Social media for vets: Top five tips

Social media for vets: Top five tips

The relationship that a veterinary practice builds with its clients is one of the most important parts of a local vet service.

However, it’s difficult to build any kind of bond when pet owners are becoming the kind of clients that shop around for the best treatment prices, or only come in once a year for their pet’s booster.

That’s why social media is extremely important to your business, as it’s a platform that gives you the chance to talk to your clients, share knowledge and offer better value.

We’ve previously shared our top four reasons why every vet should be on social media - but once it’s set up, what do you do next? How do you handle it effectively and make it work for your business?

Get help with social media

Whether you’re just setting up your Facebook page, or already have 10,000 ‘likes’ and ‘followers’, here are our top five tips for getting social media right long-term:

1) Make conversation

Facebook and Twitter are the perfect platforms for conversations. After all, it’s the reason they were created. Asking questions, provoking discussions and enticing clients to talk to you and each other will help build the relationships you desire.

2) Don’t overdo it

An empty news feed is useless - but at the same time, one that’s overcrowded is just as detrimental to your social success. It may take some time to work out what works best for your clients, but this should be a natural process based on watching their reactions and trying different approaches.

3) Keep it relevant

Just as you wouldn’t expect your optician to start posting advice about brushing your teeth, your clients don’t really want to see their vet commenting on topics that are completely irrelevant to their pets. Think about what will catch the eye of your clients (and potential clients); and what might make them keen for more contact with you.

4) Be reactive

When a news story about pet welfare breaks across the national media, it’s an opportunity for vets to join the story as a reassuring local voice. By reacting fast, individual practices can demonstrate that they’re relevant and on the ball. And sharing your input via social media gives your clients the chance to share your knowledge with their friends – thus providing you with FREE word-of-mouth promotion.

5) Be responsive

Social media is a great public stage to show potential new clients how responsive and attentive you are to your existing clients – which is always reassuring if someone is considering switching to a new vet. However, a comment that has not been responded to for months can have the opposite effect, making you appear disinterested. Imagine how it’d look at your reception desk if staff simply ignored client questions?

Successful social media techniques are often based on mere common sense – and yet can win or lose popularity for you. Handled well, Facebook, Twitter and other social channels can help create the strongest of relationships between vet businesses and local pet owners.

If you’d like to talk through developing a social media plan with Connected Vet, get in touch with our friendly expert team.