Apr
How to Keep Pets Safe with Social Media
By Hannah Miller 0 Published:
Since its founding in 2014, PawBoost has helped more than 380,000 pets find their way home. The online service calls itself “the Amber Alert for dogs” and relies upon a social media community of volunteer pet lovers to relay information about lost animals and search for them.
Using the PawBoost website or app, pet owners can report a missing pet. The pet’s description and last location are then broadcast via the PawBoost Facebook page that’s specific to the pet owner’s area, so people can be on the lookout. According to the PawBoost website, it has almost two million Facebook followers, 686 location-specific pages and alerts that are seen by more than 25 million people. While the initial post is free, pet parents can pay to have the post boosted and seen by more people using Facebook’s ad platform.
PawBoost also has an email listserv known as the “Rescue Squad.” Its 346,000 subscribers receive email alerts when a pet has gone missing. The option to use this service is free as well, and anyone can sign up to join the listserv. The website offers other free options such as the ability to PawBoost app users of a missing pet and providing templates for missing pet fliers. The company’s blog also offers tips for locating missing pets.
Though the company does make money from pet parents who opt for premium pet-finding options, it also offers advertising opportunities for pet businesses to harness their social media audiences, which can be locally tailored.
PawBoost shows the importance of social media in the pet world. The online pet community is vibrant and vocal and PawBoost demonstrates that it can be a vital force in promoting business and pet welfare.