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Sometimes all it takes to make a difference is for someone to have just one idea and some passion. The Best Friends Animal Society started the Invisible Dogs Campaign to get the word out about local dogs in local shelters who have trouble getting adopted. These dogs are sometimes referred to as the invisible dogs. Through this one social media campaign, The Best Friends Animal Society has been able to save the lives of thousands of dogs.
The Campaign
The name of the campaign is a nod to the toys from the 70s and 80s. You know the ones, the dog harnesses with the sturdy leashes but no dogs in the harnesses. It made who ever was holding the toy look like they were walking an invisible dog.
Invisible Dogs
No matter where you live, there are bound to be thousands of invisible dogs. Invisible dogs are the ones we never see. They are kept in shelters, humane societies, and do not get to spend much time if any at dog parks. They are some of the most loving and caring dogs around, and are waiting for someone to love.
How It Works
The campaign has been set up as an easy to manage 1, 2, 3 step process.
Step 1: Use social media sites to get the word out there. One of the biggest factors used is the twitter hashtag. Every time the campaign was mentioned on twitter, other social media sites, and the company minisite, it was followed by the hashtag #InvisibleDogs. By doing this, followers and friends were and are still able to keep up to date on the campaign. Hashtags are a great and free way to consolidate all of the information of the campaign.
Step 2: The call to action. Non profits can be extremely successful if they have a strong and compelling call to action. In this case, the campaign gives people a choice of three pledges on the website. You can pledge to adopt a dog from a local shelter, pledge to walk a dog at a shelter, or pledge to take a photo of a dog at a shelter and help spread the word of the campaign and that dog that needs a home. By pledging, you have some level of commitment to the cause. At the time of the posting, the site, InvisibleDogs.org, has 2139 pledges.
Step 3: User generated events. Best Friends Animal Society allows its friends and users to post, comment, discuss, and even host their own events through social media sites such as facebook, twitter, meetup, and their website. People are encouraged to post stories and photos of their invisible dogs and sponsor their own walks to help raise funds for the campaign.
It Just Gets Better
Thanks to the success of the social media aspect of this campaign, the company has now begun to think of other ways to use it in to get the message out there. There is a plan with Foursquare and National Shelter Check-in day (Nov 12), and other sites and strategies are in the works.
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About the author:
Kayleigh has always loved animals and has spent time volunteering at the local dog shelter. The love of her life is her four year old Rottweiler, Lizzie. She enjoys writing for YeePet.com since it combines her love of animals with one of her favor...
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