August 27, 2025 • 36 mins
This week on The Whisker Report, Mary and Alex welcome Jamie Keane, founder and owner of Be Spotted, a pet-focused marketing firm helping animal welfare organizations and pet businesses shine. From crafting scroll-stopping Instagram reels to showing pet owners how to generate real passive income, Jamie has the tools and know-how to take your brand to the next level. In this episode, she shares practical advice for those who can’t yet hire a professional, common mistakes pet entrepreneurs make, and the key differences in marketing for nonprofits versus for-profits. Whether you’re running a rescue, small pet business, or just dreaming of your next move in the pet world, Jamie’s insights will help you level up your impact.
EPISODE NOTES: Be Spotted: How Pet Businesses Can Stand Out
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/whisker-report-pet-pr-publicity-pet-life-radio-original--6669416/support.
EPISODE NOTES: Be Spotted: How Pet Businesses Can Stand Out
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/whisker-report-pet-pr-publicity-pet-life-radio-original--6669416/support.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
This is pet Life Radio. Let's talk pets.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Welcome to the Whisker Report, where a new podcast is
dedicated to helping anyone in the pet industry, whether you're
an animal welfare or a for profit pet company, get
some pr and buzz for your organization. Hello everyone, I'm
Mary can What are the hosts of the show, along
with my co host Alexandricard at cat rescuer and public
(00:35):
relations professional who hails from France but now lives in
the lovely city of Vancouver. Boner Alex Dermont, How are you, Mary?
I'm good? How are you good?
Speaker 3 (00:48):
Trying to get some summer in Vancouver where it's like
so cold and rainy even in June.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Oh no, I.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Had high hopes, but summer is not here yet. Hopefully
it comes in. And we're also here with our amazing producer,
Mark Winter of Pet Life Radio, who gets us to
you each and every week. Yeah, who's calling from the sunshine?
Speaker 4 (01:10):
It is sunny today. How you'm looking out the window?
But hot?
Speaker 2 (01:15):
I'm never not sunny Florida.
Speaker 4 (01:18):
It's hot, like it's almost July in Florida. It's like
ninety plus degrees.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
My goodness, is it very humid? Too.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
Nowadays it's rainy season.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
Yeah okay, yeah, well me it's humid too, but no sunshine.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Well, we are so honored to be part of the
Pet Life Radio Network. You can do pr for yourself,
and alex Mark and I are going to help you
and give you tips each and every week with the
help of a wonderful guest. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
Today, we're so lucky to have Jamie Kaine, who is
the founder and owner of be Spotted, a pet focused
marketing firm that focuses on everything for making all some
Instagram reels to helping pet owners get a passive income
that really sells. She has expertise in getting pet owners
to that next level. Jamie, I know that's just a
(02:10):
little bit of what you do. So welcome to the show,
and thank you so much for joining us. We're so
happy you're here.
Speaker 5 (02:17):
Thank you for having me. I'm so excited to connect
with you and your community and help all the pet
business owners out there take it to the next level.
Speaker 4 (02:26):
Yay.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
So, first question, how did you get involved in the
pet industry.
Speaker 5 (02:31):
I think, like all of us were all obsessed with
our pets, Like I am a psychodog mom to I
like to call her a mexicle. Her name's Lucy, but
I had dogged growing up as well. My first pet
business was so cliche to say, but like during COVID.
So I'm based in New York City and I started
it was called dog Spotted and basically you can see
the trend spotted and it was to help connect small
(02:53):
businesses think that's trainers, et cetera, to pet parents. And
at my first population, I started with Ravet and as
we all know, during COVID, everyone and their mother got
a dog. And my business was to help vets get
more business. So when I said, hey, your website looks
like I didn't say these exact words, but your website
looks predated to my space, I'm sure you don't want
(03:15):
to revamp all of that. Let me help you get
more customers. And they're like, we are swamp. Do you
know any vets? And I was like no. So through
that learning experience, which tip number one i'll give on
this call, do market research. I am now a psycho
about market research. Like people, I think when they start
a business, they just assume because they have dealt with
this problem or they think it's a problem, that means
(03:36):
it is a problem or enough of a problem. And
I learned through that experience the vets, especially peak COVID,
when everyone was getting pets, their biggest problem wasn't more clientele,
but was staffing. But obviously the outside I would have
never known that, so I iterated dog spotted. But through
that experience, other people like trainers, walkers, groomers, pet products
(03:56):
because I grew my Instagram quite quickly and I had
really good engagement and things like that, so other pet
businesses were like, can you help me with my social media?
And at first I was like, so busy pulling teeth
from the vets, and my husband was like, these people
are banging on your roverbial door for help. And so
that's when be spotted was born to teach pet businesses
(04:17):
because I'm sure those listening can understand or probably have
looked into hiring or outsourcing, and it can get very expensive.
It's every month, and most people that manage social media
pages are not pet specific and it's a totally different
audience and nuance, so and no one's going to care
more about your business than yourself. And so my whole
strategy is teaching pep businesses the skill set. So they
(04:39):
can do it quickly and efficiently, so they don't have
to spend thousands every month, not waste hours on creating content,
and get business organically without ad spend. So that's kind
of the little story of how it all got started.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
I do always recommend to pet owners, like especially small
pet businesses or even like you know, small organization, to
do their own So social media, I think it's so
important to do it yourself because especially in the AI
world today, where it's so easy to create a post
like and yeah, you can create ten posts in two minutes,
but none of them would be genuine. So I think
(05:12):
one thing is to really put the time to just
be very truthful and just tell your own story.
Speaker 5 (05:17):
I one hundred percent agree. The biggest differentiator is you, right,
and especially if you're a solo preneur, which a lot
of pet businesses are. Again you're the trusted authority, and
especially if you're a dog trainer or someone going into
their home. The last thing you want to do is
hide your face and be mysterious because you're going into
this person's personal space. Like that's a risk on the
(05:39):
pet parent to invite the stranger into your home. So
the more that they can get to know you. This
is the service side. Obviously, the more they can get
to know you and trust you, the more likely they're
going to pick you over your competitor, even if there's
a price different you. And then when it comes to
pet products, I think a lot of the biggest complaints
I hear is I'm so sick of posting like pictures
of the bandana or the pet food. I'm sick of it.
(06:01):
I'm sure my audience is sick of it. And I
guess tip number two. Hopefully I can remember and track
all the numbers of tips. What would be don't just
post about your product, post about the person that would
buy your product, like what are their interests. So, for example,
if let's say there was this I'm such an art
I love shark tank. There was this one product that
was like a protein bar, like you know how people
on hikes they have like their little snack bars for people.
(06:23):
And then this company made one specifically for dogs, so
it's easy to travel with when you're going on hikes
or camping or whatever. And so if I was creating
a social media for example, that company, instead of just
posting dogs on hikes, I would do content like dog
friendly hikes in upstate New York or Boston or Vancouver
or here are some hiking dues and don'ts here's and
(06:46):
someone that's probably hiking obviously making generalization like probably like
scranola and kale and healthy snacks because they're outdoorsy and
like thinking of them as a whole person versus just
that single thing about the dog. And unfortunately for all
of us here, the dogs don't have the credit cards
the humans do, so you have to create to them
and their needs and problems and what resonates with them.
(07:09):
So I have a question.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
You had also brought up market research, So tell us
how can somebody do that without hiring anyone?
Speaker 5 (07:19):
Oh yeah, definitely don't hire someone consulting firms. My husband consultants, they'll.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
Be like taking my jump.
Speaker 5 (07:25):
They charge an arm and a leg. So I mean,
these big, big, big companies spend it's crazy, like six
figures on like a month. What I always say if
you're just starting out, like let's say you don't have
an Instagram presence, And this is going to sound so
ill because Facebook is ill, but Facebook groups are actually
still really great and active, which is so random, but
(07:45):
it is so I always say posting those groups, be
cognizant of the admin, be cognizant that you're not stepping
on anyone's toes, and always be giving something in return.
