Content is king. This is a phrase that has been used in the tech space since the 1990s. In 2023, does this adage still measure up? Is it still content that is absolutely necessary to have an effective social media marketing strategy? This webinar explores social media marketing for animal welfare organizations and strategies these entities can do to accomplish their goals via social media visibility.

This session’s instructor is Angelina Martin. Angelina is the owner of Online Media Solutions, a media agency providing social media solutions, assistance, and training for animal welfare groups. She’s previously worked with the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) and Sonoma County Animal Care & Control.

Specifics of her discussion are on:

• The significance of social media marketing strategy for animal agencies and the ongoing challenges these entities are experiencing as it relates to social media visibility.
• The current social media landscape characterized by an abundance of information, a mentality of panic for content creators, and the quest to decode the algorithm for maximum results.
• The importance of planning social media content, how failing to do so can be likened to gambling, and the benefits of a social media marketing plan
• The art of building and maintaining momentum by focusing on insights, analytics, and numbers.
• Algorithm: The dynamics of time spent online, content, visibility, and momentum in social media and how it works.
• How your page’s momentum is impacted by the quality, quantity, and type of content being pushed out.
• How the “See more” button is the golden ticket to visibility, and how to properly utilize this to your agency’s advantage.
• A step-by-step walkthrough to build a strategic plan to help increase social media visibility by looking at your organization’s goals and content, identifying strong and weak posts, and integrating social listening.
• Implementing the social media plan through the process of priming.
• Effective priming strategy that underlines the importance of actively looking for strong posts, creating a repository of strong posts, and checking your momentum.
• Social listening: What it looks like, why it is critical, and how it creates a more effective social media presence.
• One post several goals: How posting less can increase momentum through the indirect method.
• Examples were provided to demonstrate how planning, priming, social listening, and the indirect method are executed for maximum visibility and ultimately accomplish the agency’s goals.

Questions from the webinar attendees are about:

• The effectiveness of scheduled posts vs. manual ones.
• Leveraging hashtags to increase reach and visibility.
• Recommended social media planning platforms.
• Updating existing posts vs. posting a follow-up post.
• How different organizations can implement the same things but have different results.
• Applying social media planning on Facebook and Instagram stories.
• How far in advance can social media planning be done.
• Strategies to lessen posts but still be able to push out all the animals for adoption.
• When to use photos, reels, and videos.

Other Webinars with this Speaker:

• Jan18: Intro to Social Media Marketing for Animal Shelters
• April 7:  Social Media & Disaster-Related Events for Animal Shelters 
• Aug 11: Social Listening for Social Content for Animal Shelters 
• Nov 1: Online Reputation Management for Animal Shelters
• Feb 7: Social Media Marketing Strategies for Animal Shelters (this webinar)
• July 27: Top Social Media and Communications Challenges for Animal Welfare Agencies

Click here to view and register for other upcoming Animal Welfare webinars on the JCH Platform or

Here to view and register for other upcoming PIO, Social Media and Communications webinars.

Resources and Handouts

• Handout: Strategic Planning Worksheet
• Calendly link to schedule your 30-minute conversation

Audience Comments

• “Info about momentum on social media! Also, more posts doesn’t equal more views, making a social media marketing strategy, and using social media marketing tools to see what works best for my organization. Thank you all for your time; I am looking forward to utilizing all this info!” — Hayley
• “My biggest takeaway was the impact that AI has on our reach. I’d always assumed that our reach was based on followers/likes, but that doesn’t seem to be the case!” — Becca
• “Making topics engaging without being repetitive– thinking outside the box to appeal to the masses while still being unique. Something great to think about!” — Brittany
• “One of the best presenters yet. You can tell she knows what she was talking about and was passionate about it.” — Michelle

This webinar has been certified by the National Animal Care & Control Association and is approved for 1 Continuing Education Unit. Please refer to your NACA membership portal for current CEU submission process. Current NACA Members who attend the live presentation or watch the recording will be able to download a jointly issued attendance certificate that includes the National Animal Care & Control Association logo. Visit the NACA training page for a complete list of future trainings.

The Best Friends Network is comprised of thousands of public and private shelters, rescue groups, spay/neuter organizations and other animal welfare organizations in all 50 states. We are a coalition committed to saving the lives of dogs and cats through collaboration, information-sharing and implementation of proven lifesaving strategies. Our partners support each other and inspire their own communities to increase lifesaving across the country. Visit network.bestfriends.org for more information and resources.