<\/p>\n
Enhancing efforts to present a strong, attractive social media presence and adopting guerrilla marketing strategies were key ideas Fort Lewis College business students offered La Plata County Humane Society as they pitched a marketing strategy for the nonprofit.<\/p>\n
Ideas such as a yearlong radio advertising campaign with an estimated price tag of $52,000 were presented but eventually put on the back burner when plans met business realities.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going through our budget right now, and we\u2019re fighting to get $400 a month for advertising,\u201d Guthrie Hardesty, director of the Humane Society Thrift Store, told about 20 students presenting their marketing ideas to Humane Society employees at a presentation Monday at Fort Lewis College.<\/p>\n
Isabella Martinez, a senior, said she would concentrate on improving the quality of photos used on social media posts.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is something you could do right now, and it doesn\u2019t cost anything,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Improving the quality of Humane Society<\/a> social media posts, she said, would be the most cost-effective way to increase traffic not only at the shelter but at the Thrift Store<\/a> and the new Re-Tail Boutique<\/a>, which offers a curated selection of the highest-end donations, including collectibles, professional attire, jewelry, gifts and small furnishings.<\/p>\n Alex Fuller, a senior, said integrating guerrilla marketing tactics \u2013 using low-cost, attention-grabbing techniques with little money such as stickers and flyers in public places \u2013 combined with special campaigns focusing on special events and holidays could boost visits, animal adoptions and the bottom line.<\/p>\n With Snowdown<\/a> coming Jan. 30-Feb. 3, Alida Holmes, a senior, suggested holding a costume sale at the Re-Tail Boutique, which opened in May at 450 South Camino del Rio on the second floor in the same strip mall as the south Zia Taqueria.<\/p>\n Emily Phillips, Humane Society marketing and development coordinator, said ideas like participating in the Snowdown Light Parade could be an effective way to increase community engagement, but the effort would have to be handled carefully.<\/p>\n In future years, she plans to seek out owners of pets adopted in years past that are well-socialized to possibly join in the Light Parade. She said pets would have to be calm in large crowds and undisturbed by the fireworks that accompany the mid-winter carnival\u2019s parade.<\/p>\n