Why Using Facebook is so Important
Since Facebook is such a large social media platform, it’s the perfect way to share information about adoptable animals for free. Without using Facebook, people need to go out of their way to find information on specific shelters. However, through Facebook, they could easily read about shelters through shared posts or people tagging the shelters and rescues.
On Facebook, word spreads much more quickly than it would normally. Shelters should take every opportunity they can to share their adoptable animals, and Facebook is one of the best ways to do it.
How Can Shelters Use Facebook?
Every shelter uses Facebook differently, but there are some common tips that can help to make them successful.
Post Frequently
You don’t want to make so many posts that your followers get annoyed, but you should post updates often enough so that people know about your shelter and are aware of the pets that are available. A few posts a day can usually help to get people interested in your shelter. If you create plenty of unique posts, you will be able to reach more people on Facebook. Plus, more people will likely share your posts too.
Post Quality
Sometimes posting quality posts to Instagram can be just as, if not more important than posting frequently. You want your posts to have clear, quality photos that display the information you’re conveying well and creatively. Pet Rescue Resources has free social media templates for you to use that are themed and premade so your shelter doesn’t always have to come up with fresh ideas and take time out of their day. Click here to head to the Social Media Templates Page.
Respond to Questions Quickly
If people reach out to you through social media, don’t wait to get back to them. Always respond to any questions or comments in a timely manner to get the best results. If someone wants to know if a certain animal is still available, they might move on and look at a different shelter if they don’t hear from you quickly enough. Creating posts is just one thing, but responding to the community is also very important as well as updating posts about animals that are no longer available.
Engage with Followers
Even if your followers don’t respond with specific questions, you should still find ways to connect and engage with them. You can respond to comments and create discussions through your posts. For example, you could create a post asking others to share stories about their adopted dogs. People love when they get to interact with the community and this will make your posts more likely to show up your followers’ feed.
Also, there will likely be some comments that you won’t agree with. Some people might post something about breeding their dogs or they might say something bad about a specific breed. However, if you come across any of these negative posts, don’t delete them. Instead, respond to them in a professional manner and educate them. The more you interact with potential adopters on Facebook, the more people will be willing to adopt from your shelter and understand the importance of the work you do.
List Information and Needs
Even though you have a website, people will stumble onto your Facebook and want more information. Instead of redirecting them to your website and potentially losing them, you should keep accurate information on your Facebook as well. Make sure the information on the available animals is up to date and include information on how to donate and volunteer.
Types of Facebook Posts Shelters Should Make
When posting on Facebook, there are few types of posts that should be made in order to get the most positive result. However, shelters can be creative with how they want to approach these posts.
Introducing New Animals
When a new animal is up for adoption, shelters often like to make a cute post about them to share some information. This often gets people interested in seeing these animals in person, especially if they have high quality photos posted too. Plus, everyone loves seeing cute new animals! Pet Rescue Resources has free social media templates for you to use that are themed and premade so your shelter doesn’t always have to come up with fresh ideas and take time out of their day. Click here to head to the Social Media Templates Page.
Creative Posts About Adoptable Pets
Sometimes, a cute introduction post is not enough to help them get adopted right away. So, shelters will often make creative posts about the animals that have been waiting the longest too. These typically consist of clever posts, pictures with cute props, or silly videos of the animal. The more creative a shelter can be with their posts, the more views they will get. Pet Rescue Resources has free social media templates for you to use that are themed and premade so your shelter doesn’t always have to come up with fresh ideas and take time out of their day. Click here to head to the Social Media Templates Page.
Transparency
Showing the public what goes into running a rescue can be a great social media post. This will allow people to understand the importance the rescue serves and how much effort goes into saving lives. This will also let donors see where their money is going. Your posts don't always have to be perfect posts of adorable animals, you can post more behind the scenes or vulnerable hardships as well, whatever your shelter is comfortable with.
Success Stories
Success stories might not seem as important as sharing the adoptable pets, but they can encourage more people to adopt. Each time a dog finds their forever home, make a cute post about it if their new family is okay with it. People love to see happy dogs, so simply by posting more success stories, it could make more people view your shelter.
Events
Whenever a shelter or rescue has upcoming events, they should share them on Facebook. People are much more likely to see the events on Facebook than to discover them on your website. You can even create events on Facebook to keep track of how many people are interested in attending. Pet Rescue Resources has an entire section devoted to events for Rescues where we have free ideas, fliers, and checklists. Click here to head to that page!
Help Needed
Whether it’s donations or volunteers, it is okay to ask for help on Facebook. People might not be aware that you even need assistance if you don’t post about it. Therefore, use Facebook as a free way to reach out to people and get help from the community.
Making Public Posts to Share
When creating a post on Facebook, make sure you always set them to public. If your posts aren’t public, then there’s no way for followers to share them. Without shares, it’s harder for people to spread the word. So, public posts are the key to growing your following. If you are unsure of how to make your posts public, click here!
Success Stories
There have been so many amazing success stories that have come from shelters on social media. Sure, it’s one thing for a dog to get adopted after their first Facebook mention, but many shelters have actually gone above and beyond to make their longest residents find a home as soon as possible.
Bentley
Bentley’s story was shared like crazy because he was at the Pennsylvania SPCA for 3 years before finding his forever home. Many people shied away from him simply because he was an American bulldog mix, but he had a sweet personality that he wanted to share with the world. So, the shelter made a cute video of him in a recreation of The Office intro. They also would post new information about him every Tuesday. Luckily, he was adopted not long after that!
Mosley
Mosley was considered “unadoptable” at his first shelter due to his crooked snout. However, when he arrived at his new shelter, they made him a social media star right away. As soon as people saw him on Facebook, they began calling and asking about him, so he ended up finding his forever family almost right away. His new family hadn’t even been actively looking for a new dog, but thanks to social media, they were connected with Mosley.
There are so many different ways that Facebook can help animals get adopted, so it is important for shelters to use it as much as possible. It is important for them to do everything they can to help dogs find their forever homes right away, and luckily, Facebook is a simple and efficient way to do it.
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