But say, hey, let's for tend. It was for my business,
right like, hey, name's Jamie. I'm looking to talk to
other pet businesses that are struggling with marketing. I'd love
to talk for an hour to hear where you're struggling
(08:07):
in in exchange, I'll give you an hour of a
free consule. Right, it should be equal, like your time
is not more valuable than theirs, and vice versa. So
asking for their time and then for my own clients,
I give them the plug and play templates for Facebook
groups as well as the questions they should ask so
they don't have to think about it. But obviously you
could use chatcheap bet now because I made this pre
Chatcheap beauty. But yeah, it's a numbers game. I always say,
(08:29):
try and get at least ten, and then the trick
is right seeing the patterns. What are the problems that
they keep talking about and regurgitating that in their words
in your content. The biggest mistake, and I'm sure you
guys will agree. Pet businesses have their own vernacular and jargon,
Like I hear trainers saying, you know, fear free and
which is that me?
Speaker 2 (08:50):
Right?
Speaker 5 (08:50):
What does that mean? Which just means you know, they
work really well with anxious pets. That's it. So just
translating that. The rule of thumb is if a ten
year old can understand it, you're doing great.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
I do really like the tip about Facebook groups. I
have a friend who just launched a vegan cookie brand
in Vancouver, and she told me she was like, I
just used the lots of vegan groups in Vancouver and
I just gave them free cookies in exchange of like
very lengthy surveys. And because of that, she like, you know,
she managed to do an amazing recipe and she's doing
(09:21):
so well in just a few months. So Facebook groups
are such a good thing. And yet of course offering
something in exchange. But that's such a great tip.
Speaker 5 (09:30):
Thanks.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
I'm try another question while we're talking about this. So
I know you said Facebook is you and I agree,
But people are always asking, you know, like even like
nonprofit small pet businesses, where do we need to be?
Do we need to be on Instagram? Do we need
to be on Facebook? Do we need to be on TikTok?
Do we need to be on YouTube? Shorts? All of
(09:52):
these social media and it can be like so overwhelming
Twitter threads. Where do they start? How? Like?
Speaker 5 (09:59):
What are your when it comes to this question, Yeah,
I love this question. The number one thing I'll say
is where is your audience spending time? If you were
a senior home like looking for people that are like
seventy and up, I'd say you better be hanging out
on Facebook because I know that's where my mother lives.
My mother like like in laws, like I cannot tell
you how much time they spend there right Where people
(10:21):
millennials gen z are not hanging out their minus to
Facebook groups occasionally, So I'd say one, where is your
audience hanging out? Right? Again, saying things like LinkedIn, which
LinkedIn has actually changed a lot recently, but before it
was very like I'm a professional B to B, which
it still is, but it's actually become much more for
lack of a better way of putting it, casual. People
(10:42):
are being much more vulnerable and open there. So again,
if you were you know, one of these pet conferences
like Global or super Zoo, like I would put efforts
on LinkedIn too, because they're trying to attract other businesses.
But most dogs service businesses, not products, products or probably
on LinkedIn, but most I've many dog trainers are vets
that are spending time on LinkedIn. But almost every pet
(11:04):
parent I bet is on LinkedIn, right because they have
like normal jobs, So normal jobs, you know what I mean,
from the jobs outside of the pet space. So I
say pick one and really become really good at it.
Because one thing I'm sure everyone knows is the algorithm
is moody and it changes all the time. So pick
(11:26):
one and like really know it and own it. And again,
when I work with my clients, I take the time
to stay afloat on these trends so they don't have to.
So I'd be like, hey, instead of doing this, do
that so that they're going to get more reach. But yeah,
I'd say pick one. My favorite is Instagram because out
of all of them, I think that's where the millennials
and Gen zs of the world, who are probably the
biggest population getting pets, are hanging out. And also, the
(11:50):
algorithm just works differently, So for example, if you're a
local business, it definitely is better to be on Instagram,
let's say, than TikTok or YouTube because people are using
Instagram like a search engine or YouTube shorts at least
I'm going to speak to and TikTok is more just
like flip zone and I'm like on the couch and
you know, doing nothing. Or Instagram. I think it's that,
(12:11):
but they're also using it almost like a search engine
as well, even more so. So yeah, long s very short.
I would pick Instagram. If you are going to do
a written one like a threads, you can also repurpose
that on LinkedIn.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
Yeah, repurposing, can you? Because I know not a lot
if people do that, you know, the reels they post
on Instagram, they will then like you know, use them
for TikTok and also YouTube shorts. Do you agree with that?
Do you think that's a good idea?
Speaker 5 (12:36):
It can't hurt you already did it And there's a
really great tool. I don't use it, but I have
friends and if you want to put this in the
show notes, it's called repurpose dot io. And the point
is that once you upload it once it then uploads
it onto the other platforms that you choose, So that
makes it a lot easier unless time consuming. I know
when I was doing it for a minute, I would
always forget, and now I really just stick to Instagram
(12:57):
for be spotted. The one thing you have to just
be mine's love is that you want to make sure
you download the video without what's called the watermark, which
is like I'm sure you guys have seen it. It's
like the little Instagram or TikTok I kind of bops
around and because it actually hurts the reach because the
algorithm of those platforms. But I know you didn't do
this year, so definitely download it without the water mark.
And then yeah, I say shoot your shot. You never know.
(13:20):
I will say one thing again just to be cognizant.
And I'm sure we all feel this subconsciously, is that
the culture on Instagram and TikTok are very different. Like Instagram,
there's a lot more trending audios and people like lip
syncing and dancing, and not to say there's not that
on TikTok, but I feel like TikTok is also a
lot more educational and more long form than Instagram. And
(13:41):
then YouTube shorts is more I don't know, regular YouTube
is almost more like TikTok. In that it's a little
bit longer form. But YouTube shorts are more like Instagra,
It's like reels. I don't know, so I say, shoot
your shot as long as it's not stressful. But if
you pick one, I would go with Instagram.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
So I have a question for you about time saving.
You had mentioned, you know, repurposing content. What other software
kinds of programs are something can somebody use that are
pretty you know, reasonable in cost in.
Speaker 5 (14:10):
Terms of repurposing or yeah, repurposing, posting, just all the
general stuff like what are some great How do you
save time?
Speaker 3 (14:18):
I guess is the question? Do you schedule ahead? Like
do your schedule post ahead? Like?
Speaker 5 (14:23):
Yeah, So it's tricky, right, I used to actually schedule
ahead and I use later dot com, which I think
was like eighteen a month. Because it's really weird for
Instagram being so big that they actually have a feature
inside of Instagram where you can schedule garbage. Don't do it.
It just doesn't work. It just doesn't work, which is hilarious.
It's like I'm trying to post in your own app.
(14:44):
You're telling you a third party app is better, but
it is the problem. I'm only Instagram is really my
bread and butter. To be honest, I'll just speak to that.
And what I know is when it comes to static
content images or a carousel and a carousel for those
that are like it's when you have multiple slides right
that you go through. It's not a video. The problem
(15:05):
is with actually now with carousels static as well as reels,
is trending audio is actually really important. And with static
and carousels, if you add music so trending audio to
those posts, you're actually amplifying them because you know, on
the bottom of Instagram there's the search butt in the
(15:25):
reels tab, which is just like the for you page
you would see on TikTok and then just like your
regular feed. So by adding music to static content, it
automatically gets added to the reels tab, So you are
optimizing for works. But I'm sure you guys have seen it.
When you're squading on the reels tab now you're seeing carousels.
The only read they're on there is because they added music.
So the problem with scheduling out is you can't if
(15:47):
I was to create content and I wanted it to go,
you know a month later that audio is no longer
going to be trending, so then it's pointless. So I
no longer use those softwares because there's literally no point
because it's only going to hurt. So I'm a big
If you're gonna batch, put it in your drafts on Instagram.
