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Your Social is On Fire! (Here’s How Not to Burn Out)
Go you! You’ve been absolutely killing it on social media! Your posting schedule is robust, no comment goes unresponded to, and your engagement is through the roof. But, rather than riding high on your success, you’re feeling erratic. After months of highly-engaged posts, you’ve found yourself getting sloppy and uninspired. Each new push notification makes…
Read More5 Fast Tips for Great Pet Bios
Start With What You Notice When you meet this animal or see a picture of it, what immediately stands out to you? From big to small, to outlandish to obvious — jot it all down! The most compelling descriptions are relatable and describe animals the way we describe our own pets. Use this opportunity to…
Read MoreHow to Make Shelter Marketing Magic, No Matter Your Setup
Getting into marketing was one of the most intimidating, exciting, overwhelming, and fun things I have ever done in my professional career. I had always loved taking pictures of animals at work, and they would usually come out okay. They were never totally in focus and the lighting was sometimes a little off, which I…
Read MoreHow Photos Are Important to Pet Adoption: A Study
For every 10 dogs that enter an animal shelter in the United States, approximately five are adopted, two are returned to their owner, and two never leave because they are euthanized or die at the shelter. To increase dog adoption, animal shelters often photograph dogs and share the photos online. As a member of HeARTs…
Read MoreTips for a Stress-Free Photo Session
I really don’t like getting my photo taken. Professional headshots, family photos, and even selfies with friends — it’s not always a natural-feeling experience to be the focus of attention. The pressure of the photographer staring at me, trying to figure out what pose doesn’t make me look 5lbs heavier, holding a smile for what…
Read MoreHeARTs Speak’s ‘Petblicity’ Wins a Final Spot in Innovation Showdown!
HeARTs Speak is thrilled to announce that it has been named one of the two finalists in the 2018 Innovation Showdown, a collaborative investment project launched by the nation’s top animal welfare organizations. HeARTs Speak submitted a proposal to create an online, cloud-based, mobile-friendly tool called Petblicity, an all-in-one marketing assistant for every shelter, rescue, and animal advocacy organization.…
Read MoreOut-Of-The-Box Event Ideas to Build Loving Community
Do you have cute puppies and kittens at your shelter? Have you ever thought about creating some exciting events where those animals can be featured to promote your foster program and bring in much-needed funds or supplies for your organization? There are some fun opportunities to feature these adorable pets and to bring in support…
Read More7 Tricks for Photographing Guinea Pigs
Guinea Pigs are notoriously adorable – their teensy lips, their fuzzy cheeks, their penchant to demand treats five seconds after they’ve already been given one – but they’re also notoriously difficult to photograph. That is, unless, you know how to bribe them. I started photographing guinea pigs 5 years ago after adopting my first pair,…
Read MoreSaving Time With New Instagram Post Scheduling
Instagram lovers rejoice! In a long-awaited and much-celebrated move, the app recently made pre-scheduling content possible for business accounts — and it has the potential to transform social media strategies for organizations with limited resources and operating budgets (ie; all of us working and volunteering in animal welfare)! It couldn’t have come at a more important…
Read More5 Shelter Photography Tips I Discovered Accidentally
When I first started running the volunteer photography team at the Humane Society of Broward County, I felt a sense of duty to capture the most beautiful images possible. Images that would truly help animals get adopted. Now, after two years of taking and editing animal intake photos every work day, I have stumbled upon…
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