Gwinnett County Animal Welfare & Enforcement Division

I conducted the following marketing audit on behalf of Gwinnett County Animal Welfare & Enforcement Divison (GCAWED). It addresses their current marketing efforts; recommendations for improving their reach/community engagement (think: content, promotion, program, and live event ideas); and additional questions/topics for consideration.

Current Marketing Efforts:

• Regularly posting to social media

• Featured pet (includes: age, breed, personality, and backstory)

• Follow-up posts on adopted animals

• Adoption specials

• Adoption day photos of animals with their new families

• “Yappy Hour” park event (giveaways, education, and outreach)

• Animal status (adopted, reclaimed or transferred to a rescue)

• Monthly adoption stats

• Videos of adoptable pets

• Holiday photos with Santa

Recommendations:

• Make “We Want Your Updates” (adopted animals) a stand-alone, boosted post for more engagement

• Post more live videos of adoptable animals or GCAWED events (recommend boosting these posts as well)

• More posts regarding animal care, facts, and/or related articles

• Start an “Ask a Vet” series – Reengage people who aren’t currently seeking adoption, but may have general animal care questions; also helps to build a rapport with featured veterinarians

• Change the current blue shelter logo to a vector image so it doesn’t look pixelated

• Bit.ly for shortening website URLs

• Hootsuite, Sprout Social or Buffer for tracking campaign metrics

• Post more CTAs for volunteers, donations, and support

• Create an Amazon Wish List for donations – Donations can then be mailed directly to the shelter

• Kitten Cam or Puppy Cam for featured litters

• Regular posts for other topics on the GCAWED website, i.e. lost pets, surrender, ordinances, rescue partners, and rabies awareness

• Staff and/or volunteer of the month post

• Post information on T-N-R services/classes (Planned Pethood, Trap King, etc.)

• GCAWED pet calendar

• “Secret Admirers” series (local businesses, community organizations, and/or social clubs could sponsor pets’ adoption fees)

• Rent a booth at the local cat, dog, and/or exotic pets trade shows – Increases presence and #adoptdontshop awareness

• D-I-Y classes - Learn how to build a cat tree, dog house, bird house, bat box, and/or pet beds (this could be sponsored by Home Depot, Lowes, or Maxwell High’s construction class)

• Adoption / Gotcha Day

• e-Cards one year following adoption date

• Cutest pet photo contest

• Implement a foster care program (some local rescue groups allow animals to be checked out for the day or weekend – this helps to socialize animals up for adoption)

• More posts featuring the sheriff’s Jail Dogs and Cats Program

• Photos of pets with the Easter Bunny

• Family Photo Day – Have a local photographer do low-cost, mini photo shoots annually

• 2-for-1 adoption special

• BOGO adoption special

• Clear the Shelter: Name your price

• FREE adoptions for public servants (police, fire, EMT, military, veterans)

• Binge-watch Buddies (Netflix themed ad)

• Workout Warriors (adopt a dog to be your new personal trainer)

• Sponsored swag bags for adoptees (treats, toys, coupons, free/discounted boarding and/or grooming services)

• Offer low cost obedience training classes (partner with Petsmart?)

• Pet treat recipe contest (submissions would probably need to be OK’d by a veterinarian)

• Does GCAWED offer any aftercare specials like Atlanta Humane Society/VCA Veterinarian “First Visit Free” Program?

• Does GCAWED boost high-performing/important social media posts?

• What is the response time for social media or email messages received after-hours?

• Does GCAWED want to send out monthly/quarterly email blasts?

• Content ideas: Follow-ups on adopted pets, recruiting volunteers, donations, and seasonal topics (vaccinations, dental health, holiday foods/plants that are toxic to animals, etc.)

• Does GCAWED want to pursue corporate sponsorships? (In kind or monetary donations from pet brands, local media, restaurants and/or retailers)

• Off-site adoption events with local businesses? i.e. Zoo Atlanta, local festivals, restaurants, breweries, car dealerships, etc.

• Would GCAWED like to cross-post/repost events with local rescue partners? (helps with community engagement)

• Would GCAWED like to start a monthly mobile shot clinic like Shot Vet, Vetco, or EZ Pet?

• Would GCAWED like to host information sessions?

• Pet first aid/CPR

• Emergency disaster preparation checklist

• FAQs for FIV+ cat ownership, heartworm prevention/treatment, caring for a senior pet and/or registering your pet as a therapy animal

• Keeping families together: local pet food pantries

• How to introduce your new pet to the rest of the family

• What to expect when traveling with your pet (there has been a lot of negative PR with the airlines recently) – These could be live-streamed or posted to a Vimeo channel

• What about a community yard sale benefiting homeless pets? (booth rental fees could be used towards shelter costs)

*Amended 4/5/18*

I am really fortunate to have friends who are also passionate about animal welfare and conservation. I sent the initial draft for this case study to my friend Kristina Rowe. Below are her comments for additional consideration.

"I really like the idea of partnering up with local businesses to help spread adoption awareness.

I also like the educational efforts - I feel like the further away from the city the less education there is for proper pet care, low-cost solutions, etc. One thing I like: Photos with the Easter bunny can be expanded out to include some other holidays throughout the year. Consider photos with Santa, photos with the American Flag for the 4th of July, etc. And maybe even photos with service members and municipal volunteers.

Here are some other ideas I've thought about:

• Always a need for spay/neuter advocacy

• Education on microchipping (perhaps a discount during a certain month)

• Making cat boxes for feral cats in the winter

• Feral Catch and Release (Catfish?) - to capture, spay/neuter feral cats, and release them back into the community

• Storm Watchers - ways to secure your property/fencing to prevent runaways during inclement weather

• Awareness for bringing dogs inside; re-enforce National Unchain A Dog month (January)

With our powers combined, this is a fantastic outreach effort! :)"