Must-Know Social Media Tools
Veterinary social media can be a science of its own. Luckily, there are countless tools out there to help you succeed. Throughout VMD Technology, we have introduced some great tools – like our Guide to Evernote and Photo Editing App Tips – that can be leveraged to keep your social media organized.
The following list of techy tools will help you bring your veterinary social media to the next level.
QuickTap Survey
Finding out where your veterinary clients spend time on social media is the first step to any smart strategy.
The QuickTap Survey App for tablets (available for both iPad and Android tablets) allows veterinary teams to create waiting room surveys with ease.
How does the app work?
Set up an account on the website.
Design a survey on the website, making sure to ask specifics about which social media platforms your clients use.
Download the app onto your veterinary hospital’s tablet.
Upload the survey onto your tablet.
Pass the tablet out to any clients, new or current, during check-in.
Check the QuickTap website to tracks results live.
I love this app because it automatically tallies the survey results and the interface is very easy to use. I have found that clients of all ages are able to complete the surveys with ease. Even better? If you’re just running one survey on one tablet, the app is free.
Buffer App
After determining which social media platform(s) your veterinary practice should focus on, you need develop a plan to get your posts out there.
Buffer App, which comes as a smartphone app, Google Chrome extension, and a web app – is a great tool to help you do just that.
Keeping your clinic’s social media organized can be tricky, but Buffer App allows you to:
Schedule posts for hours when your veterinary hospital is closed.
Gather analytics to learn what your clients enjoy seeing on social media.
Utilize link-tracking to find out which posts are helping you drive website traffic.
Easily share content from others when you need some quality filler between your original content.
You can connect Buffer App to Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, making it easy to schedule posts on all of the most-used platforms. Just remember, while scheduling ahead can make social media easier to manage, you should always be responsive in real-time.
Oh and this tool is free if you’re managing a single account, so try it today!
MiniWebTool.com Random Picker
Giving away prizes can be a fun way to get your veterinary clients to interact with your posts and engage the local online community that surrounds your practice.
Random Picker is my favorite website for choosing those winners in a simple, but fair, manner.
Some ways to use this tool are:
Have clients comment on a Facebook post about how they get their dog to take their heartworm preventative for a chance to win a year’s supply of prevention. Use Random Picker to enter the names of all of the clients who entered, then select a winner.
Ask clients on Twitter to RT – or “re-tweet” – a tweet for a chance to win a gift certificate to your practice. Put all of the Twitter handles of re-tweeters into Random Picker. Boom – you have a winner, fair & square.
The Random Picker is a free tool, so test it out the next time your veterinary hospital is running a social media contest.
Snout School’s Free Training Videos
If you’re ready to bring your veterinary hospital’s social media to the next level, this free video training is an awesome tool to help get you there.
I’ve developed it based on 3 years of managing my veterinary hospital’s social media, so it’s based on experiences that your practice can relate to.
What will this training teach you?
COURSE 1: Three Social Media Mistakes Vet Hospitals Make… And How to Fix Them!
There are a few common errors that veterinarians make on social media. Be sure you’re not making them and learn more effective alternatives.
COURSE 2: Increasing Veterinary Visits Using Social Media.
The Bayer Veterinary Care Usage Study found that veterinary hospitals that were using social media saw an increase in visits. Get my best tips to help you see an increase in your practice!
COURSE 3: Facebook Ads Basics.
As Facebook moves towards making their platform a “pay to play” system for businesses, understanding ads is becoming more and more important. Avoid wasting money and effort on ineffective advertising and learn the basics of boosting posts, getting more “likes”, and running ad campaigns.
All of the courses in this veterinary social media t raining are completely free and available on-demand, so you can start learning now at SnoutSchool.com/training.
When it comes to social media, there are tools galore that your veterinary practice can use. QuickTap Survey App, BufferApp.com, the Random Picker, and my free Snout School video training are great tools to get you going.
What’s your favorite app for enhancing your clinic’s social media presence?
About the Author
Danielle K. Lambert is a social media coach and founder of SNOUTSchool.com, the only social media tutorial site created by a veterinary professional, for veterinary professionals. Danielle bases her coaching on experience gathered as a veterinary practice manager at Quinebaug Valley Veterinary Hospital in Danielson, CT. In her spare time, she enjoys taking too many iPhone photos of her Brussels Griffon, Archer, and screaming at Tom Brady every Sunday. You can find Danielle on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn (Archer, however, prefers Instagram).
