Mount Pleasant Pets 2018-19

21 www.MtPleasant.Pet | www.MPVets.Pet | www.facebook.com/MPpets MP PETS G U I D E Comment: “Omg, so cute. Dying. We’ve got to get one @mybestfriend” This is the world we live in. Instagram – a marketing and social tool that infiltrates our lives in almost every aspect imaginable: fashion, tourism, job recruitment, beauty tutori- als, travel, home and design, crafting, cooking and, yes, pets . Most people can wrap their heads around travel agencies and online boutiques having Instagram accounts. Makes sense: They are ultimately selling services, products or expe- riences by posting beautiful pictures or videos. But why pets? …What are they selling? The answer, initially, is absolutely nothing, but let me tell you – opportunity abounds in this Instagram business. I’ll say it here, as it’s been said many times in our magazine: We love our pets . And marketed correctly, pets make profit. Take it from my dog, @beezusthegolden, a small-town golden retriever who has gone on to become a brand model for two pet companies. But that’s not the only reason to start an Ins- tagram for your pet. … this social media tool is your oyster. Many individuals whom I assume belong to the baby-boomer generation and beyond look at me with puz- zled faces or with callous eye rolls when they see me snap- ping a picture of my dog and saying, with gushing enthusi- asm, that I have to post it to her Instagram. They just don’t get it: It’s more than a picture. It’s more than getting “likes.” And I’d like to try to explain. … to make this pet-Insta- gram business a bit clearer. Take 1-year-old Goose the blue merle border collie (@sillygoosethebordercollie), whose mom, Emma Woodham, started his account simply because he made people smile. “He seemed to bring so much joy to people when we had him out and about, and we want- ed to share his cute pink-and-black nose with the world,” Emma shared. #Petstagram: WHAT’S THE POINT? Scroll, scroll, scroll. Wait … Double tap! Double tap! By Helen Harris