Just create the content inside the app now, edit says
(16:09):
come out. I haven't tried it, but it does help
with reach, especially becausey're trying to get more people to
use it. But I just let them sit in my
drafts now. They even allow you the opportunity to rearrange
your grid if you don't like it, which, yeah, I'm like,
who cares?
Speaker 2 (16:22):
I don't know.
Speaker 5 (16:22):
For me, I don't really care because I don't think
aesthetics matter as much. It's more is the content interesting
and getting their attention to want to watch and engage.
But so to answer your question, I don't really use
many tools now because it just doesn't make sense. I say,
save the money, create the content in the app, save
it in your drafts. If you're going to do anything,
if you're busy or forgetful, set a calendar or reminder
(16:45):
at twelve pm or whatever the ideal time for you is,
be consistent, and then just then all I have to
do is click posts and that's it.
Speaker 3 (16:53):
Do you think time still matters time of posting?
Speaker 5 (16:56):
Yes and no, so in the sense yes because if
you're again, let's say you're based in New York and
your local business, you shouldn't be posting at three in
the morning. Yes, we don't sleep New Yorkers. Mine more
people are awake at noon right than at three am.
So just because it's really critical, like the first thirty
minutes in terms of engagement, because the algorithm makes the
(17:18):
decision is this good or not? And am I going
to post it out? So three am is not ideal?
Here's an I think we're on to tip number three.
If you're a creator or business account, which any PIP
is it should be, you have like that button on
the top in like your bio area. That's his insights.
If you click new followers and then scroll all the
way to the bottom, it actually tells you when your
(17:39):
audience is most active on the app, So you can
just base it off with that.
Speaker 2 (17:42):
Wow, well, you know what, this is such insightful information.
We love you. We just need to take a quick
break and then we're going to talk more with you
when we get back.
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Speaker 6 (18:36):
Let's talk beets on Petlife Radio dot com.
Speaker 3 (18:49):
And we're back with Jamie Kaine, the mind behind Bespotted,
a marketing firm focused on that industry. Jamie, we're talking
about social media, so I want to ask another question
about it. What about stories? So we talked about real
carousel post How important are stories because I in my opinion,
(19:10):
they are because they bring they bring your account back
on top for people to see you.
Speaker 5 (19:15):
But tell us what you think one million percent, if
you're not posting on your grid, which is like your
main feed every day, you could do a story a
day because it can be as silly as a picture
of your dog and you could say, is my dog
James is lucyq? Like it could be as silly as that,
because again, it keeps you top of mind. Right. But
(19:35):
what I want to actually go back is I think
people have this misconception in that the grid, the grid
is so important, but to me, actuallyetting stories sealed a deal.
So what I mean by that is when you're getting
discovered on social media, usually there's three ways you're getting discovered.
One is through the search, right, is someone's search pet marketing.
Let's say through the explorer tab, which there's the explorer
(19:59):
where it's like that grid of different things, or the
reels one. Or the third is someone is sending it
to you like that particular reel, right, haha, this is
so funny or whatever it may be. So your content,
think if your Instagram is a physical store, the grid
is what's getting people to go to your door. It's
peeking their interest like a store is. Typically are only
(20:21):
visible to those that are being that are following you,
where your grid is open to the public. So they
see this first piece of content, they're like, oh, this
is good, and then we want them to binge and
like your content build trust. Typically the next place they're
going to go is your stories. Like I said, to
seal the deal, who is the person behind the business,
what are they like? Are they fine? Are they do
(20:41):
they get me? Is it relatable?
Speaker 2 (20:43):
Right?
Speaker 5 (20:44):
And the other really think great thing about stories, unlike reels, which,
oh my god. Tip number four this is probably one
of my biggest pep peeps in the world. In your
caption of a real a carousel static, do not, under
any circumstance put a link your phone number anything. Do
not do it because no one can click it, they
(21:05):
can't copy and paste it, and it makes me sad.
So what you should be doing instead is putting any
of that, not any ilie, don't put your phone number
in your stories, put your put any links that you
want people to click, sign up for an event, buy
your product, book, a call, whatever in your stories. It
is so easy to do though. There's like a little
(21:28):
square posted man with a slyly face and one of
the buttons is link. You could literally just click obviously
just just put the link, right, that's weird, but like
give a little context to it. So yeah, so I say,
story sealed the deal, and we want to give as
the information to our potential customers as easy as possible,
(21:48):
and the least want to click some steps, So when
they're in our stories to click that button to book
a call. Let's say, just make a thing bang boom,
and it'll be easier for conversion versus go into your caption. Oh,
they want me to go to this website. I can't
copy and paste it. I have to get a pen
and paper and write down this in saying URL and
then you know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (22:05):
So don't what about stories highlights?
Speaker 5 (22:08):
Love that question? So highlights? I always say there should
be four, and I'm going to talk to more service
providers and that one highlights. The objective of your highlight
is to get people to want to follow or buy
from you. And I love seeing everyone's pets, Like I said,
psychodog mom. If I see another pet business who just
features pictures of their own dog, that doesn't tell me
(22:30):
how you're gonna help my dog, Like Roscoe is cute?
Love Roscoe, right, But how does that help me as
the pep parent decide I'm going to work with you
over competitor down the street. So you should always have
four highlights that again help you make that decision or
at least follow. So the four I always say one
about me. So and it shouldn't just be like I'm
(22:51):
a sagittarius, right, like no one cares about me? Should
be what are your credentials? Why does that make you different?
How do you help parents uniquely? Again from your customers?
And okay, tip number five if I hear one more time,
I will love your pets like my own. Everyone says
that every single person. Right. Instead, if, for example, your
(23:12):
fear free and you're a pet sitter, right, I would
say something like I curate an experience for anxious pets
to feel like they're at the spa, right, or something
like that that gives a feeling versus I love your
pets as my own. It's like, are you unikidnapping? Don't
about me? But really it's about them being able to
trust this person. She gets it. Second FAQ's third your services,
(23:38):
and then fourth testimonials and do screen shots? Do screenshots
of your testimonials? Ideally they can be from Google reviews,
DM text. Even people are very concerned about aesthetics and
they'll hold the testimonial, put it in CANVA make it cute?
But then I don't know, not that I think anyone's lying,
but it looks less legitimate than taking a proper screenshot
(24:01):
from You know, my favorite is dms because you get
that little circle of their face and everyone can relate
to that. Yeah, and the other ones don't look as clean.
So if you're asking clients for testimonials, just ask them
to DM to you. Screenshot it, put it in your highlights,
and add a little bit of context because most of
my parents aren't going to write an essay about their
life story with their dog, so provide a little context
(24:22):
with it as well.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
Jamie, you're amazing. You're giving us so much info. People
are listening. Love this. I have another question. It's about
UGC content. So UGC is user generated content, So it's
when you don't do your own content, but you ask
other people to do it for you. So if you
have a product, you can have customer or even someone
(24:44):
you send a product to making content and then you
can reuse that content. What do you think about this, Jamie,
I think you have a lot of thoughts, and I
also think you have a tool coming up, so I
just wanted to mention this.
Speaker 5 (24:56):
Yes, oh you're the best. So UGC is really really great.
I think I think people are actually not as familiar
with it. People just think influencers for creating content for
social channels. The problem with influencers is they are absurdly expensive,
like money, money, mone it like it's crazy, and people
think I need some. Yeah, they think they need this
(25:17):
big influencer, which it's great for brand awareness, but that
doesn't necessarily convert into sales. So I would rather spend
the same amount of money on more creators UGC creators
than one big influencer. So UGC is really great as
well because it helps you diversify your content, different stylings,
different pets. Right, you could have a black cat a
(25:38):
I don't know the different colors as a ginger cat, right,
A bagle I know more about dogs, a beagle, a
German shepherd, a chuaha whatever, And you see is much
more cost effective. It's not cheap cheap, right, it's still
you're paying them money. As everyone's creating their on social media,
it's not a walk in the park, but usually it
starts anywhere from like one fifty to six hundred ish,
(25:58):
give or take, depending on the delay bowls as well.
