Notes for Social Media for Veterinary Professionals

Social Media for Veterinary Professionals Notes from the Professionals

I want to thank you for attending our workshop.  It is a PLEASURE to bring quality education like this specific to our industry to fellow practice managers in New York, Pennsylvania and the great state of New Jersey.   I'm glad to know you and work with you!

If you didn't have a chance to say hello to Steve from Best Pet Rx, please make sure that you connect with him at some point down the line. Steve is an incredibly bright and good-hearted person whose first goal is to help you and your practice succeed.  His company holds excellent client care as its highest priority.

I want you to successfully market your practice online...so do all of our experts, Brie, Phillip and Brenda.  Please reach out to any of them down the line if you have questions.     Our goal for you is 90 days from today.  90 days from today we want a successful social media campaign up and running at your practice.  Take out your calendar and mark it up.  Set deadlines and goals for yourself and your team.  Take your thoughts to the entire practice.  Share your ideas and ask how they can help.  Your individual efforts won't take you far...but involve your entire team and you'll not only smoke your deadline, you'll ignite enthusiasm throughout your practice.

As I mentioned at the meeting, Brenda's notes can be found on her Website (see how that savvy girl is driving you to her website?  By emailing your clients with links to your website for handouts, you not only keep the earth greener, but achieve the same thing that Brenda is doing each time she speaks.)  The link for Brenda's notes is below.  The rest of the experts notes are pasted in just below the hyperlink to Brenda's page. 

And of course, I would be remiss if I didn't send you some Social Media Links with pictures

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.373964582672123.82090.133652936703290&type=1&l=7418bd4c01

https://plus.google.com/115630163119101207897/posts

@halowconsult

Brenda Tassava Resource Page
Use the link for helpful resources that you will need to get your social media plan started 

Beginner Twitter

1.       Getting started (demo)

a.       Setting up your account

i.      Go to www.twitter.com
ii.      Complete the form

iii.      Click the Sign up for Twitter button

iv. Spend some time setting up your icon, background, description, location and color scheme

logo should be in 400px by 800px space on left
              total graphic image should be 1920px by 1080px

b.      Understanding the language

 i.      140 Character limit

ii.      Retweets

iii.      @ Replies

iv.      # Hashtags

v.      Bit.ly and other shortened links (www.bitly.com)

Intermediate Twitter

2.       Finding followers

a.       Set up Twitter searches for keywords in your area

b.      Peruse the followers of people you know and follow them (see Brenda’s book for a list of “who’s who” in our industry

c.       Advertise your Twitter presence via in-practice signage

ii.      Mention it in your other marketing efforts (like mailings)

Advanced Twitter

3.       Finding your voice

a.       Who is tweeting for your practice? A doctor, the practice manager, the clinic cat?

b.      Look at what other veterinarians are doing and see what is working

c.       Be yourself

4.       Planning and automation

a.       Create a spreadsheet of tweets

i.      Date and time to send
ii.     Under 140 character limit

iii.    URLs to which you are linking

Date	Time	Tweet	Length	URL
4/16/2012	10:00 AM	Hi. How are you today?	22
4/16/2012	10:02 AM	We're so happy it is spring because of all the beautiful new animals that are born in this season and because of all the beautiful flowers that bloom!	150
4/17/2012	7:54 PM	We're happy it's spring because of all the beautiful new flowers and animals that arrive with the season!	105
4/17/2012	9:18 PM	Happy #WoofWednesday to our friends over at @northstarvets	58
4/19/2012	9:00 AM	Check out our newest service, neurology at http://www.northstarvets.com/neurology.php	85	http://www.northstarvets.com/neurology.php

b.      Add your tweets to socialoomph.com

i.      Schedule tweets for the year

ii.      Set it, but don’t forget it!

