Consumers today are interested in more than just top-notch products or services at great prices. They're looking to engage with the companies with which they do business, and the easiest way to do so is with social media. No longer viewed as simply a passing fad, social media, while still a relatively new phenomenon, makes it easier than ever before for companies to connect with both existing and prospective customers. Gone are the days when companies would simply talk “at” their consumers—social media makes it possible to talk “with” and engage consumers on a deeper level. When the opportunity arose to take over management of PetEdge’s social media pages, I eagerly volunteered, and since that time, my interest and investment in our social media presence has grown exponentially.

               On a day-to-day basis, my responsibilities include generating content for Facebook and Twitter, posting updates about specials, sales, and promotions, managing contests and campaigns, researching trends in the pet industry, sharing relevant content with our audience, communicating directly with customers, and more. Additionally, I set up Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram profiles for a new product line to coincide with its launch, and I share posts in which PetEdge is mentioned by fans.

               For Halloween 2014, I successfully implemented a creative grooming contest, which received an enthusiastic response and gave PetEdge great exposure in the social media space. We invited fans of our page to share photos of their most creative grooming creations on our timeline, which we would then share as well. Whoever had posted the photo with the most likes would win a prize package of creative grooming products from PetEdge. When all was said and done, the contest was more successful than we ever imagined it would be—during the week-long contest, we received over a hundred entries, our engagements and page activity saw a considerable spike (average organic post reach increased by 820, average post likes experienced a bump of 387, and average organic total reach jumped up 732), and our page attracted 214 new fans.