Are you looking to increase the visibility of your shelter animals and find them forever homes? In the digital age, social media marketing has become an invaluable tool for animal shelters. With the right strategies, you can turn those likes into adoptions and make a real difference in the lives of these animals. So, let’s dive into some key tips to help you master social media marketing for shelter animal placement.
Decide The Right Social Media Platform/s
When it comes to promoting pets, selecting the right social media platforms is crucial. You want to focus on platforms that excel in visual content, have a large user base, and offer cross-posting capabilities. Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok are ideal choices for animal shelters. If you’re just starting out or have limited resources, begin with Facebook and Instagram. They have a massive audience and allow for easy cross-posting.
Capture Picture Perfect
“A picture is worth a thousand words.” This saying holds true for social media marketing for animal shelters. Visuals are essential for capturing attention and engaging potential adopters. You don’t need a professional camera; smartphones can capture excellent images. Aim for high-quality photos that showcase the pet’s personality. A good photograph of the pet’s face or capturing them doing something silly, cute, or fun with good lighting can make users stop scrolling and want to learn more.
A Great Pet Bio
While a captivating photo may grab attention, a well-crafted pet bio can lead to website visits, adoption applications, or even adoptions. Keep the bio brief and start with a sentence that grabs readers’ attention using wit or thought-provoking questions. Throughout the bio, convey the pet’s personality in a transparent yet engaging way. Instead of bluntly stating a dog isn’t potty trained, say, “Bella is still working on her basic manners but is eager to learn!” Inject humor and creativity into your bios to make them memorable.
Create Engaging Video Content
Videos hold a special place in social media algorithms, attracting higher engagement and interest. A video showcasing an animal’s personality can be more compelling than a photo. Ensure your videos are of high quality when posting on Facebook, as low-quality videos rank lower. Keep Facebook videos under two minutes, while short-form videos work well on Instagram and TikTok. If you have the resources and time, consider starting a TikTok account for your shelter. Check out the Nebraska Humane Society’s TikTok page for inspiration.
Expand Your Reach
Harness the power of your followers and their networks by encouraging content sharing. When your posts are shared, they reach new audiences, increasing impressions and engagements for free. Earned media, such as content shared by your followers, can bring in new followers, supporters, and potential adopters. Encourage your volunteers, fosters, board members, and staff to share your posts, as they can provide firsthand experiences and personal anecdotes about the promoted pets.
Remember, you don’t have to tackle social media marketing alone. Leverage the skills and expertise of your staff members, volunteers, and fosters. Collaborating with others in your network can make this task easier and more effective for your shelter. Together, you can bring creativity to your social media channels and find loving homes for animals in need.
Conclusion
Mastering shelter animal placement requires choosing the right tool such as using Doobert to handle animal cases, managing, and workflow efficiency for animal rescues. By implementing the strategies above and collaborating with your network, you can generate more adoptions and make a greater impact in the lives of shelter animals. Let’s work together to find these animals the loving homes they deserve.