5.       Engaging with followers

a.       Balance between putting your message out there and interacting with others

b.      Stay positive in your messaging

c.       Address negative tweets with tact and respect

d.      Know when to take the conversation offline

e.      Only provide relevant content for your audience

6.       Best practices

a.       (In)appropriate content

              i.      Appropriate content

1.       Relevant content for your audience

2.       Fun, informational and engaging tweets

3.       Use your top keywords in your tweets

              ii.      Inappropriate content

1.      Use family-friendly language

2.       Avoid jargon

3.       Nobody wants to know what you’re eating for lunch

4.       False claims/inaccurate information

b.      Measuring your success

i.      Retweets and @ replies

ii.      Clickthroughs to your website

iii.      Number of people who take advantage of your offers (Use offers sparingly as people are quick to perceive those who post lots of offers as spammers)

c.       Ideas for tweets

          i.      Link to your Facebook page account

          ii.      Promote pet-related holidays and events

          iii.      Offer specials, deals, and discounts

          iv.      Point to your YouTube videos

          v.      Point people to key pages on your website

          vi.      Answer frequently asked questions

          vii.      Host an “Ask the Vet” tweet chat at a regular recurring time

          viii.      Give shout outs to your followers (#MeowMonday)

           ix.      Share breaking, but relevant up-to-the-second news (anything from “it’s Dr. Jones’ birthday today” to “AVMA announces new protocols for pet care” for example)

Beginner YouTube

1)     Getting Started

a.     Equipment that you’ll need

Flip cam or smartphone

Computer with an internet connection

b.     Creating your account

Go to www.youtube.com and click on Create Account

Complete the form

Customize your profile/channel

2)     Shoot your first video

a.     Set up the shots (make sure the area is cleaned and de-cluttered)

b.     Record! (get a few takes if possible. Total length should not exceed 2 minutes)

3)     Sharing your first video (uploading to YouTube)

a.     Click the upload button

b.     Click on selected files from your computer

Common problems with uploading videos and online help if you run into a problem

4)     Title

a.     Description

b.     Tags

c.     Location

Intermediate YouTube

5)     Tools of engagement (demo Generation Vet at www.youtube.com/amandabrowndvm)

a.     Cliff-hangers

b.     Create a series

c.     Incorporate visual themes

6)     Measuring your success

a.     How many times was the video seen?

b.     Was the video mentioned on other sites?

c.     If you included an offer with the video (to track its success), how many people took advantage of it?

7)     Best practices

a.     What is the difference between appropriate and inappropriate content

b.     What is relevant content for your audience?

c.     What makes a fun, informative and engaging video?

d.     Avoid these pitfalls
   Non-family friendly language

Jargon

Busy backgrounds

False or inaccurate information

8)     Ideas for videos that work

a.     How to care for your pets

b.     What to do if…

c.     Explain common procedures

d.     Answer frequently asked questions

e.     Interview other pet industry people or be interviewed

f.       capture a community event in which you participated

g.     Highlight a pet of the week

h.     Give a hospital tour

          

Facebook Notes

1. Create an account (page) at https://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php
1. Pages are focused on organizing around topics or ideas which “allow entities such as public figures and organizations to broadcast information to their fans.” We are setting up your practice’s “official Facebook presence” using Facebook Pages.
2. Groups are “for members of groups to connect, share and even collaborate on a given topic or idea”. While the company continues to make a distinction between groups and Facebook Pages, we see these products eventually merging over time.  Groups can serve as an extremely effective marketing tool. Most importantly, groups serve as a tool for building awareness around various ideas; ability to make them “invite only” or limited to specific networks.

2. Select company icon; choose category: health/medical/pharma

   

3. Upload a picture of your hospital - attendee will have to come ready on their laptop with a picture or be ready to upload one from their hospital website or other website that houses photos. I suggest coming prepared for both.

   

4. Enter in a brief description of your hospital that will be visible to those who visit your page.  I recommend it include key info: hours of operation, phone #, types of patients you see, your

approach to patient/client care, ideally a mission statement. 

5. Set up email contact
1. The page below shows how to create a specific group out of your contacts in Gmail. Most basic - choose which contacts you want to export; be sure to choose the group you want to export.

5b.  Select the Google CSV format, and then select Export

5c.  Click the Export button to download your contacts. Follow the instructions on your screen and save the file to your computer. By default the file will be named 'google.csv'.