So yeah, for people that I think it's really great
to your point, really for products, you can do it
for service providers like I've seen a lot of new
GC for vets in New York to talk about their
experience of why for example bond or small drawback because
they're back by BC, so they also have the money
to spend to share their experiences. But typically UGC is
(26:22):
for product based and then to touch on what you're
saying about the products. So typically when sourcing creators, the
way they're doing it is just searching the creator and
then usually they go to their link and bio, which
then has a bunch of different links. One's about their portfolio,
ones about different affiliate. It just but it's sending them
outside of the app and all these different places, and
(26:43):
it takes a lot more time to verify. So I've
created this product called Julip. It's like Tulip but with
a J and it's a website builder specifically for UGC
creators that they can create in minutes that's meant to
live on their social platforms, help them earn more with
affiliates and secure more brand deals.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
I love. That's so cool. Hey, we need to take
a quick break again, but when we come back, we're
going to talk more with Jamie and her amazing insights
as your dog or cat chewed through yet another set
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Speaker 6 (28:12):
Let's talk past.
Speaker 8 (28:13):
Let's talk a pet Life Radio hetline Radio petlfradio dot com.
Speaker 2 (28:24):
And we're back with Jamie, who is sharing some of
the most amazing insight we've ever gotten on a podcast
here at the Whisker Report, have some questions. Tell us
how PR ties into what you do and the importance
of that.
Speaker 5 (28:41):
Well one, Mary is the queen of pet PR. So
you're here, I'm like floating over here. To me, it's
actually funny. I think it's two things. And what we
just talked about is different than for a pet business, right,
like a pet business should have probably some sort of website.
And for those that don't know what SEO is, SEO
(29:02):
stands for Search engine optimization, meaning when you organically, meaning
no money spent, you're going to rank high in the
Google results, which then really nerdy. I don't know if
you've heard this stroke Mary, but or Alex or Mark.
The nerdy SEO joke is if you want to hide
a dead body put on the second page of Google
because the ain't nobody going so really nerdy? So you
(29:25):
want to try and be at least in the five
top five results, not including the sponsored So the really
great thing about PR, as I said, is two things.
Want It accelerates your authority, right because some other legitimate
publication or person is saying this person knows their stuff,
and then the second is backlinking, which I'm sure you're
familiar with this term, but if the audience doesn't know
what it means, if I like to think of it
(29:47):
like a political endorsement. So for example, if you were
running for office and you want it. I don't know
why I always use this example. I said, if Jennifer
in so random, if Jennifer and had her website and
was like, oh my god, Mary's running for president. She's amazing.
The trust from Jennifer Anison promoting you is going to
(30:08):
rank you higher in like the world of rankings. Right,
So if the New York Times, you know, ranked my
website the New York Times that very legit has millions
of hits every day, it then tells Google like, oh,
Jamie must also be legit because we're legit, and so
it kind of gives you that organic boost. So when
I started dog Spotted and I launched this like marketplace feature,
(30:30):
which is still live if anyone wants to check it out,
I pitched to I don't know if you're familiar with
these publications Thrill Lists and Time Out, because they're all
hyper localized in New York and they have millions of viewers,
and I still get traffic through those, and that's the
coolest part, right, Like PR, what's really neat about it
is you'll get kind of it's evergreen. You keep getting hits.
We're an ad. You're paying to live on that shelf
(30:53):
for a finite amount of time. Where gosh I pitched
Timeout Thrillers, I think at twenty twenty one, so four
years ago go, and I'm still getting traffic, so it
was time well spent.
Speaker 2 (31:04):
You know what was interesting is when you were describing
what to write in your posts and reels and different
and different things like that. It really is all about
storytelling and getting a strategic message in there.
Speaker 5 (31:17):
Would not agree more. I think when it's like five
things blah blah blah, it's not as interesting as this
is how I taught my barkie lungee dog to chill out.
You're like, how did she do it right? People want
to know their experience or client experience, So I could
not agree more. And to your point of parlay as
well to PR as well.
Speaker 2 (31:37):
Yeah, well tell us, Alex, do you have more questions?
Speaker 3 (31:43):
A small question? It was influencer marketing. You mentioned quickly
you would rather spend the money on your GC content
rather than influencers. Can you just talk a little bit
more about this because we get that question so often
from pet businesses, pet product, pet product. They're always asking us,
what about influencers? What about influencers? It's been the biggest
(32:06):
trend ever. We've even seen it at pet shows, right,
the trade shows, all the influencers coming, all the influencers
trying to get their way in with you know, the
people there, the businesses trying to get in. So can
you just give tips to the ones who are listening
to us? And even if you're a pet influencers like
on both sides, right, we love all of them. We
(32:26):
love the businesses, We love the influencers, but can you
give some tips on that?
Speaker 5 (32:30):
And I don't want to say I don't like influencers.
I just think because we love I genuinely I love them.
They're very entertaining. It's just dependent on where your business
is at. Right. If you are tech co for example, right,
your budget for marketing is probably more money than I've
ever seen in my lifetime for like one one month
even probably right, So it just depends on where you're
(32:53):
able to spend your money and your budget, there are
if you can get a really niche an influencerself such
a term because you could be a nano influencer, micro
macro right. And it's funny because the really big ones.
I think Peco actually works well with them because again
Pecko's audience is so broad because think about it, they
(33:14):
carry treats, they have fish, they have harnesses, they have
so many different things. If I'm a smallish business, I
actually would want the more niche creator. So for example,
there's this woman who she actually has pivoted uh recently,
but there's this really great creator who focused on like
her dog and her like menstrual journey, which I'm like,
(33:37):
what a random combo, But I love it so much.
And like if I was a woman or a product
company that was maybe chocolates or like things that helped
with like your period, but you didn't think I was
going to go in this dirreuction when you asked about
pet and fluence.
Speaker 3 (33:51):
I love it.
Speaker 4 (33:53):
Right.
Speaker 5 (33:53):
Then, It's such an obvious partnership. And because she's so niche,
it makes it easier for their audience that they know
the majority of her audience is specifically interested in this
type of product. Right where again, usually very big influencers
are more broad and that's not bad, right, and it
works well again for the pecos of the world, let's say,
but if you're a smaller business that doesn't have an
(34:14):
obscene budget, like, there's nothing wrong with the smaller creators
because they have a really focused audience on whatever that
topic is. Because usually smaller influences are much more niche.
So I would really do your diligence and what are
they talking about? Does it compliment your business? Right? And
there's just so many different ways to look at it.
(34:36):
I think also, you don't need to go for pet influencers.
You could still go for like a lifestyle creator who
happens to have a dog or a cat.
Speaker 6 (34:45):
Right.
Speaker 5 (34:45):
I think a lot of people think, oh, I have
to go for a pet creator where the pet is
the focal point. But again, unfortunately our pets don't have
the credit cards, so it can really be more broad
than that.
Speaker 3 (34:56):
Amazing, Thank you so much, Jamie. Can people find you?
Speaker 5 (35:01):
Yeah, so if anyone is interested, I also help giving
more tips on my Instagram, so it's at b dot spotted,
or they can check me out on my website which
is b e dash spotted dot com and then they
can email me at Jamie at b dash spotted dot
com as well. But this has been so great. I
(35:21):
loved having this time with you and talking all things
pet marketing. It's so nerdy, but it's such a fun
topic and if anyone has questions, feel free to DM me.
Speaker 2 (35:31):
Well, Jamie, you are amazing and everybody needs to check
Jamie out because she's just you just have a wealth
of information. So check out her Instagram page, check out
her social media, check out her website. Everything, do it now.
