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© Veterinary Business Development Ltd 2025

IPSO_regulated

1 Mar 2017

#followingthetrends – or social media for beginners

Do you know a ‘hashtag’ from a ‘like’? Have you the confidence to post content on your practice social media? Elanco’s Linn Adams offers hints and tips on what social media platforms to use and content that will appeal to clients.

author_img

Linn Adams

Job Title



#followingthetrends – or social media for beginners

Image: © niroworld/Fotolia.

Facebook users account for 90% of all UK social media users1, and nearly one in four dogs and cats have their own social media feed or page2.

Reaching out to pet owners has never been easier with social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram enabling veterinary practices to engage with clients quickly and efficiently. Social media allows for “real-time” direct conversations between veterinary practices and their clients that further encourage the veterinary practice/client bond.

Steps to get started

It is important to choose the right social media channels. If you are starting from scratch, use Facebook as it is the widest used. Get your team involved from the start and include them in the planning process by getting their input, advice and support. Create a plan, brainstorm content ideas with the team and decide how often you want to post.

Once you have got going, review the posts people are engaging with and respond to this interaction accordingly. It is also advisable to look at what other practices are doing and follow like-minded companies and organisations, such as Dogs Trust, Dogs for Good UK and Pet Magic Moments, as you can share their content on your page. Mention you are on social media to your clients and encourage them to add you.

Content

Social media status updates do not last for long as feeds update in real time and users generally move on to more recent items in their news feeds quickly. Once you have built an audience (through liking, sharing and posting relevant content frequently – we recommend about three posts per week), you should keep an eye on how frequently your users are engaging and sharing your posts.  You could also look at varying the times you post to better understand the times your audience are most responsive.

Create a plan

Create a content plan covering themes and ideas. Examples of themes include:

  • events such as open days, new puppy classes and senior pet clinics
  • offers including new services and health checks
  • news – team updates and happy stories from your practice
  • advice – tips for keeping pets happy and healthy
  • seasonal messages – Christmas, Easter (include opening hours in the message)

Ensure your content is chatty and personable to encourage engagement.

Images

A picture is worth a thousand words, so, where possible, use high-resolution, eye-catching images to boost your posts. Images of pets are highly shareable, but ensure you have the client’s permission before posting and make sure your image is the correct size for use on that particular network. And don’t forget to use images of your team members as they are the people your clients get to know and love.

Trolling

Trolls purposefully stir trouble within social media communities by posting negative comments on your posts. It is important veterinary practices deal with trolls effectively so they do not tarnish your reputation and online presence. Trolls are looking for a reaction, so respond as you would in the practice – politely and using facts to support your position.

Elanco has produced a series of social media guides to help veterinary professionals build their social media presence. To download the guides, visit the vet section on the Pet Magic Moments website  – www.petmagicmoments.com

Case study:

Lawrence Veterinary Centre

Image: © niroworld/Fotolia.
Image: © niroworld/Fotolia.

Lawrence Veterinary Centre in Eastwood, Nottingham, set up its Facebook page four years ago as Facebook seemed to be the social media platform most of its clients used. It was established to help promote the practice, inform clients of current issues and as a way to quickly and easily communicate with clients. Two members of the practice team administer the page, but all staff have the ability to add posts and edit the page. The practice has two iPhones to allow them to easily take photos and put posts on to Facebook, and all the staff are enthusiastic about using it due to the real-time feedback they get from clients, most of whom they have established a rapport with.

The Facebook page has more than 3,500 “likes”, with one post – on a dog called Frankie with suspected canine seasonal illness – reaching more than 840,100 people with 35,053 likes, 10,662 shares and 2,384 comments. The veterinary practice has seen engagement with mainly younger people, but increasingly this is changing to a more varied age range.

Ian Simpson Eyre, RVN at Lawrence Veterinary Centre, said: “We are increasingly engaging with our clients via Facebook; the feedback has always been positive and we feel it is important to hear their views and opinions, which allows us to tailor our posts accordingly and keep the community informed.

“Any posts on puppies and kittens, and lost and found pets seem to get the most likes, and we are now posting our #VetMagicMoments, which has been a great way to generate content and encourage engagement with our clients.

“Social media is a powerful business tool and practice staff are content creators who can share informative and thought-
provoking stories. For example, a cute puppy having its first vaccination, or perhaps an avoidable medical crisis, either of which could be used to educate pet owners. These stories can help save an animal’s life while educating clients on what they should or shouldn’t be doing.”

Magic moments

#VetMagicMoments enables veterinary practice staff to link the heart-warming stories that happen in practice to Milbemax’s Pet Magic Moments social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by using the hashtag. The veterinary practice with the most popular post or Tweet will be in with a chance to win a monthly prize of a £250 restaurant voucher.

To sign up, download the campaign guide at www.petmagicmoments.com

  • For further information, contact an Elanco Animal Health territory manager.

Linn’s social media dos…

  • Use interesting content – monitor your social media platforms to assess the content getting the most interest (likes, shares, retweets) and change your content accordingly.
  • Tone of voice matters – use chatty and simple language in your posts to make sure your message gets read and understood quickly and easily.
  • Use good imagery – good images get the most likes, shares and retweets.
  • Stick to the 20/80 rule – just 20 per cent of your social media content should be promotional, while 80 per cent should interest your audience and engage them in conversations.
  • Post at the right time – to maximise engagement, post content when users are most likely to be online and active. Some social media platforms have features offering guidance on this, such as Facebook Insights.

… and don’ts

  • Respond to “trolls” negatively – trolls are looking for a reaction so respond online politely and using facts to support your position, as you would in practice.
  • Be exclusionary – a handful of followers/fans will frequently interact with your posts; however, it is important to make every individual count and make those “watching” feel they are special and a part of the community you are building.
  • Appear robotic or automated – bring all your in-practice customer service to your social presence. You should be kind, real, respectful and empathetic – personable – when posting on social media. Personality is key and you can inject this into your posts.
  • Post without permission – make sure you have permission to use images from the appropriate person. Always check copyright of stock imagery before posting – you may need to credit the photographer.
  • Be afraid to apply filters to your images – most smartphones allow you to edit the image after it has been taken.