5d.  Upload your 'google.csv' file to Facebook using the uploader on your screen

6. Settings

7.  Manage permissions

8.  Basic Information

9.  Profile Pic

10.  Featured 

11.  Manage Admins – Choose two people: Owner and the person who will handle social media.

12.  Apps – Loading a video

13.  Mobile – getting set up

14.  Insights - what do they tell you?

Home Again is doing an excellent job of increasing their reach by inviting followers submit their pet AND to have their  friends “Like” otherwise known as “vote for” their pet for Pet Pic of the Week.

Organic: The number of unique people, fans or nonfans, who saw this post in their News Feed, Ticker or on your Page. Paid: The number of unique people who saw this post from a sponsored product, such as a Page Post Ad or Sponsored Stories. Viral: The number of unique people who saw this post from a story published by a friend. These stories can include liking, commenting or sharing your post, answering a Question or RSVP-ing to an event.

This section of insight on gender and age tells you the breakdown of your demographics.  In our case ¾ of our followers are female and the majority of all our male and female followers are between 35-44 yrs old. Take note of the countries, language, reach and unique user frequency.  You can move the mouse over the graphs for more details as well as expand the countries and languages.

15.  If you ever need to delete your page

1. Click Edit Page in the upper-right corner of your Page
2. Select Manage Permissions from the left sidebar
3. Click Delete [Your Page Name]

For Pages with the new timeline design:

1. Open your Page's admin panel
2. Click Manage 
3. Select Edit Page
4. Select Manage Permissions from the left sidebar
5. Click Delete [Your Page Name]

You will have the option to unpublish or delete your Page. If you choose to delete your Page, please note that its removal is permanent.

Facebook II for intermediate and advanced users

16. Posting that keeps your fans following you!

-ask questions, poll people, ask for their opinion

-respond often to posts; ask follow up questions; If your site receives a large volume of traffic, you can inspire fuzzy feelings by posting blog entries that address the most popular or intriguing questions you receive. You can also host free webinars to discuss topics that are getting a lot of wall time on your Facebook page.

-personalize as much as possible by using the  “@username.” it makes the fan feel special and encourages them to respond or post on their own wall increasing your reach.

Good example of following up on a client inquiry.  Notice the  date/time that Best Pet Rx made contact 1st time.  Impressive!

-post often and during peak time - 9a-2p of your time zone when most people are at work.  get your people conditioned and take the information to them.  you want them looking for your status update.

-host a promotion - Many of your fans started following companies on Facebook in order to qualify for giveaways or contests. Offer something for free to your users occasionally, on the condition that they “like” your page or update. This increases your number of fans, but it also ups your traffic – your users’ “like” activity will pop up in their friends’ news feeds and provoke more activity.  (Imagine the goodwill you’ll receive from the person who wins!)

-Utilize Cross-Exposure

Integrate your website, your Twitter account, and your other social media sites with Facebook. 

This will enable your clients to visit one site and contribute to a conversation on another, without leaving the original site they visited. 

For example, if you’re a microbrewery asking fans for name ideas for your newest beer, you’ll increase the exposure for your marketing campaign by engaging both your Facebook and Twitter audiences.

-Maintain A Positive Image

Facebook pages aren’t the place for companies to complain about the economy or changes in the industry.  Keeping your tone light and your topics engaging is crucial to maintaining readership.  However, that doesn’t mean others won’t post negative comments on your page. Address their concerns quickly and professionally, and follow up with the posters off Facebook. Your fans will watch how you react and respond accordingly. 

-Make Your Point Fast

People love Facebook because it allows them to get several bites of information in a short amount of time. Catch their interest by promising them a short time investment — post pictures when they can make your point for you, and keep your status updates short. 

If your updates inch above 200 characters, your audience will lose interest. Brevity is your friend.

-Provide Information And Sneak Peeks

If your hours or location have changed, you have new products, or your policies are being updated, let your Facebook fans know. Your readers will appreciate a heads-up, and it may remind them to stop by or place an order. When you are releasing new products or services, giving your established followers a preview of your new items will inspire curiosity and convey a sense of loyalty. Your Facebook fans are interested in you; they need to feel that you’re interested in them. Reward their investment by engaging with them regularly, and take their feedback under consideration. 