And that's a wrap for this show. We're so excited
to be doing this for all of you. That was
(35:54):
so fun and you know, Jamie, you're just one of
those people who are making life better for animals. So
if you have a pr question you'd like Alex or
I to answer, we'll reach out to us on Instagram
or Facebook under Whisker Media and we'll try to answer
it in a future podcast episode. So, as we always say,
bark loud.
Speaker 5 (36:14):
And curse life.
Speaker 2 (36:16):
Thanks everyone, we'll see you next time.
Speaker 6 (36:20):
Let's Talk Pets every week on demand only on Petlife
Radios dot com.
This is pet Life Radio. Let's talk pets.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Welcome to the Whisker Report, where a new podcast is
dedicated to helping anyone in the pet industry, whether you're
an animal welfare or a for profit pet company, get
some pr and buzz for your organization. Hello everyone, I'm
Mary can What are the hosts of the show, along
with my co host Alexandricard at cat rescuer and public
(00:35):
relations professional who hails from France but now lives in
the lovely city of Vancouver. Boner Alex Dermont, How are you, Mary?
I'm good? How are you good?
Speaker 3 (00:48):
Trying to get some summer in Vancouver where it's like
so cold and rainy even in June.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Oh no, I.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Had high hopes, but summer is not here yet. Hopefully
it comes in. And we're also here with our amazing producer,
Mark Winter of Pet Life Radio, who gets us to
you each and every week. Yeah, who's calling from the sunshine?
Speaker 4 (01:10):
It is sunny today. How you'm looking out the window?
But hot?
Speaker 2 (01:15):
I'm never not sunny Florida.
Speaker 4 (01:18):
It's hot, like it's almost July in Florida. It's like
ninety plus degrees.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
My goodness, is it very humid? Too.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
Nowadays it's rainy season.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
Yeah okay, yeah, well me it's humid too, but no sunshine.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Well, we are so honored to be part of the
Pet Life Radio Network. You can do pr for yourself,
and alex Mark and I are going to help you
and give you tips each and every week with the
help of a wonderful guest. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
Today, we're so lucky to have Jamie Kaine, who is
the founder and owner of be Spotted, a pet focused
marketing firm that focuses on everything for making all some
Instagram reels to helping pet owners get a passive income
that really sells. She has expertise in getting pet owners
to that next level. Jamie, I know that's just a
(02:10):
little bit of what you do. So welcome to the show,
and thank you so much for joining us. We're so
happy you're here.
Speaker 5 (02:17):
Thank you for having me. I'm so excited to connect
with you and your community and help all the pet
business owners out there take it to the next level.
Speaker 4 (02:26):
Yay.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
So, first question, how did you get involved in the
pet industry.
Speaker 5 (02:31):
I think, like all of us were all obsessed with
our pets, Like I am a psychodog mom to I
like to call her a mexicle. Her name's Lucy, but
I had dogged growing up as well. My first pet
business was so cliche to say, but like during COVID.
So I'm based in New York City and I started
it was called dog Spotted and basically you can see
the trend spotted and it was to help connect small
(02:53):
businesses think that's trainers, et cetera, to pet parents. And
at my first population, I started with Ravet and as
we all know, during COVID, everyone and their mother got
a dog. And my business was to help vets get
more business. So when I said, hey, your website looks
like I didn't say these exact words, but your website
looks predated to my space, I'm sure you don't want
(03:15):
to revamp all of that. Let me help you get
more customers. And they're like, we are swamp. Do you
know any vets? And I was like no. So through
that learning experience, which tip number one i'll give on
this call, do market research. I am now a psycho
about market research. Like people, I think when they start
a business, they just assume because they have dealt with
this problem or they think it's a problem, that means
(03:36):
it is a problem or enough of a problem. And
I learned through that experience the vets, especially peak COVID,
when everyone was getting pets, their biggest problem wasn't more clientele,
but was staffing. But obviously the outside I would have
never known that, so I iterated dog spotted. But through
that experience, other people like trainers, walkers, groomers, pet products
(03:56):
because I grew my Instagram quite quickly and I had
really good engagement and things like that, so other pet
businesses were like, can you help me with my social media?
And at first I was like, so busy pulling teeth
from the vets, and my husband was like, these people
are banging on your roverbial door for help. And so
that's when be spotted was born to teach pet businesses
(04:17):
because I'm sure those listening can understand or probably have
looked into hiring or outsourcing, and it can get very expensive.
It's every month, and most people that manage social media
pages are not pet specific and it's a totally different
audience and nuance, so and no one's going to care
more about your business than yourself. And so my whole
strategy is teaching pep businesses the skill set. So they
(04:39):
can do it quickly and efficiently, so they don't have
to spend thousands every month, not waste hours on creating content,
and get business organically without ad spend. So that's kind
of the little story of how it all got started.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
I do always recommend to pet owners, like especially small
pet businesses or even like you know, small organization, to
do their own So social media, I think it's so
important to do it yourself because especially in the AI
world today, where it's so easy to create a post
like and yeah, you can create ten posts in two minutes,
but none of them would be genuine. So I think
(05:12):
one thing is to really put the time to just
be very truthful and just tell your own story.
Speaker 5 (05:17):
I one hundred percent agree. The biggest differentiator is you, right,
and especially if you're a solo preneur, which a lot
of pet businesses are. Again you're the trusted authority, and
especially if you're a dog trainer or someone going into
their home. The last thing you want to do is
hide your face and be mysterious because you're going into
this person's personal space. Like that's a risk on the
(05:39):
pet parent to invite the stranger into your home. So
the more that they can get to know you. This
is the service side. Obviously, the more they can get
to know you and trust you, the more likely they're
going to pick you over your competitor, even if there's
a price different you. And then when it comes to
pet products, I think a lot of the biggest complaints
I hear is I'm so sick of posting like pictures
of the bandana or the pet food. I'm sick of it.
(06:01):
I'm sure my audience is sick of it. And I
guess tip number two. Hopefully I can remember and track
all the numbers of tips. What would be don't just
post about your product, post about the person that would
buy your product, like what are their interests. So, for example,
if let's say there was this I'm such an art
I love shark tank. There was this one product that
was like a protein bar, like you know how people
on hikes they have like their little snack bars for people.
(06:23):
And then this company made one specifically for dogs, so
it's easy to travel with when you're going on hikes
or camping or whatever. And so if I was creating
a social media for example, that company, instead of just
posting dogs on hikes, I would do content like dog
friendly hikes in upstate New York or Boston or Vancouver
or here are some hiking dues and don'ts here's and
(06:46):
someone that's probably hiking obviously making generalization like probably like
scranola and kale and healthy snacks because they're outdoorsy and
like thinking of them as a whole person versus just
that single thing about the dog. And unfortunately for all
of us here, the dogs don't have the credit cards
the humans do, so you have to create to them
and their needs and problems and what resonates with them.
(07:09):
So I have a question.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
You had also brought up market research, So tell us
how can somebody do that without hiring anyone?
Speaker 5 (07:19):
Oh yeah, definitely don't hire someone consulting firms. My husband consultants, they'll.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
Be like taking my jump.
Speaker 5 (07:25):
They charge an arm and a leg. So I mean,
these big, big, big companies spend it's crazy, like six
figures on like a month. What I always say if
you're just starting out, like let's say you don't have
an Instagram presence, And this is going to sound so
ill because Facebook is ill, but Facebook groups are actually
still really great and active, which is so random, but
(07:45):
it is so I always say posting those groups, be
cognizant of the admin, be cognizant that you're not stepping
on anyone's toes, and always be giving something in return.
But say, hey, let's for tend. It was for my business,
right like, hey, name's Jamie. I'm looking to talk to
other pet businesses that are struggling with marketing. I'd love
to talk for an hour to hear where you're struggling
(08:07):
in in exchange, I'll give you an hour of a
free consule. Right, it should be equal, like your time
is not more valuable than theirs, and vice versa. So
asking for their time and then for my own clients,
I give them the plug and play templates for Facebook
groups as well as the questions they should ask so
they don't have to think about it. But obviously you
could use chatcheap bet now because I made this pre
Chatcheap beauty. But yeah, it's a numbers game. I always say,
(08:29):
try and get at least ten, and then the trick
is right seeing the patterns. What are the problems that
they keep talking about and regurgitating that in their words
in your content. The biggest mistake, and I'm sure you
guys will agree. Pet businesses have their own vernacular and jargon,
Like I hear trainers saying, you know, fear free and
which is that me?
