How can you use social influence to promote animal welfare?

In my experience, educating clients about issues I've had to face personally, or things I've seen become a recurring challenge for clients in my business, to be a great opportunity to engage with my clientele and position myself and my business as an industry expert.

Leading by example, whether it's going vegan or volunteering at a local animal shelter, showcases the transformative power of personal choices. When you openly share your journey towards a more compassionate lifestyle, you're not just providing a visual guide but also a source of inspiration. By sharing personal stories and motivations for your choices, you connect on a human level, making it easier for others to relate and consider similar changes. This human-to-human connection brings the message home, demonstrating that animal welfare is not a distant cause but a living, breathing commitment we can all embrace.

One thing I've found helpful when reviewing marketing content is considering the perspectives and experiences of prospective and current clients. How do I want someone who is evaluating care providers to feel, how do I want to reinforce the decision an existing client made in choosing us as a pet care provider? It's important the same message resonates with both audiences. One of the most important things I've tried to embrace is only speaking about the positive associations with the topic I want to discuss. The world is FULL of negativity and fear. How can I empower clients, and pet owners with my words? If there is a challenge with a behaviour, or in our community, how can people feel inspired to resolve it with my communication?

It's crucial to inspire hopefulness rather than hopelessness. When we share stories of resilience and the positive impact of our collective efforts, we provide a glimmer of optimism in an overwhelming landscape.

People do what they know to be true and think is best...and sometimes what they know, isn't going to get them to outcome they want for themselves, their family or their pet. I try to communicate from a solutions based position, and use metaphors and references I know people can relate to. There are some mistakes that are safe to make, they're how we learn, there are others that can be detrimental to the health and safety of their family or their pets that we want to discuss and support openly and safely.

In the age of information overload, creating content that captures the heart and mind is the key to leaving a lasting impression. So, when using social proof to influence others, make it a fun. Think of clever and heartwarming campaigns that encourage people to adopt rescue animals or support animal welfare initiatives. These campaigns don't just provide social proof through numbers; they do it through engaging, relatable, and often entertaining content.

We have found tremendous success creating a community of top shelf pet owners who want to experience the same feelings and emotions of many parents with small children. We've created the community experience through our events and service offerings, allowing our clients to expeirence the same feelings and emotions as parents with children. We've sought to educate our client base about the initiatives of local programs that seek to reduce pet over population at the source, before animals get into animal rescues. These very worthy, behind the scenes efforts are extremely important to our ecosystem and deserve the spotlight. I feel privileged to share this experience and information with our client base.

Taking care of your community is essential. Try engaging with your supporters in every way possible: virtual or in-person events, meet-ups, or even a simple group chat, these interactions build connections and bring your community closer.

Sometimes, approaching topics related to days of recognition, like the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, can be an ethical challenge for organizations to approach. They want to support but may feel conflicted and concerned their efforts are misinterpreted by the community or their team. Finding a voice within your organization that you can seek for insight and guidance or seeking local initiatives that resonate with the founder or board, in line with the company's mission and values, are great ways to walk the talk.

Encourage your supporters to share your mission in a way that resonates with them, and this naturally extends to their friends and contacts. Engaging content, stories, and campaigns that capture the imagination make it easy for your supporters to share your cause with their circles. After all, if they find your content fun, inspiring, or emotionally engaging, they'll be more likely to share it.