(in the above example from Best Pet Rx you can see four examples of providing information and it is varied information from light, the Hamptons Canine Concierge, to the diabetic or cancer patient in your home.  Further, each post had engaged fans  through “likes,” comments, and shares.)

17.  Changes to FB

Change from photo strip one large image to showcase your page and the guidelines are stringent.

Sample - The new Timeline cover photo is 850 by 315 pixels; profile picture is 180 by 180 pixels

18. Larger, Highlighted and Pinned Posts

To help you tell your stories, the pictures and videos are now larger and more eye-catching.  You can also highlight a story (by clicking the star icon in the upper right of a post) so that it spans all the way across the Timeline.

19.  Setting company milestones 

A simultaneous milestone was added to the timeline however; this snapshot illustrates the sort of traffic and goodwill around the milestone which became THE #1 post on Sassy Smidgens FB page as of 08/10/12 with 250 views J

20.  Advertising changes:  Larger and now called Reach Generator and Premium on FB

Reach Generator

Premium on FB example

21.  Facebook Rolling Out Additional Page Post Targeting Options: 

Facebook page admins will soon be able to target posts by age, gender, interested in, relationship status, education information and workplace. This is in addition to the previous options available: language and location

This is the current target selection available on our Facebook page.

How To Social Media

Welcome to Halow Consulting's Social Media

Workshop  HOW TO guide for Twitter, Linked In,

Google + and Facebook

Pennsylvania attendees listing in on the Keynote address by Brenda Tassava

We look forward to you attending the Social Media Workshop at Oradell Animal Hospital on August 16th.  To review ticket information, click here

For those of you planning on coming to the Keystone Conference, workshop information can be found here.

How To Twitter

* Go to http://www.twitter.com

* In the box that says ‘New to Twitter? Sign up’, type in your full name (please use your real name!), your email address, and a password. As with all the other profiles you have created, you are creating your own personal

profile so you can learn the etiquette of Twitter before you start using it professionally for your practice. With that in mind, use an email address that you ‘own’, and not your work email for this particular account.

* The next screen will verify your information before proceeding. Twitter will let you know if your chosen user name is available and will offer alternative suggestions in green, midway down the screen. Read the Twitter

terms of service before clicking ‘Create my account’

* The next screen takes you to The Twitter Teacher. The Twitter Teacher will walk you through the next several steps, including suggesting people you might follow. To follow a suggested user, simply click the ³Follow² button

listed next to their user name. You can also search for people to follow, by typing names into the search box. Here are several veterinary professionals, practices and organizations that you can follow on Twitter: Halowconsult, Oradell, Broad Ripple Animal, Northstar Vets, etc.

* The next screen takes you to categories. This will help you follow people who are interested in the same things that interest you. Type in categories like: veterinary, animals, your location, social media, etc. Choose 5 more

people, based on categories to follow, then click ‘next’.

* The next screen prompts you to find contacts you already know on Twitter by way of allowing Twitter to access your email contact list. If you wish, you can skip this step by clicking ‘Skip this step’ on the bottom left-hand

side.

* In the next screen, you need to upload a photo as your profile photo. DO NOT skip this step----it is a faux pas to leave you profile photo as the default ‘egg’! After you upload a photo, fill in the ‘Bio’ box with a description of yourself in 160 characters of less. Example: ‘Veterinary

practice manager from Indianapolis who writes about social media and makes art in her free time’. Click ‘save’.

* You are done! Twitter will send you a verification email. When you receive it, click through the link they provide you and your account will be active!

* Here¹s your first tweet to send out: #Halowconsult I’m loving this workshop!

Brie Messier instructs a small work group on Facebook

How to LinkedIn

It’s time to create your Linked In profile. The biggest difference here is that where Facebook is very focused on your personal likes and interests, Linked In is focused on your professional likes, interests and experiences.