Speaker 2 (08:50):
Right?
Speaker 5 (08:50):
What does that mean? Which just means you know, they
work really well with anxious pets. That's it. So just
translating that. The rule of thumb is if a ten
year old can understand it, you're doing great.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
I do really like the tip about Facebook groups. I
have a friend who just launched a vegan cookie brand
in Vancouver, and she told me she was like, I
just used the lots of vegan groups in Vancouver and
I just gave them free cookies in exchange of like
very lengthy surveys. And because of that, she like, you know,
she managed to do an amazing recipe and she's doing
(09:21):
so well in just a few months. So Facebook groups
are such a good thing. And yet of course offering
something in exchange. But that's such a great tip.
Speaker 5 (09:30):
Thanks.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
I'm try another question while we're talking about this. So
I know you said Facebook is you and I agree,
But people are always asking, you know, like even like
nonprofit small pet businesses, where do we need to be?
Do we need to be on Instagram? Do we need
to be on Facebook? Do we need to be on TikTok?
Do we need to be on YouTube? Shorts? All of
(09:52):
these social media and it can be like so overwhelming
Twitter threads. Where do they start? How? Like?
Speaker 5 (09:59):
What are your when it comes to this question, Yeah,
I love this question. The number one thing I'll say
is where is your audience spending time? If you were
a senior home like looking for people that are like
seventy and up, I'd say you better be hanging out
on Facebook because I know that's where my mother lives.
My mother like like in laws, like I cannot tell
you how much time they spend there right Where people
(10:21):
millennials gen z are not hanging out their minus to
Facebook groups occasionally, So I'd say one, where is your
audience hanging out? Right? Again, saying things like LinkedIn, which
LinkedIn has actually changed a lot recently, but before it
was very like I'm a professional B to B, which
it still is, but it's actually become much more for
lack of a better way of putting it, casual. People
(10:42):
are being much more vulnerable and open there. So again,
if you were you know, one of these pet conferences
like Global or super Zoo, like I would put efforts
on LinkedIn too, because they're trying to attract other businesses.
But most dogs service businesses, not products, products or probably
on LinkedIn, but most I've many dog trainers are vets
that are spending time on LinkedIn. But almost every pet
(11:04):
parent I bet is on LinkedIn, right because they have
like normal jobs, So normal jobs, you know what I mean,
from the jobs outside of the pet space. So I
say pick one and really become really good at it.
Because one thing I'm sure everyone knows is the algorithm
is moody and it changes all the time. So pick
(11:26):
one and like really know it and own it. And again,
when I work with my clients, I take the time
to stay afloat on these trends so they don't have to.
So I'd be like, hey, instead of doing this, do
that so that they're going to get more reach. But yeah,
I'd say pick one. My favorite is Instagram because out
of all of them, I think that's where the millennials
and Gen zs of the world, who are probably the
biggest population getting pets, are hanging out. And also, the
(11:50):
algorithm just works differently, So for example, if you're a
local business, it definitely is better to be on Instagram,
let's say, than TikTok or YouTube because people are using
Instagram like a search engine or YouTube shorts at least
I'm going to speak to and TikTok is more just
like flip zone and I'm like on the couch and
you know, doing nothing. Or Instagram. I think it's that,
(12:11):
but they're also using it almost like a search engine
as well, even more so. So yeah, long s very short.
I would pick Instagram. If you are going to do
a written one like a threads, you can also repurpose
that on LinkedIn.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
Yeah, repurposing, can you? Because I know not a lot
if people do that, you know, the reels they post
on Instagram, they will then like you know, use them
for TikTok and also YouTube shorts. Do you agree with that?
Do you think that's a good idea?
Speaker 5 (12:36):
It can't hurt you already did it And there's a
really great tool. I don't use it, but I have
friends and if you want to put this in the
show notes, it's called repurpose dot io. And the point
is that once you upload it once it then uploads
it onto the other platforms that you choose, So that
makes it a lot easier unless time consuming. I know
when I was doing it for a minute, I would
always forget, and now I really just stick to Instagram
(12:57):
for be spotted. The one thing you have to just
be mine's love is that you want to make sure
you download the video without what's called the watermark, which
is like I'm sure you guys have seen it. It's
like the little Instagram or TikTok I kind of bops
around and because it actually hurts the reach because the
algorithm of those platforms. But I know you didn't do
this year, so definitely download it without the water mark.
And then yeah, I say shoot your shot. You never know.
(13:20):
I will say one thing again just to be cognizant.
And I'm sure we all feel this subconsciously, is that
the culture on Instagram and TikTok are very different. Like Instagram,
there's a lot more trending audios and people like lip
syncing and dancing, and not to say there's not that
on TikTok, but I feel like TikTok is also a
lot more educational and more long form than Instagram. And
(13:41):
then YouTube shorts is more I don't know, regular YouTube
is almost more like TikTok. In that it's a little
bit longer form. But YouTube shorts are more like Instagra,
It's like reels. I don't know, so I say, shoot
your shot as long as it's not stressful. But if
you pick one, I would go with Instagram.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
So I have a question for you about time saving.
You had mentioned, you know, repurposing content. What other software
kinds of programs are something can somebody use that are
pretty you know, reasonable in cost in.
Speaker 5 (14:10):
Terms of repurposing or yeah, repurposing, posting, just all the
general stuff like what are some great How do you
save time?
Speaker 3 (14:18):
I guess is the question? Do you schedule ahead? Like
do your schedule post ahead? Like?
Speaker 5 (14:23):
Yeah, So it's tricky, right, I used to actually schedule
ahead and I use later dot com, which I think
was like eighteen a month. Because it's really weird for
Instagram being so big that they actually have a feature
inside of Instagram where you can schedule garbage. Don't do it.
It just doesn't work. It just doesn't work, which is hilarious.
It's like I'm trying to post in your own app.
(14:44):
You're telling you a third party app is better, but
it is the problem. I'm only Instagram is really my
bread and butter. To be honest, I'll just speak to that.
And what I know is when it comes to static
content images or a carousel and a carousel for those
that are like it's when you have multiple slides right
that you go through. It's not a video. The problem
(15:05):
is with actually now with carousels static as well as reels,
is trending audio is actually really important. And with static
and carousels, if you add music so trending audio to
those posts, you're actually amplifying them because you know, on
the bottom of Instagram there's the search butt in the
(15:25):
reels tab, which is just like the for you page
you would see on TikTok and then just like your
regular feed. So by adding music to static content, it
automatically gets added to the reels tab, So you are
optimizing for works. But I'm sure you guys have seen it.
When you're squading on the reels tab now you're seeing carousels.
The only read they're on there is because they added music.
So the problem with scheduling out is you can't if
(15:47):
I was to create content and I wanted it to go,
you know a month later that audio is no longer
going to be trending, so then it's pointless. So I
no longer use those softwares because there's literally no point
because it's only going to hurt. So I'm a big
If you're gonna batch, put it in your drafts on Instagram.
Just create the content inside the app now, edit says
(16:09):
come out. I haven't tried it, but it does help
with reach, especially becausey're trying to get more people to
use it. But I just let them sit in my
drafts now. They even allow you the opportunity to rearrange
your grid if you don't like it, which, yeah, I'm like,
who cares?
Speaker 2 (16:22):
I don't know.
Speaker 5 (16:22):
For me, I don't really care because I don't think
aesthetics matter as much. It's more is the content interesting
and getting their attention to want to watch and engage.
