How Does the SPCA Do It?

I follow the Monmouth County SPCA on Facebook.  After all, my very first dog, a Springer Spaniel named Rebel came from that special place back when I was in the fifth grade.  Over the years I have checked in, but since I don't live in the area anymore it's been difficult to keep up. Lately though, through Facebook, I can see the amazing love they give to their charges on a daily basis. 

Today I read a post that over the weekend, twenty five animals were adopted. Those are really good odds and the new pets now have wonderful homes.  How do they do it?  I think a lot of it comes from the way the staff expertly uses social media.  They have Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts and a great website that rates each pet based upon many factors including temperament and energy level. 

Every day the Facebook followers (all 6,443 of us) get to see a variety of pictures of cats and dogs, all with names and a story.  The pictures are posted and then the comments pour in.  I wouldn't be surprised if after seeing a picture, someone gets in the car and drives right over there to adopt a special pet. In addition to this, an SPCA staff member answers any questions that may come up in the comments section and encourages people to call in with any specific concerns.

Like the SPCA, anyone looking to get back into the job market should also make use of social media.  We've talked about it in previous articles and it doesn't hurt to repeat. 

1. Join LinkedIn and create a complete account.  Join groups, ask and answer questions.  Let it be known that you are a subject matter expert. 
2. Get a Twitter account and link it to your LinkedIn page.  Follow the job search, interviewing, resume and TweetMyResume pages.
3. Post a professional picture on all of your social media accounts.
4. Start a blog and provide articles about your professional expertise.  Link that to your Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts.
5. Take a cue from some of the sites that you follow; what do they do that draws in a crowd?

All of us, like the folks over at the Monmouth County SPCA can draw attention to our strengths by using social media; how have you used it? By the way, in the 20 minutes that I used to create this blog, they got another follower.