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Using Facebook to Build Support for Your Animal Rescue
Sarah BarnettSenior Manager, Social Media
HSUS
Don’t Plan to be Viral. Plan to Be Awesome.
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• Best practices for interacting with, and also cultivating supporters
• How to communicate with in times of crisis
• Actual feedback from non animal folks on what they like
Currently using social networks to:• Tell their story• Increase community visibility• Recruit new supporters• Engage existing supporters• Solicit donations• Crossposting • Showcase adoptable animals• Recruit event participants• Cover past events• Informing your supporters of your progress
How Rescues are Using Social Media
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Best practices for interacting with, and also cultivating supporters
• Respond to everyone with a legitimate question
• Be transparent• Cater to your audience • What do people like?• Every post is a reason to unlike your
page.
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Respond to everyone with a legitimate question
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Be transparent
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Cater to your audience – and know who they are
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What Do People Want?
• Stories of new animals up for adoption.
• Tips to share -- whether it's "hurricane preparedness" or winter suggestions if there's going to be snow-- it's easy to click "share" and get the word out to everyone!
• Success stories & pets who need homes. You never know who might see a picture of an animal who is looking for a home & think “ that is the pet I've been looking for"! I also like to see events that I can attend or support!
• Abuse stories are easier to stomach when there is a success story at the end of it. You can tell the entire story but instead of publishing the before photo, post the after photo. Or publish photos of the "before" AND the "after" for a given animal. When I can see that an animal has a new shot at a happy life, I can take the tough part of the story.
• Showing easy ways to help. Things I can do even if I can’t devote my whole weekend to helping them, that I can still do something.
• I really enjoy seeing the success stories (adoptions), and I love the "event pictures" that The Heritage Humane Society posts.
• Upcoming events I can go to in my area
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What Do People Want?
• Love: stuff that I would want to know that helps me talk about it in conversation with friends. Even "the weather is cold right now and x/y/z is a challenge for the rescue org" or "they just got a whole bunch of kittens". Also love seeing albums of adopted pets and adoptable pets with info + notes on personality.
• Advice about your pet, pets with their new family, success stories
• Please do post photos of animals that people have donated to rescue in their new homes so people know they are doing well. Close that loop. And if you have an animal receiving medical care, show us the progress.
• Happy endings/doggies or cats in their new home with their new family.
• I love to see a success story. What it does is encourage me to get involved in my small way.
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What Do People NOT Want?
• Constantly begging for money when they don't seem to have a fundraising plan is a problem ... Facebook cannot be the only tool for fundraising. Asking for money for special emergencies is fine, but everything cannot be an emergency.
• Graphic photos and constant sadness turn me away.
• I like many animal pages, and the hardest ones for me are the pictures that depict abuse of animals. I almost can't bear them. I know it is important to address the subject, and much stricter laws are needed for the people who commit these crimes. They just break my heart, and I admit to occasionally "unliking" a page because they post way too many of those kinds of pictures.
• My mom said the exact same thing about the pages that rotate abuse/neglect memes heavily - her heart just can't take it and she says a little prayer and has to look away).
• The abuse and sad dog photos, though necessary at times; tend to lend feelings of guilt on most people.
• I have to agree with most being said. The abuse pictures are always too much.
See a trend….
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Think Before Sharing
Check before sharing. Is the animal rescued?
Is the shelter open to rescue?If someone were to ask what next steps are – would you know?
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Remember: Every post, is a reason to hide or unlike your
page.
PHWebsite Social network
One way communication Two way communication
Content generated in house Content generated by users
Organization’s voice People’s voice
Talking to people Talking with people
Marketing Conversations
Expect information Expect interaction
Integration
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On Facebook
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On the Website
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Make it Easy to…Donate
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Make it Easy to…Adopt
http://pro.petfinder.com/share-your-pets-online/pet-list-scroller-for-facebook/
On Petfinder? Write down this URL!
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Close the loop with supporters
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Tell the story
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More Likes than on the Page!
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Part IIThe Dark Side of Social Media
How to Communicate in Times of Crisis
Crisis is…• Natural or manmade disaster
• PR Problems
• Organized Attacks
Overview
• Listening
• Assessing
• Responding
• Moving On
-Social media platforms
-Monitoring services
-Daily checks
They’re talking about you…
Who is your online voiceYour online presence, and the
person answering it, is a “face” of your organization –
make sure it’s a good one
Comments
Personalize – Be human
Tone – Address emotions
Honesty – IDKLFO – I don’t know let me find out!
Answer Everyone – Every post is an opportunity to engage
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Have a Commenting Policy
Make your policy known – and fair.
If you delete something, tell your fans and tell them why
Don’t delete because you disagree, only delete if it’s a violation – stay transparent.
Protection
“I surrendered my cat yesterday and changed my mind, but he was euthanized already.”
Now What?
Considerations
1 - Tone. What is the severity of the person's tone - are they totally negative, neutral, seem like they could be talked to? 2 - Influence. How many followers, friends, subscribers do they have? How many people are they really talking to? 3 - Frequency. Is this a standalone argument / complaint or does there seem to be a trend brewing? Is it the usual suspects or does this person seem to be gathering a following? 4 – Snowballing. Is it something that if your average person were to hear, they would be horrified?
Disseminate Response
-Designate a point person to update and disseminate responses
-Ensure employees and volunteers are aware and informed
-Consistent messaging
Acknowledge, Rectify, and Move On
Acknowledge, Rectify, and Move On
Haters are going to hate
Not everyone is a hater
Seize Opportunities to Learn & Educate
Look for Supporters
-Who is supporting you online?
-Acknowledge them, thank them
-Build relationships
It Happened
It Will Blow Over
Resources
www.charityhowto.com
www.nten.org
www.pro.petfinder.com
www.animalsheltering.org/rescuecentral
Best Resource: Each Other!
Contact Information:
Sarah [email protected]
Twitter: @SarahHSUS
facebook.com/ldcrf.sarah
linkedin.com/in/sarahkbarnett/
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