But so to answer your question, I don't really use
many tools now because it just doesn't make sense. I say,
save the money, create the content in the app, save
it in your drafts. If you're going to do anything,
if you're busy or forgetful, set a calendar or reminder
(16:45):
at twelve pm or whatever the ideal time for you is,
be consistent, and then just then all I have to
do is click posts and that's it.
Speaker 3 (16:53):
Do you think time still matters time of posting?
Speaker 5 (16:56):
Yes and no, so in the sense yes because if
you're again, let's say you're based in New York and
your local business, you shouldn't be posting at three in
the morning. Yes, we don't sleep New Yorkers. Mine more
people are awake at noon right than at three am.
So just because it's really critical, like the first thirty
minutes in terms of engagement, because the algorithm makes the
(17:18):
decision is this good or not? And am I going
to post it out? So three am is not ideal?
Here's an I think we're on to tip number three.
If you're a creator or business account, which any PIP
is it should be, you have like that button on
the top in like your bio area. That's his insights.
If you click new followers and then scroll all the
way to the bottom, it actually tells you when your
(17:39):
audience is most active on the app, So you can
just base it off with that.
Speaker 2 (17:42):
Wow, well, you know what, this is such insightful information.
We love you. We just need to take a quick
break and then we're going to talk more with you
when we get back.
Speaker 4 (17:59):
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Speaker 6 (18:36):
Let's talk beets on Petlife Radio dot com.
Speaker 3 (18:49):
And we're back with Jamie Kaine, the mind behind Bespotted,
a marketing firm focused on that industry. Jamie, we're talking
about social media, so I want to ask another question
about it. What about stories? So we talked about real
carousel post How important are stories because I in my opinion,
(19:10):
they are because they bring they bring your account back
on top for people to see you.
Speaker 5 (19:15):
But tell us what you think one million percent, if
you're not posting on your grid, which is like your
main feed every day, you could do a story a
day because it can be as silly as a picture
of your dog and you could say, is my dog
James is lucyq? Like it could be as silly as that,
because again, it keeps you top of mind. Right. But
(19:35):
what I want to actually go back is I think
people have this misconception in that the grid, the grid
is so important, but to me, actuallyetting stories sealed a deal.
So what I mean by that is when you're getting
discovered on social media, usually there's three ways you're getting discovered.
One is through the search, right, is someone's search pet marketing.
Let's say through the explorer tab, which there's the explorer
(19:59):
where it's like that grid of different things, or the
reels one. Or the third is someone is sending it
to you like that particular reel, right, haha, this is
so funny or whatever it may be. So your content,
think if your Instagram is a physical store, the grid
is what's getting people to go to your door. It's
peeking their interest like a store is. Typically are only
(20:21):
visible to those that are being that are following you,
where your grid is open to the public. So they
see this first piece of content, they're like, oh, this
is good, and then we want them to binge and
like your content build trust. Typically the next place they're
going to go is your stories. Like I said, to
seal the deal, who is the person behind the business,
what are they like? Are they fine? Are they do
(20:41):
they get me? Is it relatable?
Speaker 2 (20:43):
Right?
Speaker 5 (20:44):
And the other really think great thing about stories, unlike reels, which,
oh my god. Tip number four this is probably one
of my biggest pep peeps in the world. In your
caption of a real a carousel static, do not, under
any circumstance put a link your phone number anything. Do
not do it because no one can click it, they
(21:05):
can't copy and paste it, and it makes me sad.
So what you should be doing instead is putting any
of that, not any ilie, don't put your phone number
in your stories, put your put any links that you
want people to click, sign up for an event, buy
your product, book, a call, whatever in your stories. It
is so easy to do though. There's like a little
(21:28):
square posted man with a slyly face and one of
the buttons is link. You could literally just click obviously
just just put the link, right, that's weird, but like
give a little context to it. So yeah, so I say,
story sealed the deal, and we want to give as
the information to our potential customers as easy as possible,
(21:48):
and the least want to click some steps, So when
they're in our stories to click that button to book
a call. Let's say, just make a thing bang boom,
and it'll be easier for conversion versus go into your caption. Oh,
they want me to go to this website. I can't
copy and paste it. I have to get a pen
and paper and write down this in saying URL and
then you know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (22:05):
So don't what about stories highlights?
Speaker 5 (22:08):
Love that question? So highlights? I always say there should
be four, and I'm going to talk to more service
providers and that one highlights. The objective of your highlight
is to get people to want to follow or buy
from you. And I love seeing everyone's pets, Like I said,
psychodog mom. If I see another pet business who just
features pictures of their own dog, that doesn't tell me
(22:30):
how you're gonna help my dog, Like Roscoe is cute?
Love Roscoe, right, But how does that help me as
the pep parent decide I'm going to work with you
over competitor down the street. So you should always have
four highlights that again help you make that decision or
at least follow. So the four I always say one
about me. So and it shouldn't just be like I'm
(22:51):
a sagittarius, right, like no one cares about me? Should
be what are your credentials? Why does that make you different?
How do you help parents uniquely? Again from your customers?
And okay, tip number five if I hear one more time,
I will love your pets like my own. Everyone says
that every single person. Right. Instead, if, for example, your
(23:12):
fear free and you're a pet sitter, right, I would
say something like I curate an experience for anxious pets
to feel like they're at the spa, right, or something
like that that gives a feeling versus I love your
pets as my own. It's like, are you unikidnapping? Don't
about me? But really it's about them being able to
trust this person. She gets it. Second FAQ's third your services,
(23:38):
and then fourth testimonials and do screen shots? Do screenshots
of your testimonials? Ideally they can be from Google reviews,
DM text. Even people are very concerned about aesthetics and
they'll hold the testimonial, put it in CANVA make it cute?
But then I don't know, not that I think anyone's lying,
but it looks less legitimate than taking a proper screenshot
(24:01):
from You know, my favorite is dms because you get
that little circle of their face and everyone can relate
to that. Yeah, and the other ones don't look as clean.
So if you're asking clients for testimonials, just ask them
to DM to you. Screenshot it, put it in your highlights,
and add a little bit of context because most of
my parents aren't going to write an essay about their
life story with their dog, so provide a little context
(24:22):
with it as well.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
Jamie, you're amazing. You're giving us so much info. People
are listening. Love this. I have another question. It's about
UGC content. So UGC is user generated content, So it's
when you don't do your own content, but you ask
other people to do it for you. So if you
have a product, you can have customer or even someone
(24:44):
you send a product to making content and then you
can reuse that content. What do you think about this, Jamie,
I think you have a lot of thoughts, and I
also think you have a tool coming up, so I
just wanted to mention this.
Speaker 5 (24:56):
Yes, oh you're the best. So UGC is really really great.
I think I think people are actually not as familiar
with it. People just think influencers for creating content for
social channels. The problem with influencers is they are absurdly expensive,
like money, money, mone it like it's crazy, and people
think I need some. Yeah, they think they need this
(25:17):
big influencer, which it's great for brand awareness, but that
doesn't necessarily convert into sales. So I would rather spend
the same amount of money on more creators UGC creators
than one big influencer. So UGC is really great as
well because it helps you diversify your content, different stylings,
different pets. Right, you could have a black cat a
(25:38):
I don't know the different colors as a ginger cat, right,
A bagle I know more about dogs, a beagle, a
German shepherd, a chuaha whatever, And you see is much
more cost effective. It's not cheap cheap, right, it's still
you're paying them money. As everyone's creating their on social media,
it's not a walk in the park, but usually it
starts anywhere from like one fifty to six hundred ish,
(25:58):
give or take, depending on the delay bowls as well.
