Use Social Media to Make Your Marketing Efforts Take Off
We’re in the midst of a revolution…a social revolution! Access to social networks is broad and expansive and provides unprecedented opportunities to experiment with innovative strategies for increasing their name recognition.
Facebook, blogs, YouTube and Twitter are no longer just entertaining pastimes, but are legitimate tools for growing a business and they work because they engage clients and potential clients. Getting started is easy. All it requires is a plan..
Getting Started
Marketing your firm or practice can be handled effectively and successfully by a PR and marketing expert. And while the efforts of a social media savvy marketing professional are sure to bring results, not every practice has the financial resources to makes this kind of investment. Many practices have successfully addressed social networking with in-house staff by remaining focused and committed to their marketing goals.
One Practice’s Experience
Lisa Yackel, CVPM, of Case Veterinary Hospital, was at the forefront of her practice’s efforts to strategically market itself. Her story began three years ago as the practice prepared to celebrate its 100th anniversary. She developed a plan for generating interest in the practice. “I realized how important a plan is, it was my roadmap for moving forward and my reminder for what we would accomplish in both the short-term and long-term.” The planning, according to Yackel, was largely an effort that she spearheaded, with significant input from the owner and other members of the practice.
One of the first issues Yackel considered was how the practice would present itself to the world. “We wanted to create an inviting presence. We want visitors to feel like friends and family. Our Facebook page really reinforces this concept. We provide lots of information, topical stories and announcements, but we try to relate to Case Facebook family as we would our own families.” The strategy has worked. Facebook friends are so invested in the site that when something is amiss Yackel hears about it. For example, she noted that as she created the Facebook site, at the top of her list was the importance of sharing funny stories and jokes, as she does with her family. She designated Wednesdays “cartoon day” on the Case Facebook and each week a new cartoon is posted.
Yackel also recommends using videos posted to engage people. Funny, instructive, it doesn’t matter. Videos create a buzz and get people to tune in. Several of the videos on the Case Facebook and Website are local news coverage of the practice’s 100 year anniversary, a testimony to the practice’s longevity and standing in the community.
Reaching Out
Yackel, a firm believer in the power of social media, knows that to effectively harness its power, it is better to use a multi-pronged approach. Yackel is the author of a blog that appears in the online version of a local newspaper. She is one of several of the Coastal Mommies,” bloggers who cover issues of interest in the community, each from a different point of view. Writing about rabies, declawing cats and pet food, she has attracted a following and the articles are occasionally picked up for publication in the print version of the newspaper. When this happens, the practice increases its visibility and enhances its reputation as a resource in the field.
Brenda Tassava, CVPM, Hospital Administrator at Broad Ripple Animal Clinic & Wellness Center and well-known blogger within the veterinary management field offers the following:
7 Tips for Blogging:
2. Be brief---Blogs should be kept to approximately 600 words.
3. A photo can say 1000 words---readers enjoy photos and they make a blog easier to read.
4. Don’t know where to begin? Start by blogging about information from your clinic’s educational materials.
5. Let your clients get to know the staff---Clients love to hear about what’s new with the doctors and staff
6. Look to the future---Plan your blog topics in advance and plot them on a calendar, this way you will
7. Bloggers do it groups---Consider enlisting the assistance of others in the office to ease the
Cross Marketing
Yackel believes that a strong and active social media program is one of the best ways to go about increasing client loyalty within a business and get new clients in the door. “Whenever a new product or service is introduced, I take advantage of all our social media outlets. For example, for three years the practice had advertised our online pharmacy in a kiosk in the office. I took the advertisement and posted it on Facebook. Following that, our online business grew as much in three months as it had in three years!”
It is important to remember that the rate of new developments and change occur so quickly that once a site is developed is it critical to monitor development to ensure that you are getting the most out of your social media strategy. There is no such thing as letting things sit.
Yackel is pleased with how social media efforts have paid off, “Social media has energized the practice. Three years ago we were sending newsletters and other information by email. This was not effective. Our clients wanted fast bites of information so we moved to a more active role on Facebook and started to blog and Tweet. Who knows what we’ll be doing in a few years? I do know that we will be watching things closely to try to use the next best thing to reach our clients.”
As you begin to get your practice’s name out there, you are not only positioning the practice as an expert source, you are increasing its name recognition. Social media is an accessible starting point for beginning your marketing efforts that can pay off handsomely.
Christine Shupe is the Executive Director of the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association. The association is dedicated to enhancing and serving professionals in veterinary management through superior education, certification and networking. For more information, visit www.vhma.org.
