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6 Steps to Shape Up Your Social Media

By Marketing

Everyone talks about the need to have a social media presence but some businesses find themselves spinning their wheels while trying to find a formula that works for them. Businesses of any size can benefit from an effective social media marketing plan, but first it is important to tailor any messages to the appropriate audience. Use the following suggestions to improve your social media efforts, increasing engagement and boosting conversions.

 

1. Learn How It Works

Rome wasn’t built in a day and it will take more than a few hours to learn how suitable channels work and how they may best suit your business needs. Invest the time to explore some of the free and paid resources online to create a practical social media marketing strategy. Discuss your unique requirements with a ViziSites Internet Marketing Consultant to make the most out of your social media platforms.

2. Listen & Act

Social media platforms are now being used as an extension of customer service departments. Customers are voicing their complaints and concerns, in addition to writing up candid reviews on platforms. Veterinary practices and hospitals can use the information to improve wait times, find new niches and provide recognition for employees going above and beyond. Taking the time to respond directly to customers online can demonstrate the type of attention to be expected by the business and improve customer relations.

3. Automate the Process

Automation helps make it easier to ensure that communications and offers are sent out as scheduled. Free and paid plans from Hootsuite can get business owners started and make efforts more efficient. Plan posts in advance to allow time for responding and engaging with followers. Avoid coming across as overly promotional and look for ways to interest and educate an audience to grow a following.

4. Engage Your Audience

Leveraging social media means more than posting a few times a day. Active engagement is key to getting audiences involved and building online relationships. Engagement helps open the lines of communication, allowing businesses to interact with prospects directly. Establishing an authentic sense of empathy is important for both online and offline relationships.

This playful example from CoastView Veterinary Hospital creates a game with pet owners. They are offered a chance to spell their pets’ names using only emojis. Pet names are spelled with emojis ranging from mushrooms, to saxophones and apples.

Light-hearted posts and games can increase engagement and be shared with others in their circle, potentially allowing new visitors to take part in the activity and follow a business. Social media efforts should not only be focused on pushing veterinary services or products in un-spammy ways, but to create authentic connections with leads and customers.

5. Prioritize Platforms

It doesn’t make sense to keep posting on platforms that audiences aren’t on. Spend more time on those channels that show the most engagement from an audience. Some businesses find success with some of the most popular social media platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram. Remember that the type and format of posts may need to be tailored to the selected platform.

6. Analyze Results

There are multiple ways to stay informed and improve your social media efforts. Using the analytics provided by a specific social media platform, as well as through HootSuite, can make it easier to track which posts are performing well. Likes, shares and comments are some of the indicators that a post is connecting with an audience. Paying to boost such posts can also increase exposure of a business to new leads. This should be done with posts performing well organically to see the best results. Vet practice owners and small businesses can use regular analysis to hone their strategy and learn which types of posts work best with a target audience.

How to Get Started

Small business owners are generally busy with handling the daily operations of an organization. However, time should be set aside daily to understand the opportunities offered with a social media presence and to learn how competitors may be engaging with their customers online. Learning the fundamentals about popular platforms and starting with a basic social media plan can get veterinary managers and owners new customers while retaining the old. Contact a ViziSites Internet Marketing Consultant for more details on which ideas and techniques would best suit your practice as you ramp up your efforts today.

Optimizing Social Media Platforms for Veterinarians

By Veterinary

Establishing a comprehensive social media platform that resonates with pet owners is essential to online marketing in today’s competitive veterinary industry. Consider it your online marketing toolbox.

Understanding the best possible way to use the tools available is imperative to successful online marketing. So which social media outlets are most likely to attract potential clients? What type of content will engage their interest? These are questions to consider, along with gaining a fundamental knowledge of the delivery mediums.

Here are some of the marketing objectives you should consider:

  • Search engine optimization, which is essential to driving new patients to your website
  • Providing information that shows the benefits of adhering to a treatment plan
  • Providing information helpful to your existing clients
  • Increasing your client base through referrals

Here are some of the social media platforms that are most successful in attracting new clients and retaining existing clients:

Facebook

Facebook is one of the most popular mediums for people to connect and share their experiences. Consequently, it has become an essential marketing tool for attracting new clients and keeping existing clients engaged. A well designed Facebook Business Page is easy to maintain, and with good content, can reach many new potential clients. Through sharing pet photos, upcoming events, heart-warming pet stories, and information of interest to pet owners, you give social media users the opportunity to share, like, and comment on your page. When users interact positively with your page, it shows their trust in your veterinary care, a definite advantage in bringing new business to your practice.