Why should you have a Linked In profile? Look at Linked In as a tool that works very well for search engine optimization, as well as for professional networking. You might not necessarily use Linked In for your practice, but at the very least every one of your practice’s veterinarians should have a completed and up-to-date Linked In profile. When clients search for them by name, it helps to have something you have complete control over, that is highly professional come up high in the search engines, and that’s what Linked In can do for you. If you are a practice manager, you can use Linked In to manage your professional networks---think of it as a virtual rolodex. You can also join professional groups on Linked In, keeping yourself up-to-date on the latest conversations and news within the veterinary industry.

Let’s get started:

·      Go to http://www.linkedin.com

·      Click the “Join LinkedIn” button

·      Fill in your first name, last name, email address, and create your password. Again, please use a personal email address, NOT your work email as this can change should you leave your practice.

·      Click the “Join LinkedIn” button

·      On the next screen, Linked In will ask some basic demographic information including where you live and what your current job title and company are---fill your profile in as completely as possible. Then click “Create my profile”

·      Linked In will direct you to start looking for your connections via your email address. You can allow the site to access your email address book or you can skip this step---go with whatever you are most comfortable in doing.

·      You will then receive a confirmation email. Once you open this email, click on the confirmation link.

·      Your next step will be to complete your profile. In the toolbar, across the top of the home page, hover over the “Profile” link and click on “edit profile”. Here, you will complete statements about your educational background, your business experiences, and any awards you might have won. Think of it as an online resume or CV as you complete each field. Linked In will walk you through each step. One of the most important things to do is upload a professional looking photo of yourself! People want to see who they are connecting with on Linked In and all other social media platforms.

·        Once you have your profile looking the way you want it to, start searching for people you know. Begin by looking for the “People” search box in the upper right-hand corner of the page. Enter the following names to get started: Bash Halow, Brenda Tassava, Phillip Barnes and Brie Messier. If you don’t already know us, you will very soon! When you find our profiles, click the “connect button”. You will need to select how you know each person you are hoping to connect with on Linked In. You can choose either: colleague, classmate, we’ve done business together, friend, other, or that you don’t personally know this person. Selecting “Friend” is the most straight-forward way to connect with people you haven’t gone to school with, or worked with directly.

·      Linked In will generate an automated message saying “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.” You can edit this message, personalizing it as you wish.

·      Next, you could look for a few professional groups to join. If you are a member of the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association (VHMA), you could search for a join this group. Other groups you might consider joining are: Marketing in Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Hospital Marketers, and/or Veterinary Professionals.  Your instructors, Brenda Tassava, Brie Messier, Phillip Barnes and Bash Halow are all on Linked In.  Search for their names within the Linked In website and reach out to them.

Phillip Barnes teaches Twitter

How to Google +

Let’s get started:

Go to http://plus.google.com

In the dark grey box in the upper right of the screen, sign in with your Google account or go to step 3 to create an account. 

Just below the red ‘Sign in’ button, click on the blue words to ‘Create an account’ 

Complete the online form, choosing your username, and creating a password. Complete the demographic information and read the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy before clicking through to the ‘next step’ 

Add a profile photo in the next screen so that your friends recognize you. 

Click the blue button that says ‘Continue to Google’ 

Google+ will prompt you to find people on Google+ you already know by allowing them access to your email address book. You can do this if you are comfortable with this, or you can skip this step. 

The next screen will help you find people you already know. Type in: Bash Halow, Brenda Tassava, Brie Messier and Phillip Barnes to add us to your circles. This screen also explains what ‘circles are on Google+’. Try to find at least 10 

people you know to add to your circles. 

If you are struggling to find people you know, you can click on the blue highlighted words that say ‘discover new people’ and Google+ will offer suggestions 

Click ‘Continue’ 

Adding additional profile information on this final screen will help others find you on Google+ 

Congratulations! You now have a Google+ profile. Get familiar with this platform by exploring the landing page, checking out ‘Hangouts’, ‘What’s Hot’, and reading through the feed on your home page.

This group takes time out for a delicious lunch from our sponsor Best Pet Rx!

How to Facebook

Play around with a personal facebook page for several weeks before attempting to create a business page, as you need to learn the ins and outs of etiquette, etc within each social media platform. By becoming "friends" with people you know, liking a few pages, and interacting with others, you will feel much more comfortable when it comes time to become the administrator of your practice's business page. You should attempt to log-in and do "something" at least one to two times each day for the next two weeks, before taking any steps towards creating a business page."


