Social Media Unleashed: How Pet Sitters and Dog Walkers Can Maximize Social Media

Social Media Unleashed.How Pet Sitters and Dog Walkers Can Maximize Social Media

www.strategicpeacock.com / @marisacp51 / #PetConf

About MarisaChief Strategist at The Strategic Peacock.

I provide resources and information for small businesses, independent schools and other professionals seeking to advance their knowledge of digital media technologies and strategies.

Owner of 6 year old Pit Bull named Sampson.


What is Social Media?Social media refers to the means of interactions among people in which they create, share, and exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks

Examples: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram


Why Social Media?Reasons why people follow businesses on social media: • Get updates on product 38%

• Stay informed about company activities 32%

• Receive discounts & promotions 31%

• Fun & entertainment 26%


Source: Exact Target

Who Uses Social Media?Facebook Twitter Pinterest Instagram

% of internet users 67% 16% 15% 13%

Average Age, Demographic

18-29Women

18-26urban residents,

African-Americans

under 50women

college-educated

18-29African-Americans,

Latinos, womenurban residents

Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project, The Demographics of Social Media Users — 2012, February 2013


Pet Owners & Social Media• 90% of dog owners take more pictures of their pets than partners

• 45% say they always use a picture of their pet as their social media profile

• 10% of dogs have a profile on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube

• 16% of pet owners believe that social media can improve their bond with their cats and dogs.

• 17% of Millennial pet owners use apps designed to help them with pet care.

Source: Direct Line Pet Insurance, 2013; AudienceSCAN



Why Use Social Media• It’s an extension of your website

• Tool for 2-way communication

• Channel to deliver information directly to followers

• Share & curate content

• Promote philosophy, mission and values

• Drive web traffic

• Create new connections


I’m a Dog Walker. I Don’t Have a Desk.

• Let mobile be your best friend. Your smartphone can be your mobile office.

• Use Siri and mobile apps to post photos, status updates and check-in. Set up networks to connect appropriately.

• Streamline your workflows. Explore IFTTT.com for recipes. Set up alerts and notifications.


Get Started• Find your audience. Ask your members what social sites they use.

• Repackage subscription content for outside messaging to showcase your leadership within your industry and encourage others to join.

• Promote events on social media.

• Promote social media engagement during events. Assign a #hashtag.

• Start a conversation. Ask questions. Add value.


Pinterest




Pinterest Example

Pinterest Best Practices


• See what’s being pinned from your site. Go to www.pinterest.com/source/yourwebsite.com to see all the pins.

• Learn more about your Pinners. What are the names they give to boards with you photos, information? Board names like “Things I love” or “Best companies” can give you insight.

• Always upload pins from your website. When users click on pin they’ll be directed to your website. Track traffic from Pinterest within Google Analytics.

Instagram


Instagram Example



6 Emotional Trends of Instagram Users

• Sharing

• Documentation

• Seeing

Source: Consumer Production in Social Media Networks: A Case Study of the “Instagram” iPhone App by Zachary McCune

• Community

• Creativity

• Therapy


Instagram Best Practices• Keep content fresh, interactive, and aligned with the brand

attributes you want your customers to notice

• Post pictures that have meaning to your users and induce shares

• Encourage users to get involved in your content creation.

• Give followers a better understanding of what happens ‘behindthe scenes’

Short Videos



Why Vines & Instagram Video Work

• A branded Vine is 4X more likely to be seen than a branded video.

• Dogs are a Vine favorite. https://vine.co/v/b5HEYV0IQPJ

• Since the launch of Instagram video, there has been a 37 percent increase in Instagram shares on Twitter.

• Instagram videos are creating 2X more engagement than Instagram photos


Short Video Best Practices• Use #hashtags.

• Create how-to videos that inform

• Distribution is key to success. Link Twitter accounts to Vine accounts. Share Instagram videos on Twitter & Facebook.

• Craft content to match call to action.

• Be creative.

Source: The 7th Chamber

Community Management



What is Community Management?

• A community is a group of people with shared values, behaviors and artifacts.

• A Community Manager fosters customer engagement and offers relevant and useful content to their constituencies.

• Working together, a community and social media manager can ensure that all voices are heard and brands are appropriately monitored to provide exceptional customer support and promote marketing campaigns.


Community Management Best Practices

• It’s about the message, not the medium. Your message is not dependent on a specific platform.

• It’s about organic engagement. Don’t force activities on an audience. Let it evolve organically.

• Bigger isn’t always better. It’s not about how big your community is, but how effective it is.

• It takes a village. Share knowledge, responsibility.

• If you don’t care, neither will your community.

Thank you!


Lifestyle

Social Media Unleashed: How Pet Sitters and Dog Walkers Can Maximize Social Media