Proceedings: Atlantic Coast Veterinary Conference 2010, Kelly Baltzell
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Reference 1.
Social Media Marketing 2.0 for Your Veterinary Practice
Atlantic Coast Veterinary Conference 2012
Phillip Barnes
NorthStar VETS, Robbinsville, NJ
23803401
Objectives of the Presentation

Why social media? An industry SWOT analysis

Before you engage in social media marketing:

Know the importance of strategic marketing planning

Take stock of your current tactics through data analysis

Blend social media into your integrated, multichannel approach

Drive actual business results

Listen to the conversation first

Join the conversation and add relevance

Have some fun!

Establish yourself as a thought leader through content curation

Develop a content marketing strategy that doesn't quit
Overview of the Issue
For the past few years, you've been told that you need to be involved in social media marketing or you'll miss out. This lecture is designed to leave you with a solid background of what the leading experts are actually doing, tailored for your specific industry, and it will improve your understanding of how to properly approach social media in a way that makes sense for your business and your audience.
Summary
Strength: Veterinarians who speak, write, and can use a computer are already equipped for success.

39% of pet owners research veterinarians online before calling (Brakke Consulting).

Veterinarians who consistently spend time putting relevant content online are more likely to be found.

Posting content is one of the least expensive ways to connect with the right people at the right time.
Weakness: Word-of-mouth marketing and traditional marketing models alone are less effective today.

95% of consumers no longer trust advertising messages (Alterian).

35% of consumers regard companies using social media as "genuinely interested in them" (Alterian).

Today, veterinary practices contend with reviews that live forever on sites like Yahoo!, Google, Yelp, and others.
Opportunity: Pet owners are more likely to use social media than the average person.

Cat owners are 31% and dog owners are 15% more likely to use social media than the average adult (Nicholson Kovac).

1-in-10 pets have their own social media profiles (UK Study).
Threat: Veterinary visits are trending down, and they have been for some time.

56% of veterinarians reported fewer visits in 2010 than in 2009 (NCVEI Study).

Six factors affect the decline in veterinary visits:

Misperceptions regarding the necessity of exams

Fragmentation of services

Cost of care

Declining incomes and unemployment

The Internet

Feline resistance
Before You Engage In Social Media Marketing

Know the importance of strategic marketing planning

Can you say what your strategy is? The Hierarchy of Corporate Statements (Harvard Business Review)

Mission: Why we exist

Values: What we believe in and how we will behave

Vision: What we want to be

Strategy: What our competitive game plan will be

Objective = Ends

Scope = Domain

Advantage = Means

Take stock of your current tactics through data analysis by measuring these 6 attributes of your marketing campaigns:

Cost of campaign

Number of new patients

Cost per new patient

Revenue

Average revenue

Return on investment

Example 1: Newspaper ad

$800 ad

5 new patients

$160 spent per new patient

$900 in revenue

$180 in average revenue

113% ROI

Example 2: Postcard mailing

$1,000 list/printing/postage

6 new patients

$167 spent per new patient

$1,700 in revenue

$283 in average revenue

170% ROI

Blend social media into your integrated, multichannel approach.
Figure. Social media hub and spoke model
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Source: Marketing Sherpa |
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Drive Actual Business Results

Listen to the conversation first

Where are your customers and future customers (on- and offline)?

TweetDeck

Google alerts

Pet and veterinary forums

Lobby surveys

Face-to-face discussions

Ask your receptionists about common conversations

What topics interest them? How passionate are they?

Join the conversation and add relevance

Add value by addressing major problems/complaints/issues facing the group (avoiding talking about yourself)

Connect with one or two people and build a relationship

Start initiating your own posts and offer your solutions that genuinely help the group

Have some fun!

Many pet owners
love to share photos of their pets and tell their pets' stories; give them that opportunity

Create themes for this (summer fun, Halloween pet costumes, pet talents, etc)

Engage with these contributions

Share stories from your own team

Establish yourself as a thought leader through content curation

Collect articles and lectures your team has already created

Go through your FAQ page

Interview your team members who have special interests, experience, and knowledge

What is currently in the news or external but relevant information about which your audience cares?

