Persona on Adopter Adam, providing details on what a potential adopter may look like in terms of demographics and interests.
Interactive Media and Communications
Social Media Campaign for Potter League for Animals
Interactive Media and Communications
Social Media Campaign for Potter League for Animals
This social media campaign was developed for the course ICM 522: Social Media Practice and Techniques.
Overview
This project serves to provide an in-depth analysis of the Potter League for Animals' current social media utilization, as well as a proposal for a new social media campaign strategy. It includes a social media audit, a target audience analysis, a campaign strategy, a recommendation on platform analysis, a recommendation on content creation and management, sample posts and how to evaluate the campaign.
Author
Kelsey Miller '24
Interactive Media and Communications
School of Communications
Media Elements
Sample Facebook event post and fundraiser post
Sample Instagram graphic post and image carousel
Sample TikTok volunteer-driven post and trend post
Introduction
Currently, the Potter League excels at posting images and profiles of animals that are up for adoption on Instagram and Facebook. This is a great tactic for engaging with people who are looking to adopt, but I believe there are additional opportunities for the PotterLeague to use social media for awareness and education, fundraising and community engagement. Specifically, there is room for growth in video content across Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
Social Media Audit
The Potter League for Animals currently maintains a social media presence across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. The largest of these accounts are Facebook and Instagram which have over 46,000 and 12,500 followers respectively. The organization’s other accounts are much smaller, including 923 followers on Twitter, 597 followers on TikTok and 80 followers on YouTube.
Strengths
Primary focus on Facebook and Instagram
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Biggest followings
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Highest engagement rates
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Most consistent posting cadence
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Cohesive visual theme and tone of voice
Producing and sharing profiles of adoptable pets on Facebook and Instagram
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High quality still images
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Thoughtful, emotional and often humorous captions that introduce users to the animal being showcased
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Posts generally see high levels of engagement as they build connections with potential adopters and encourage them to contact the shelter to learn more or submit an adoption application
Weaknesses
Under-utilized platforms like TikTok, Twitter and YouTube
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While the organization has an established presence on each of these sites, the posts are generally inconsistent and lack clear calls-to-action
YouTube
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Impactful yet scarce and ambiguous
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Fail to include links, hashtags and clear calls-to-action
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Sharing newsletters and press release-style articles is out of alignment with the organization’s tone of voice
TikTok
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Very short clips are posted to the account on an inconsistent basis that fall short of the pet profiles posted on other channels
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Fails to build emotional connection
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Lack hashtags and calls-to-action
Opportunities
Current weaknesses largely represent opportunities for future growth
Strategically incorporate short-form video content
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TikTok algorithm allows content to be highly discoverable, this platform is a great opportunity for the Potter League to grow their reach
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Similar short-form video content can also be leveraged across other platforms like Instagram reels and YouTube shorts
Social media strategy should incorporate ways to reach and engage with other important groups such as potential volunteers, those wishing to donate, and people in the area
Target Audience Analysis
As an animal shelter, the Potter League's primary target audience consists of those looking to adopt a pet. However, as a non-profit organization, two other audiences are also critical: volunteers and donors. Three marketing personas were created: Adopter Adam, Volunteer Vicky and Donor Debbie.
Campaign Strategy
For the Love of Pets
The theme of this campaign will capture the essence of the organization and its driving forces: For the love of pets. From the Potter League’s mission to the purpose that brings pet parents, volunteers, and donors to the shelter, it all comes down to a shared love of pets and the desire to make a better future for animals in need.
Key Messages
Important message points include:
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The Potter League helps match pets with loving families
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The organization provides veterinary and behavioral support beyond adoption
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Volunteers can have a direct impact on animal welfare in a fulfilling and fun way
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There are endless opportunities to get involved, no matter how much time or money you’re able to commit
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Donors can know that they’ve made a real and immediate impact
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Supporters of the Potter League can feel good about their involvement with a meaningful cause
The messaging throughout this social media campaign should also always incorporate clear calls to action. The most prominent actions will be to learn more about an adoptable pet, visit the shelter, learn about volunteer opportunities and make a donation.
SMART Goals
1. Increase Brand Awareness
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Increase brand awareness by growing social media followings on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok by 10% in six months.
2. Post Consistently
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Maintain a consistent social media presence by posting 2x per week on Instagram and Facebook, and at least 2x per month on TikTok.
3. Drive Website Traffic
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Increase website traffic from social media platforms by 10% over six months in order to drive users toward meaningful actions (i.e. completing adoption applications, volunteering, making donations).
Platform Selection
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Facebook is a powerful tool for marketing, customer engagement, and brand promotion.
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The platform has 2.93 billion monthly active users and 67% of those users are active daily (Newberry, 2023).
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Users span across a wide range of ages and demographics, yet it tends to skew slightly older than other platforms.
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It offers helpful tools like events and fundraising posts that align with the Potter League's goals.
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Instagram boasts roughly 2 billion monthly active users yet it is favored by users aged 18 to 34 (Zote, 2023).
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The visual nature of the platform makes it a great place to share compelling pet profiles as well as engage with younger audiences who might be interested in adopting or volunteering at the shelter.
TikTok
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TikTok is one of the fastest growing social media platforms of today.
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The algorithm allows content to be highly discoverable among new users, which will be helpful in building brand awareness.
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The short-form video content that makes up TikTok is highly digestible, engaging, and impactful, which represents a large opportunity for the Potter League to reach users in new ways.
The Potter League does not make effective use of Twitter currently and should consider other social media platforms like YouTube should be considered in the future, but do not fall within the scope of this campaign.
Content Creation & Management
Team
The Potter League for Animals currently employs a full-time director of marketing and community relations who manages all of the Potter League's social media channels as well as a variety of other outward-facing responsibilities.
In order to execute upon this social media campaign strategy without straining resources, additional help from volunteers will be needed, including a volunteer social media coordinator and/or a social media intern. Due to the close proximity of Salve Regina University, it’s worth while to explore offering this as a for-credit internship for a passionate student without putting an additional financial responsibility on the organization.
Content Calendar
A calendar for a one-month plan for content creation and distribution was created as a part of this proposal. The calendar includes the theme, post copy, the format, the CTA link and any important notes, as well as which platform to post on and when.
Sample Posts
Sample posts were created as a part of this proposal. They include:
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Event post
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Fundraiser post
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Graphic post
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Image carousel
TikTok
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Volunteer-driven
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TikTok trend
These posts can be seen above in the Media Elements section.
Campaign Evaluation
Upon completion of the campaign, several key performance indicators will be evaluated against the SMART goals outlined during the planning of this strategy. These KPIs should be used to track progress throughout the lifetime of the campaign and will determine whether or not the goals were achieved. KPIs include:
Total Followers
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Facebook, Instagram and TikTok
Referral Traffic
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Website visitors originating from social media
Engagement
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Likes, comments and shares per post
For further discussion
This serves is an overview of the project and does not include the complete work. To access the full proposal and discuss the work, please email Kelsey Miller.
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