Instagram is fun, free, photo-centric and full of people who love pets. Should your shelter or rescue group be using it?

Maybe, maybe not, says social media consultant Christie Keith. “Instagram seems like it would be great for pet adoption, but there are some drawbacks,” she said.

Those include a lack of clickable links in Instagram posts, the fact that the platform is mobile-only, and that it’s owned by Facebook.

“Organizations looking to escape Facebook’s current ‘reach squeeze’ may find themselves facing similar issues on Instagram down the road,” she said.

Does that make it off-limits? “Absolutely not,” Keith said. “Instagram has hundreds of millions of users in a great age range for pet adoption and animal causes. And there’s an active animal rescue community on Instagram who can help share your great pet photos!”

Her top tips for animal organizations on Instagram:

1. Create a short, memorable URL that can easily be remembered, and edit it directly into the graphic, rather than the caption. Example: yourwebsite.org/adopt or yourwebsite.org/donate

2. Use great photos. If you don’t have someone on your team who can take really great, clear photos and knows his or her way around photo editing software, you might want to hold off.

3. Have a goal. Don’t be on Instagram just to be there. Really spend time on the platform, get a feel for it, and try to put yourself in your potential adopters’ or donors’ shoes. “Cute photos aren’t enough,” Keith said. “You have to be there for a reason.”

Also of interest:

Top 5 Instagram Best Practices for Nonprofits

Webinar: Pinterest and Instagram for Nonprofits