We're passionate about making a positive difference for animals in need. In this campaign, we focused on small community animal shelters across the country with the goal of amplifying their messages and surprising them with cases of healthy, natural pet treats, something they rarely receive via corporate or community donations.
And since Wellness Natural Pet Food pet parents overwhelmingly choose pet adoption as a means of acquiring their dogs or cats, we knew we could energize our tight-knit social community on a topic they care about, inspiring budding animal advocates nationally with an easy way to give back to the same organizations where they found their four-legged family members.
The concept was simple. We asked our Facebook community to comment on our #TreatItForward Tuesday posts in order to be entered to win a CASE of Wellness natural dog or cat treats for their pet and for a local pet shelter of their choice. We shared across our Instagram and Twitter channels, linking back to the Facebook post. Later in the week we announced the winners.
Here are some of our key strategies that contributed to the success of this ongoing campaign:
Consistency: Our fans came to expect that Tuesdays meant they'd see our familiarly branded, "It's #TreatItForward Tuesday!" posts on their timelines. Posting on a bi-weekly basis for several months gave Wellness fans multiple chances to enter, with opportunities to praise their pet and favorite local pet shelters in the process.
Recognizable CTA: Our campaign hashtag, #TreatItForward is a play on the well-known idea of "paying it forward." This direct call-to-action made it easy to understand that the goal of participating in the campaign was to pass along the gift of healthy, nourishing pet snacks to the dogs and cats who need them most.
"You've Been Treated" Postcards: Since most shelters weren't aware a local admirer had facilitated the donation of a case of treats, we included a personal note in each of the shipments to shelters. Knowing that they have the support of the community gives hardworking shelter volunteers and staff a crucial morale-booster to help offset the fatigue that comes with this challenging, emotionally-taxing work.
The success of our campaign was largely determined by our audience's reaction, engagement and feedback. We accomplished our goal by spreading the word about small-scale animal shelters nationally through Wellness Natural Pet Food community animal advocates.
Impressions: Since January 2016, we've garnered 277,500 organic Facebook impressions on our #TreatItForward posts.
Engagement: Total campaign engagements (likes, reactions, shares, comments from entry and winner announce posts): 20,167
Average #TreatItForward engagements: 1,793 engagements per entry post
Consumer Sentiment: This campaign was received excellently by the Wellness community. The campaign theme and mission proved a close, organic fit for Wellness fans who are dedicated to pet adoption and advocacy.
Examples- Facebook comments on the campaign:
Tanika Campbell Furry Friends Cat Rescue is an awesome shelter we volunteer for. These would come in handy! Plus my 5 kitties would be thrilled! January 12, 5:48pm
Lisa Romero Such a wonderful promotion your company is doing ... November 17, 2015, 1:49pm
Bonny MacIsaac Callie is a rescue and was deathly sick when I got her. She is deaf from infections and her whole day is made by getting treats. Thanks for the chance to win! November 17, 2015, 7:06pm
Strong levels of reach and engagement help spread awareness of and reinforce the support behind the topic of animal adoption, with Wellness community members working these non-profit animal welfare organizations into their natural conversation on Facebook.