Group like content together by topic, season, or sequence

Assign topics throughout the year to fill the calendar

Repurpose content across different channels

Blog

Facebook

Twitter

YouTube

Web pages

Everywhere!

Develop a content marketing strategy that doesn't quit

Ensure that your content reflects your overall strategy and goals

Spend time planning and preparing before going online

Keep measuring and tweaking as you go

Connect with us
Speaker Information
(click the speaker's name to view other papers and abstracts submitted by this speaker)
Phillip Barnes
NorthStar VETS
Robbinsville, NJ
Another paper by Philip Barnes
Conquer Your Fear of Veterinary Social Media Marketing
Atlantic Coast Veterinary Conference 2012
Phillip Barnes
NorthStar VETS, Robbinsville, NJ
23803365
Objectives of the Presentation
Find solutions to the top 5 fears:
1. How will I handle negative feedback?
2. How do I properly use social media?
3. What resources do I need to dedicate to using this medium?
4. What will I say?
5. How will I know my return on investment?
How to socialize your veterinary practice.
Overview of the Issue
Many veterinarians, practice owners, and veterinary marketers are hesitant to jump into social media due to a fear of the unknown. How do we get started? How will we manage it? Will it work? The answers to these questions can be answered simply and will empower practices to begin using these tools with confidence.
Summary
1. Handle Negative Feedback
a. Reviews are everywhere online, from Citysearch to Yelp to Google. Some are anonymous while others are not.
b. Know what is being said about your practice and your veterinarians through regular Google searches.
c. Anecdotally, negative reviews are a very small percentage of total online comments.
d. Address a negative post or review tactfully.
i. Acknowledge that you've heard their concern.
ii. Express your interest in hearing their story or making things right for them.
iii. Offer to speak with them offline (provide your phone number and/or email address).
iv. Allow others to come to your rescue and handle negative feedback if they choose.
v. Do not whitewash your page. Leave negative posts unless they are abusive or offensive.
2. Learn How to Properly Use Social Media
a. Whether you outsource, delegate, or own your social media efforts, educate yourself on what's out there and how it works (Google "Twitter training").
b. Use each social networking site's own help section.
c. Ask someone to show you.
3. Dedicate Adequate Resources to Using This Medium
a. Time
i. Carve time out for yourself to manage social media.
ii. Delegate to a team member you trust (have a social media policy).
iii. Outsource to a marketing company with experience helping veterinary practices that will work with you personally.
iv. Use automation tools, like SocialOomph, to manage your time.
b. Money
i. Increase your marketing budget to allow for social media.
ii. Shift funds from other efforts, such as newspaper ads, into social media.
iii. You may consider employees' time spent on managing social media as part of its cost.
4. Decide What to Say
a. What's new at your practice?
b. What relevant topics are trending now?
c. What's in the news (extreme weather, recalls, pet holidays, pet issues, upcoming events, industry news)?
d. Ask questions, post polls, and host discussions.
e. Reward them for connecting with you via contests, prizes, and offers.
f. Spotlight clients or other pet-related businesses (like groomers).
5. Know Your Return on Investment
a. Set clear goals
b. Track your results
c. Know these 6 important campaign metrics
i. Cost of campaign
ii. Number of new patients
iii. Cost per new patient (cost of campaign divided by number of new patients)
iv. Revenue
v. Average revenue (total revenue divided by number of new patients)
vi. Return on investment (total revenue divided by cost of campaign, expressed as a percent)
vii. Example:
a) Technician spends 8 hours per month on social media at $12 per hour
b) Cost of campaign: $96
c) Number of new patients: 2
d) Money spent to acquire each new patient: $48
e) Total revenue: $180
f) Average revenue: $90
g) Return on investment: 188%
Socialize Your Veterinary Practice

Strengthen your relationships with your clients.

Bring "word-of-mouth" online to help grow your practice.

Improve your opportunities to educate pet owners and increase compliance.

Be where your (potential) clients already are.

Control your own business marketing.
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Leading the Way
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NorthStar VETS proudly provides emergency veterinarians, board-certified surgeons and internists 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year throughout the New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia, and Delaware region to ensure that pets get the care they deserve.
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