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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 Barnettsbarnett@humanesociety.org

Twitter: @SarahHSUS

facebook.com/ldcrf.sarah

linkedin.com/in/sarahkbarnett/