So yeah, for people that I think it's really great
to your point, really for products, you can do it
for service providers like I've seen a lot of new
GC for vets in New York to talk about their
experience of why for example bond or small drawback because
they're back by BC, so they also have the money
to spend to share their experiences. But typically UGC is
(26:22):
for product based and then to touch on what you're
saying about the products. So typically when sourcing creators, the
way they're doing it is just searching the creator and
then usually they go to their link and bio, which
then has a bunch of different links. One's about their portfolio,
ones about different affiliate. It just but it's sending them
outside of the app and all these different places, and
(26:43):
it takes a lot more time to verify. So I've
created this product called Julip. It's like Tulip but with
a J and it's a website builder specifically for UGC
creators that they can create in minutes that's meant to
live on their social platforms, help them earn more with
affiliates and secure more brand deals.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
I love. That's so cool. Hey, we need to take
a quick break again, but when we come back, we're
going to talk more with Jamie and her amazing insights
as your dog or cat chewed through yet another set
of sheets. I get it, I've been there.
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Speaker 6 (28:12):
Let's talk past.
Speaker 8 (28:13):
Let's talk a pet Life Radio hetline Radio petlfradio dot com.
Speaker 2 (28:24):
And we're back with Jamie, who is sharing some of
the most amazing insight we've ever gotten on a podcast
here at the Whisker Report, have some questions. Tell us
how PR ties into what you do and the importance
of that.
Speaker 5 (28:41):
Well one, Mary is the queen of pet PR. So
you're here, I'm like floating over here. To me, it's
actually funny. I think it's two things. And what we
just talked about is different than for a pet business, right,
like a pet business should have probably some sort of website.
And for those that don't know what SEO is, SEO
(29:02):
stands for Search engine optimization, meaning when you organically, meaning
no money spent, you're going to rank high in the
Google results, which then really nerdy. I don't know if
you've heard this stroke Mary, but or Alex or Mark.
The nerdy SEO joke is if you want to hide
a dead body put on the second page of Google
because the ain't nobody going so really nerdy? So you
(29:25):
want to try and be at least in the five
top five results, not including the sponsored So the really
great thing about PR, as I said, is two things.
Want It accelerates your authority, right because some other legitimate
publication or person is saying this person knows their stuff,
and then the second is backlinking, which I'm sure you're
familiar with this term, but if the audience doesn't know
what it means, if I like to think of it
(29:47):
like a political endorsement. So for example, if you were
running for office and you want it. I don't know
why I always use this example. I said, if Jennifer
in so random, if Jennifer and had her website and
was like, oh my god, Mary's running for president. She's amazing.
The trust from Jennifer Anison promoting you is going to
(30:08):
rank you higher in like the world of rankings. Right,
So if the New York Times, you know, ranked my
website the New York Times that very legit has millions
of hits every day, it then tells Google like, oh,
Jamie must also be legit because we're legit, and so
it kind of gives you that organic boost. So when
I started dog Spotted and I launched this like marketplace feature,
(30:30):
which is still live if anyone wants to check it out,
I pitched to I don't know if you're familiar with
these publications Thrill Lists and Time Out, because they're all
hyper localized in New York and they have millions of viewers,
and I still get traffic through those, and that's the
coolest part, right, Like PR, what's really neat about it
is you'll get kind of it's evergreen. You keep getting hits.
We're an ad. You're paying to live on that shelf
(30:53):
for a finite amount of time. Where gosh I pitched
Timeout Thrillers, I think at twenty twenty one, so four
years ago go, and I'm still getting traffic, so it
was time well spent.
Speaker 2 (31:04):
You know what was interesting is when you were describing
what to write in your posts and reels and different
and different things like that. It really is all about
storytelling and getting a strategic message in there.
Speaker 5 (31:17):
Would not agree more. I think when it's like five
things blah blah blah, it's not as interesting as this
is how I taught my barkie lungee dog to chill out.
You're like, how did she do it right? People want
to know their experience or client experience, So I could
not agree more. And to your point of parlay as
well to PR as well.
Speaker 2 (31:37):
Yeah, well tell us, Alex, do you have more questions?
Speaker 3 (31:43):
A small question? It was influencer marketing. You mentioned quickly
you would rather spend the money on your GC content
rather than influencers. Can you just talk a little bit
more about this because we get that question so often
from pet businesses, pet product, pet product. They're always asking us,
what about influencers? What about influencers? It's been the biggest
(32:06):
trend ever. We've even seen it at pet shows, right,
the trade shows, all the influencers coming, all the influencers
trying to get their way in with you know, the
people there, the businesses trying to get in. So can
you just give tips to the ones who are listening
to us? And even if you're a pet influencers like
on both sides, right, we love all of them. We
(32:26):
love the businesses, We love the influencers, but can you
give some tips on that?
Speaker 5 (32:30):
And I don't want to say I don't like influencers.
I just think because we love I genuinely I love them.
They're very entertaining. It's just dependent on where your business
is at. Right. If you are tech co for example, right,
your budget for marketing is probably more money than I've
ever seen in my lifetime for like one one month
even probably right, So it just depends on where you're
(32:53):
able to spend your money and your budget, there are
if you can get a really niche an influencerself such
a term because you could be a nano influencer, micro
macro right. And it's funny because the really big ones.
I think Peco actually works well with them because again
Pecko's audience is so broad because think about it, they
(33:14):
carry treats, they have fish, they have harnesses, they have
so many different things. If I'm a smallish business, I
actually would want the more niche creator. So for example,
there's this woman who she actually has pivoted uh recently,
but there's this really great creator who focused on like
her dog and her like menstrual journey, which I'm like,
(33:37):
what a random combo, But I love it so much.
And like if I was a woman or a product
company that was maybe chocolates or like things that helped
with like your period, but you didn't think I was
going to go in this dirreuction when you asked about
pet and fluence.
Speaker 3 (33:51):
I love it.
Speaker 4 (33:53):
Right.
Speaker 5 (33:53):
Then, It's such an obvious partnership. And because she's so niche,
it makes it easier for their audience that they know
the majority of her audience is specifically interested in this
type of product. Right where again, usually very big influencers
are more broad and that's not bad, right, and it
works well again for the pecos of the world, let's say,
but if you're a smaller business that doesn't have an
(34:14):
obscene budget, like, there's nothing wrong with the smaller creators
because they have a really focused audience on whatever that
topic is. Because usually smaller influences are much more niche.
So I would really do your diligence and what are
they talking about? Does it compliment your business? Right? And
there's just so many different ways to look at it.
(34:36):
I think also, you don't need to go for pet influencers.
You could still go for like a lifestyle creator who
happens to have a dog or a cat.
Speaker 6 (34:45):
Right.
Speaker 5 (34:45):
I think a lot of people think, oh, I have
to go for a pet creator where the pet is
the focal point. But again, unfortunately our pets don't have
the credit cards, so it can really be more broad
than that.
Speaker 3 (34:56):
Amazing, Thank you so much, Jamie. Can people find you?
Speaker 5 (35:01):
Yeah, so if anyone is interested, I also help giving
more tips on my Instagram, so it's at b dot spotted,
or they can check me out on my website which
is b e dash spotted dot com and then they
can email me at Jamie at b dash spotted dot
com as well. But this has been so great. I
(35:21):
loved having this time with you and talking all things
pet marketing. It's so nerdy, but it's such a fun
topic and if anyone has questions, feel free to DM me.
Speaker 2 (35:31):
Well, Jamie, you are amazing and everybody needs to check
Jamie out because she's just you just have a wealth
of information. So check out her Instagram page, check out
her social media, check out her website. Everything, do it now.
And that's a wrap for this show. We're so excited
to be doing this for all of you. That was
(35:54):
so fun and you know, Jamie, you're just one of
those people who are making life better for animals. So
if you have a pr question you'd like Alex or
I to answer, we'll reach out to us on Instagram
or Facebook under Whisker Media and we'll try to answer
it in a future podcast episode. So, as we always say,
bark loud.
Speaker 5 (36:14):
And curse life.
Speaker 2 (36:16):
Thanks everyone, we'll see you next time.
Speaker 6 (36:20):
Let's Talk Pets every week on demand only on Petlife
Radios dot com.
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