A Blog

Having a blog on your website gives you an extremely effective tool for communicating with your clients to disseminate information on a variety of subjects. It gives you the opportunity of keeping them updated on the latest veterinary technology, new products you might have available, promotions, community events, new services offered, and more. You can share information on pet care, specific treatments, pet industry news, and personal interest stories on your veterinary team. Blogs can be enhanced with photos and videos as well.

A blog on your site is a valuable tool for expanding on the services you offer, giving the reader a more comprehensive understanding of your practice, and the philosophy behind it. This can further enhance the probability of acquiring new clientele.

To maintain a successful blog, it is important to keep it current by updating regularly, at least every week or two. Either set aside a time to update it yourself, or employ a staff member who enjoys writing. Another option is to hire a professional blogger from a company with expertise in the veterinary industry who can manage the blog for you. The more fresh & relevant content that is added to your site on a regular basis, the better. This will have a positive impact on your search engine rankings, and give you a powerful online presence.

Instagram

Instagram is a powerful platform for creating visual content for your veterinary practice. Many refer to Instagram as a high engagement platform, since it allows you to connect with pet owners, listen to their feedback, and build relationships through meaningful conversations. You can share a photo of a new veterinary service and then ask your clients for feedback. Creating professional-looking images to promote your veterinary services and highlight your practice has never been easier or more affordable.

The final result is a visual platform that is doing more than just generating engagement, it will also drive new patient acquisition.

If you’re new to Instagram check out this tutorial.

Twitter

Twitter is an excellent marketing tool for communicating time sensitive information quickly in just a few words. It also offers another medium for connecting with clients and other veterinarians. Share updates on events, special offers, and more. Because Twitter is interactive, you get instant feedback that allows you to discern customer needs, and answer questions immediately. With just a few minutes to spare, you can reach many potential clients in your area.

To gain the most from your Twitter account, post often, with topics of interest to pet owners. Keep an eye out for interesting tweets that relate to your industry, then retweet if you feel your following will be interested. Always remember to link back to your website and Facebook page when you post. Follow Twitter accounts that relate to veterinary practice, pet related blogs or interests, pet products, etc. Use keywords, links, and informative or trending topics to grab the reader’s attention.

YouTube

You might think of YouTube as a network for creating or watching videos, but it is also a powerful search engine. In fact, it is the second largest search engine worldwide. Users can watch videos of interest you create, then follow the link to your site. Pet videos garner a great deal of interest. By posting videos of innovative treatments that bring healing to specific pet ailments, pet owner testimonials, or perhaps happy animal patients you’ve successfully treated, you can increase awareness of your practice. If your clients enjoy your video content, they’ll likely share it with friends through their social networks. Btw – You don’t need a slick (expensive) setup. Check this smart and effective way to start capturing your practice footage.

Contests, Promotions, and Sweepstakes

All the social media platforms available to you can be utilized for running promotions, contests, and sweepstakes. This can be a powerful way to make your business more visible to the community, engage current clients, and reach prospective clients. Facebook is the perfect network for this form of marketing. Think of the potential! ‘Cutest kitten contest,’ ‘Enter to win a free pet spa day,’ the ideas are limitless.

When marketing through contests and sweepstakes, be certain to abide by the rules regarding online contests. Make sure to monitor and stay within Facebook guidelines and follow government regulations. Be certain your contest platform allows you to collect contact details of all those who enter your contest or sweepstakes since this is imperative for marketing to them in the future.

Establish Your Marketing Objectives

To get the most out of your social media platforms, it is important to have an explicit objective for your marketing campaign. Once you’ve firmly set your intentions, you can make the most of what each social media platform has to offer.

Best of Breed Partners


ViziSites has partnered with a collection of service providers in the veterinary industry and beyond. When you sign up on the Competitor package or higher, you’ll gain access to discounts with our partner businesses like VerticalVet Reminders, Veteos, Vetstoria Live Booking, and Anipanion Telemedicine!

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