.
