Penn Veterinary Supply, Inc. - Since 1981

 

Whether you’re a fan of social media or not, one thing is for sure: it has become an integral part of doing business in the modern world.

Customers rely on a company’s social media presence to provide a snapshot of what they’re about – their credibility, values, personality, quality, etc…

Basically, the attributes of a business that build trust and motivate them to buy from you.

 

 

 

Vet hospitals, like any other business, should be using social media to increase their credibility and web presence. 

However, social media can sometimes feel like a frivolous, optional, time-wasting pursuit in a busy hospital. After all, how important could “likes and follows” be when you have patients to see and staff to assist?

Well, the truth is that for most vet hospitals, it’s not necessarily the “likes and follows” that are most important (although those definitely do help), but the fact that you have an active social media presence at all.

Many customers don’t follow or interact with companies they purchase from on social media, but they do look at the companies’ social profiles to check up on them before making a purchase, so it’s important to maintain that presence.

If you don’t think social profiles are worthwhile unless you’re getting lots of likes and follows, think again. It’s better to have a small but active social media presence than none at all because it still serves the purposes outlined at the beginning: providing an up-to-date snapshot of your credibility, values, personality, quality, etc.

Most people look for this information on Facebook, so if you can only have one profile, choose that. The next most popular is Instagram.

 

Not quite sure how to create a helpful, brand-representing social media profile? Start with these three principles:

 

 

It should be as easy as possible for people to find your clinic information on your profile.

Always make sure your hospital's name, address, phone number, email address, business hours, and/or any other important contact info is up-to-date and in the right place.

Some people even create graphics or images with that information so it can be displayed more prominently. See examples below.

 

Facebook Cover Image:

 

 

Facebook Profile Image:

 

It seems like a no-brainer to keep this information up-to-date, but sometimes changes to hours, services, or other small things can slip our minds. Set reminders to check on this information once a month, just to make sure everything is accurate.

Not sure how to edit your business information? Click here.

 

 

 

When posting on your personal profile, there’s no need to overthink how you sound – it’s casual.

However, sometimes people struggle to “switch off” their personal voice when posting on their professional profiles, which can come across as unprofessional and thus untrustworthy.

Common mistakes made with captions are…

 

• Poor grammar and misspellings
  • Wendell the caat he’s loving his treats!
• Overuse of exclamation points or question marks
  • Wendell the cat is loving his treats!!!!!
  • Is Wendell the cat having too many treats?????
• Run-on sentences
  • Wendell the cat eats too many treats so he’s gained too much weight which we need to help him lose!
• Misuse of hashtags
  • We love Wendell the cat! #isnthethegreatestever #iwonderifhelikesus #iguesswellneverknow #ifanimalscouldtalk

 

Click here for tips on how to structure a caption.

Click here to learn how to use hashtags.

 

 

Common mistakes with images and videos are…

 

• Poor quality – too small, bad lighting, blurry
• Posting things you don’t have permission to post, like images from Google or copyrighted publications

 

Click here for a list of places to legally find free images and videos.

Click here to learn how large your images should be for each social platform.

 

 

Common mistakes with comments and messages are…

 

• Responding in anger
• Responding to messages and comments too quickly without fully reading them first
• Using sarcasm or other language that doesn’t translate well to the written word

 

Click here for tips about how to respond to negative social media comments.

 

 

Another very important element of professionality is posting frequently. You don’t need to post daily – just enough that people who look at your profile will see you’re active and will probably respond if they call, email, or message you.

Posting at least once every two weeks is recommended for basic maintenance, but you can definitely post more often than that.

 

 

 

Just because you’re being professional, that doesn’t mean you can’t have a personality! In fact, showcasing your personality can help your audience relate to you, trust you, and create an emotional attachment to your hospital.

One of the best ways to showcase your personality is to post things about YOUR hospital instead of generic messages and images.

 

Here are a few ideas for personalized posts:

• Pictures of your cute patients and their success stories
• Staff features
• Your most recommended products (ones you carry in-clinic to help increase sales)
• Featured procedures or services
• Educational posts from your in-house vet(s) to encourage good pet health

 

Example 1:

 

 

Example 2:

 

 

Another way to show personality is through your brand voice: the tone you use to talk to your audience.

Is your clinic friendly? Cutting-edge? Formal? Casual? What’s your vibe?

This can and should be reflected in your posts and profile through your captions and images.

 

For example, let’s say a hospital is having a microchipping special. How would they deliver that message based on their brand voice?

 

 

Friendly:

It’s sad – so many families lose their pets each year *unnecessarily,* just because they’re not microchipped. Microchipping is so quick and easy that after just one visit, your beloved pet is tracked for life.

I mean, could it get any easier? What are you waiting for?

For the month of July, we’re giving 10% off microchipping procedures for cats and dogs, so take this opportunity to chip those pets!

 

Formal:

Microchipping is a safety essential…is your pet microchipped? Many owners put off chipping until it’s too late, leaving both pets and their owners lost and with broken hearts.

We want ALL pets to be safe, so we’re offering 10% off microchipping procedures in July.

Don’t delay – get your best friend microchipped today!

 

 

Click here for information on how to find your brand voice.

 

 

Social media for business may be new to you but starting with these three principles will send you in the right direction.