Socially Speaking: Platforms for Veterinary Social Media Caitlin DeWilde, DVM

Transcription

1 Socially Speaking: Platforms for Veterinary Social Media Caitlin DeWilde, DVM Social Media: The General Population Pew Internet Research Group: o 69% of adults use social media of some kind o 42% use multiple platforms o 68% of adults are Facebook users Social Media: Small Businesses in General LinkedIn/TNS survey of North American Small Businesses: 81% use social media to drive growth 9% intend to use it in the future IBM Global CEO Survey 70+% seeking a better understanding of individualized customer needs and improved responsiveness Believe that social media utilization for consumer engagement will increase by 256% over the next 5 years Second most common way to engage customers after face-to-face interaction Social Media in Vet Med Little current/in depth detail/statistics available As of 2012: o 50% of veterinary clinics are on Facebook o 25% of veterinary clinics are on Twitter Bayer Veterinary Care Usage Study: Attributes Most Associated with INCREASED Veterinary Visits: o Seeing same vet consistently o Wellness exams as one of most valuable services at clinic o Marketing and advertising are a key part of business strategy o Active use of social media o 43% clinics used Facebook o 4% clinics used Twitter 2014 Veterinary Care Usage Study Update: o 23% increase in pet owner reliance on the internet as the first option when pet is sick or injured o Conclusion: To encourage regular healthcare visits, practice teams need to not only overcome the practical barriers that pet owners have identified but also look for opportunities to make themselves an essential and relevant alternative to Dr. Google. Socially Speaking: Platforms for Veterinary Social Media 1

2 Overview of Social Media Platforms Facebook Twitter Pinterest Google+ Instagram Others. Facebook: Demographics As of June 2017: o 1.32 billion daily active users on average o 2.01 billion mobile daily active users o Fastest growing demographic: year age group o Most common demographic: year olds (88%) year olds close behind (79%) Facebook: Dissecting Your Page Profile vs Page Cover Photo: 312 x 820 pixels Profile Photo: 170 pixels x 170 pixels o Just as important as cover photo o Represents you in all communication: messages with other users, replies to posts, your likes, etc. o Very small when viewed- keep it simple! Other page components: o Title: practice name/location o Ratings o Likes/Talking about/check-ins o Page info o Applications (Apps) o Call to Action Button Apps o Positioning o Integration with existing services (e.g.demandforce) o Facebook App Center o Third party: woobox.com Facebook: Posting Content Rule of Thirds (Social Media Industry): 1/3 Promotes business, generates profit 1/3 Social content shared from industry 1/3 Personal interactions, building personal brand Socially Speaking: Platforms for Veterinary Social Media 2

3 Rule of Thirds (Veterinary Industry): Greater focus on personal brand/images? Promote Share Personalize Tip for posting: Encourage Interaction!! Call To Action Don t ask for likes Ideas Prizes Frequency For beginners: 1-2 times/day Timing: View insights Under Posts/Times 1 week period Scheduling Posts receive half their reach within 30 minutes Can do in advance Through Facebook Third party programs Hootsuite Buffer Meet Edgar Facebook Benefits Summary Increase exposure Low cost, low tech advertising Advertise to those who are listening Gain feedback and referrals Educate your existing clients Connect with clients on a more personal level Earn LOYAL customers Twitter User/demographic info as of August 2017: 328 Million users Everyday: 500 MILLION Tweets Fastest growing demographic: year olds Socially Speaking: Platforms for Veterinary Social Media 3

4 Latest data: 25% of veterinary clinics use Demographic/geographic specific Regular activity less important Implications for customer service and response time Anatomy of a Twitter Page Header: 1500 pixels wide x 500 pixels high Profile picture: 400 pixels wide x 400 pixels high Basic Tweeting Tweet = 140 character = who you want to talk to (everyone will see this) or identify where you are Example: Just heard a great lecture # hashtag = a way to categorize Example: Just heard a great lecture on #socialmedia #veterinary Uses in Veterinary Practice Quick educational info Surgical updates Reminders (e.g. heartworm) Conversations with people in need Linking with community events Retweets/shared content Photo sharing Blog announcements Summary: Benefits in Practice Fast Direct communication with clients and potential clients Connecting with new generation More targeted audience Connecting with the community at large Pinterest User/demographic info as of January 2017: 150+ MILLION Users Women> Men Men fastest growing group Fastest growing form of social media Competing with for top method of sharing information Socially Speaking: Platforms for Veterinary Social Media 4

5 Anatomy of a Pinterest Page: Profile picture: 165 x 165 pixels Benefits: Use in Practice Providing accurate information Educating on new topics Advertising Clears up clutter on website Eliminates paper handouts e.g. puppy kit Targeted to ideal demographic Pinterest Board and Pin Ideas About Us Flea/heartworm prevention products Other pharmaceuticals Helpful links Local specialists Community groups and rescues Blog posts Staff bios Staff pics Fun stuff! Instagram User/demographic info as of April 2017: o 700 Million users o 40 Billion + photos o Everyday: 95 MILLION Photos 32% of all internet users are on Instagram Share photos and videos Editing tools: cropping, filters, etc. Categorized by hashtags Location tagging, additional user tagging enabled Integrated Apps: o Layout o Hyperlapse Industry Hashtag totals as of August 2017: o #veterinary: 415,289 posts o #vetlife: 280,631 posts o #vetmed: 157,975 posts o #veterinarymedicine: 159,814 posts o #veterinarytechnician: 36,009 posts Socially Speaking: Platforms for Veterinary Social Media 5

6 Pros o Easy to post and edit in one app o Can create visually appealing and interesting images with little effort o Can share directly onto Facebook, Twitter, and others o Can tag other users without friending them o Can tag location Potential SEO boost! o Focus on photos > text, information, etc. o Hashtags help categorize and reach certain demographics, specific town/cities, etc. o Free! Cons o Younger demographic o Seen as less professional? o Clickable links not allowed o Mobile-specific Google+ Demographics: 22 billion profiles Infrequent use Necessary evil?!? Google Places for Business or Google+ Pages is now Google My Business. Google My Business allows you to update/manage business information across Google Search, Maps and Google+. Pros: o Integration with Google My Business Services Google Search, Maps, etc o Everything posted is immediately indexed by Google o Interconnected resources Gmail YouTube Google Maps, etc o Search engine ranking improved o Access to reviews o Free Cons: o Less user friendly format o Little interaction seen for most veterinary pages Recommendation: o Consider force/shared Facebook content as with Hootsuite o OR once monthly posting Socially Speaking: Platforms for Veterinary Social Media 6

7 Social Media Summary Targeted Promotes business and services Stay relevant Motivates & empowers your staff Connect with your community Educates pet owners Create loyal, personal connections Socially Speaking: Platforms for Veterinary Social Media 7