Catmoji: A Social Media Network Dedicated to Cat Lovers

Posted on July 7, 2014

Over the past several years, industry specific networks and niche social media sites have been created in order to connect people who share the same passions and interests. Because the traditional social media sites like Facebook and Twitter often become noisy and overcrowded, industry specific sites allow users to dive into very specific topics without getting bombarded with off-topic posts (Chaney, 2013). For this week’s post, I will be exploring a new social networking site that is created by cat lovers for cat lovers.

“Cat ladies and men of the Internet: You no longer have to spend hours sifting through YouTube, Imgur, Lolcats, or Tumblr for your daily fix of kitty magic. Now, there’s Catmoji, a Pinterest-style social network solely dedicated to cat pictures, videos, and GIFs for the Internet’s, um, purrverts” (Chaey, 2013).

Who knew that there was a social media platform designed specifically for cat lovers? According to Catmoji’s founders, the site is a “catmunity” where users can share and express their love for cats through posts, videos, and photos. So I admit, I am one of these crazy people who spend my free time watching videos of kittens riding a Roomba. Upon discovering this site, I created an account and started exploring.

 

One thing about niche social media sites that may make target marketing easy for advertisers is the fact that everyone on the site has a common interest. The target audience for Catmoji is not really confined to a specific demographic group; if you love cats, you’re pretty much the in the target audience. Although the site is still in the beginning stages and doesn’t appear to have any advertisers, it would be very enticing for a cat food brand to want to purchase ad space on the site or create a featured post. After all, the majority of users on the site have at least one cat (some have a GOOD bit more then that!). I think this site could be utilized in combination with proximity marketing. Just imagine traveling by a store that sells specialty cat supplies and Catmoji notifies you when you’re in the vicinity. As a cat lover, I would want to go check out the store. If I was sent a coupon, say for 10% off my purchase, I would really be compelled to visit the store.

 

The first thing that stood out about Catmoji was the simplicity and usability of the site. After submitting and accepting a request to be added to the site, you are able to create your personal profile, which includes the basic information fields: name, email, username, profile picture, profile description and password. You can then choose your cat avatar and background photo. Similar to Pinterest and Twitter, you are shown several accounts that you can follow (just to get you started). After the basic setup process, you can proceed to view your social feed or create your own posts. In my opinion, the site most closely resembles Pinterest due to the sharing options.  The site’s  timeline feature, however, closely resembles Facebook.

As far as creating an integrated marketing strategy going forward, Catmoji can spread its arms into other social media sites like YouTube and Instagram in order to drive traffic back to their site. Contests can be created on Instagram and YouTube in order to generate awareness. I think that it would be a good idea to get cat product sponsors for these contests, such as Friskies or Tidy Cats, to not only provide prizes, but to raise awareness for the site.

Catmoji also incorporates social media sign-in options that allow users to sign-in using their existing Twitter or Facebook account. This is important because it shows that the creators of Catmoji understand that the site is not a replacement for the traditional social media sites, but a supplement. Catmoji is not competing with Facebook and Twitter. People use Catmoji for different reasons then they would other social media channels. In fact, Catmoji has a Facebook page that pushes users to sign-up for a Catmoji account. The marketing team for Catmoji is using it’s resources, which includes mostly traditional social media channels, to promote their site. Because of how passionate the audience is about the topic, I feel that Catmoji will be successful and can stand on its own.  After all, where else can you see all the “crazy cat ladies” all in one place?

Sources:

Catmoji. (n.d.). Retrieved July 07, 2014, from http://catmoji.com/about/

Chaey, C. (2013, Janruary 04). CATMOJI IS A SOCIAL NETWORK FOR THE INTERNET’S MOST CAT-CRAZED. Retrieved July 07, 2014, from Fast Company: http://www.fastcompany.com/3004486/catmoji-social-network-internets-most-cat-crazed

Chaney, P. (2013, December 04). When It Comes to Social Network Marketing, Niche is the New Black. Retrieved July 07, 2014, from ClickZ: http://www.clickz.com/clickz/column/2316846/when-it-comes-to-social-network-marketing-niche-is-the-new-black