1. Go to www.facebook.com



2. Fill-in the blanks under "Sign Up, It's free and always will be."


3. Use your real first and last name


4. Use an email address that you "own", not one that has been assigned to you at work. If you leave that position or company, you will lose access to your personal page. Use a personal email address that you have control over, even if you move. A gmail address is ideal, but not necessary. Use an address that you routinely use for personal email correspondence.


5.Create a password. It's always "best practice" to use at least 8 characters, using both numbers and letters for your password. You can and should change your password on a regular basis to prevent hacking of your accounts. This is good advice for all you online activity, not just Facebook!


6. Provide the requested demographic information (sex and date of birth)


7. Read the Terms and Data Use Policy. You can click on these words/phrases just above the green "Sign Up" button to read them in their entirety.

8. Click the green "Sign Up" button.You now have a Facebook account! Your next steps should be to upload a digital photo of yourself, so others can find and recognize your smiling face. The remainder of the information you choose to enter and display on your page/wall/timeline is entirely up to you and your comfort level.

What should you do once your account is created?


1. You can search for people you know and send them "friend requests"

2. You can interact with people once they accept your friend requests


3. You can like pages specific to the veterinary industry and begin following them and the information they generate on their business/organization pages such as: AAHA, AVMA, VHMA, Halow Consulting and your local management group's page, if they have one.


4.  Log-in at least one to two times a day to read your "news feed". This is your home page on Facebook and will feature the latest updates from your friends and the pages you choose to "like" on Facebook.

5. Create new status updates to let your friends know what you are doing, or what you are thinking


6. Repeat steps 3-6 often, to increase your comfort level with Facebook.

Veterinary Technicians put dog in trash can!!!

Tammy Vreelan and Robyn Geis, veterinary technicians at Sayrebrook Veterinary put this loveable dog Hammi in a TRASH CAN!!!!  Why wasn't Animal Control called?  Why were they able to keep their jobs???

Hammi is in a trash can because the sides prevent Hammi from lying down.  Hammi suffers from megaesophagus and just finished dinner.  Remaining upright until all the food ‘goes down the pipe’ so to speak is the remedy for this condition.  Megaesophagus can be diagnosed by your veterinary (as it was by the great crew at Sayrebrook Veterinary), but it took the enterprising minds of these techs to think of using a trash can/ laundry hamper as a surefire method of keeping Hammi upright. ( Oh, and don’t worry…this can is NEVER used for trash.)

What you are reading above is a recent post placed on Facebook.  The post captivates your attention, teaches you a little bit about veterinary medicine, introduced you personally to the fine team at Sayrebrook Veterinary and educates you about their kindness and ingenuity…but it does it in a friendly, colloquial manner.  Of the many things you will hear or read about  today, you will remember the picture, Hammi, the techs, and Sayrebrook Veterinary.  As of July 21, 2012 this message has reached  500 individuals who are very likely to talk about Sayrebrook.  Best of all it cost nothing, publicly distinguishes Sayrebrook’s team members, and is fun to produce

Brenda Tassava, Brie Messier and Phillip Barnes are three veterinary professionals who have mastered how to produce Social Media pieces like this and beyond.  They do it on a daily basis for their practices and have tripled their reach or better.  Their hospitals are at the very top of information searches and their business’ growth is up…all the while reducing their advertising budget…in Brenda’s case by as much as 20 thousand dollars a year!

These three, along with Halow Consulting, have put together a workshop for our veterinary peers aimed at getting even the most reluctant veterinary practice managers and owners understanding Social Media and using it specifically to increase traffic to their website and through their door.  This lecture’s objectives can be prioritized accordingly:

1.  Make it user friendly

2.  Make sure the attendees walk out knowing what their next step is and how to do it.

3.  Make it interesting and make it fun.

For more information on the lecture, the speakers and the locations of the lecture click here.  I can’t urge you enough to attend.  Of the many continuing education events available to you this year, none is more sharply focused on how to specifically help you succeed.