Pulse - November 2024 - 13
Social media roundup:
Meet our contributors
With around 2.2 million followers combined on their social media
platforms, these three veterinarians understand how to reach pet
owners of every age.
Dr. Andy Roark: 417K Facebook followers and 21K followers of
his " Cone of Shame " YouTube channel
Dr. Adam Christman: 1.1M TikTok followers and 395k followers
between his Instagram, Facebook, and " The Dr. Christman Show "
YouTube channels
Dr. Tannetje Crocker: Nearly 255K followers between her TikTok,
Instagram, and Facebook channels
off practice leadership. Or, consider hiring a media or consulting
firm to do the job.
Dr. Crocker cautions against spending hospital marketing
dollars on firms that manage social media accounts with generic,
cookie-cutter content. Instead, hire someone familiar with the
veterinary field who is willing to work with you to produce personalized,
relevant content that features the team's personality.
" I do a lot on my own, but I also have help. You really want to
make sure you're showing your hospital, your team, and the personality
of it. That's what people connect with, " Dr. Crocker said.
Dr. Roark echoes the emphasis on strategy, planning, and
recruiting help. " I prefer writing and longer-form content, but
social media has gone to short-form video, so I have a marketing
and social media team, " he explained. " My involvement
is finding ideas that my team can use to make engaging content
because it's important that it feels authentic. "
Social media pitfalls
Despite its imposing presence, social media has limitations.
As algorithms evolve, it becomes harder to target a specific
audience. Maintaining a social media presence is time- and
labor-intensive, and tracking ROI can be tricky. Plus, while
younger generations are highly active on social media, not all
clients use these platforms.
Dr. Roark has concerns about placing too much emphasis
on social media in practice.
" When social media started, it was for connecting with
friends. But that's not how it is anymore, " he said. " It used to
be easier to maintain a local connection with clients, but now
there's so much noise that you can sometimes just shout into
the void. I have concerns about young people's mental health
and how it strips away nuance from communications. It's not
the medium I would choose, but I participate because I have
things I want to say and genuinely want to help people. "
Negative attention is an oft-cited concern for veterinary
professionals and hospital leaders considering expanding
their social media presence. Written content lacks nuance
and context, leaving it open to misinterpretation.
While practices should carefully consider the potential
impacts of each post, the risk of serious bullying or personal
attacks is relatively low when you focus on building a positive
community. The more you engage with your followers, the
PULSE
NOVEMBER 2024
more likely they'll defend you if you get trolled.
In Dr. Crocker's experience, hateful comments are minimal.
And, the algorithms that limit the visibility of your posts
come in handy for diffusing negativity.
" Generally, only three to five percent of your followers will
see a given post, " Dr. Crocker explained. " The perception is
that one interaction or thing will be seen by everybody in
your community, but that's not the case. If you do have an
issue, the AVMA has resources to help, or you can leave it to
your social media manager to handle. "
Inter-generational connection beyond
social media
Social media isn't the only tool to help veterinary professionals
and teams connect and communicate with younger
pet-owning generations. Because social media algorithms
create unpredictable visibility, practices can adopt more targeted
communication strategies to reach existing clients and
community members.
Telemedicine, mobile apps, online scheduling, texting, and
email newsletters can open communication lines to techsavvy
pet owners looking for more ways to connect with
their veterinary team. Anything that improves efficiency in
the hospital-such as AI scribe software-can improve the
quality of face-to-face client time.
For Dr. Roark, social media can't replace IRL (that's " in real
life " for those of you who don't know) community involvement.
" I think there's great value in community engagement. How
are you integrating into the community? How are you showing
up for your neighbors? How do you treat people when they
come in? " Dr. Roark asked. " These things can be really powerful.
I'm not all in on the idea that social media is the primary
battleground, but I think it's a valuable strategy to promote the
other things you're doing and get community buy-in. Invest in
social media to support your other projects and goals. "
To strengthen client bonds across all generations, veterinary
professionals must be honest about who they are and
what they care about. If social media is your thing, jump in.
If it isn't, hire someone else to do it for you, then invest your
client connection energy into something you enjoy.
In the end, it all comes down to trust and relationships.
" The world hasn't changed so much that vet med is no longer
a relationship business, " said Dr. Roark. " Be intentional
with your time and energy to build and maintain client trust
in an authentic way. " P
Elizabeth Kowalski, CVT is a veterinary copywriter based in
the Chicago area. As an '80s baby, Elizabeth proudly bears
the millennial badge and will never, ever give up her side
part. Contact her at rumpuswriting.com.
References:
1. Kerwin, N. (2022, March 29). APPA releases generational report on pet
ownership, purchasing trends. Pet Food Processing. https://www.
petfoodprocessing.net/articles/15660-appa-releases-generational-reporton-pet-ownership-purchasing-trends
2.
(2024, January 31). Social Media Fact Sheet. Pew Research Center. https://
www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/social-media/
13
http://www.rumpuswriting.com
https://www.petfoodprocessing.net/articles/15660-appa-releases-generational-report
https://www.petfoodprocessing.net/articles/15660-appa-releases-generational-report
https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/social-media/
https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/social-media/
Pulse - November 2024
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pulse - November 2024
Chapter Meetings & Calendar
President’s Perspective
Pulsepoints
SCVMA Profile
FEATURE STORY
Practical Pathology
UC Davis Update
Updates
Tools for Success
Industry Insights
Angel Fund
AVMA Diplomates
Resources
Disease Table
From the SCVMA Office
Pulse - November 2024 - Cover1
Pulse - November 2024 - Cover2
Pulse - November 2024 - Chapter Meetings & Calendar
Pulse - November 2024 - 2
Pulse - November 2024 - President’s Perspective
Pulse - November 2024 - Pulsepoints
Pulse - November 2024 - 5
Pulse - November 2024 - 6
Pulse - November 2024 - 7
Pulse - November 2024 - SCVMA Profile
Pulse - November 2024 - 9
Pulse - November 2024 - FEATURE STORY
Pulse - November 2024 - 11
Pulse - November 2024 - 12
Pulse - November 2024 - 13
Pulse - November 2024 - Practical Pathology
Pulse - November 2024 - UC Davis Update
Pulse - November 2024 - Updates
Pulse - November 2024 - 17
Pulse - November 2024 - Tools for Success
Pulse - November 2024 - Industry Insights
Pulse - November 2024 - Angel Fund
Pulse - November 2024 - AVMA Diplomates
Pulse - November 2024 - Resources
Pulse - November 2024 - 23
Pulse - November 2024 - Disease Table
Pulse - November 2024 - 25
Pulse - November 2024 - 26
Pulse - November 2024 - 27
Pulse - November 2024 - 28
Pulse - November 2024 - 29
Pulse - November 2024 - 30
Pulse - November 2024 - 31
Pulse - November 2024 - 32
Pulse - November 2024 - 33
Pulse - November 2024 - 34
Pulse - November 2024 - 35
Pulse - November 2024 - 36
Pulse - November 2024 - 37
Pulse - November 2024 - 38
Pulse - November 2024 - 39
Pulse - November 2024 - From the SCVMA Office
Pulse - November 2024 - Cover3
Pulse - November 2024 - Cover4
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