March 8, 2008Comments are closed.attitude, shelter procedure
When I was working at PetRescue our whole aim was to bring in as many potential adopters as we could, then match them with as many available pets as possible. ‘Throwing the net wide’ is a hugely beneficial strategy on the inter-web, with most successful sites being based on this premise (think Ebay or Seek).
Today, thanks to a united effort amongst rescue groups, PetRescue receives over 2 million Australian visitors and has thousands of pets listed each year. Therein lies its value; no individual group could ever hope to receive so much web exposure.
Saving Pets is almost exactly the opposite – it’s as specialised as any website could get; general interest marketing for rescue groups. Suddenly every single visitor takes on brand new significance.
When my visitor counter ticked over to 200 tonite, I did a small loungeroom boogey. When one person wrote to me with criticism, it left me rattled. But (and probably most importantly, when you’re dealing with a small supporter base) if I want to keep my new visitors coming back, I’d better be the best damn general interest marketing for rescue groups blog there is!
Now you do have to make a decision about whether you’re going to broadcast wide or hone in on a particular fan base, but I’d say for most rescue groups, large scale promotion is out of the question – specialisation is where you’ll find most rewards.
Know who your supporters are. Work out where your most suitable adopter are. And think about the 1000 True Fan rule when you deal with your supporters. Realise though, that specialising comes with mammoth responsibility; actually doing what you say you’ll do, treating people extraordinarily and recognising every single one of your supporters as individuals.
Saving Pets is only a month or so old and is still on wobbly, baby legs, but I’d like to take this opportunity to thanks each of you for visiting and being part of it. I really hope that we can do something special.
Cheers,
:)shel
