Brand Integrity- Dominate Facebook Without Sacrificing Your Principles

5
Brand Integrity: Dominate Facebook Without Sacrificing Your Principles For physicians, in any industry, social media marke5ng is terrifying. Facebook makes your prac5ce vulnerable. Twi=er dissolves your prac5ce into mindless noise. Pinterest demeans your prac5ce, and Instagram distorts it. Physicians hold true and strong to the idea that social media marke5ng misrepresents, depreciates and exposes their prac5ce. The ques5on that many veterinarians face when exploring social media marke5ng becomes, “How do I keep clients informed and engaged and get new clients without becoming nonsensical noise?” It's a ques5on I get asked quite oGen as a marke5ng professional who specializes in the veterinary industry. There is palpable fear that engaging in social media marke5ng will temper, even depreciate, the veterinary brand. This is an extremely common fear, and one that I dealt with many 5mes as a social media director for Quain5es with large healthcare clientele. Exposing your brand in any health care industry is extremely daun5ng. But I am here to diffuse those fears, to literally show you how beneficial social media marke5ng can be, especially for veterinary prac5ces. You can greatly augment your brand, the exact opposite of deprecia5ng it, with proper social media marke5ng tac5cs and strategies. What To Post (What Pet Parents Want To See on Social Media) Above all, for veterinarians, social media should be use for two paramount purposes: To influence and empower pet owners. To establish that your prac5ce is the best in the valley. Those are the means to meet your end goal, increased in appointments. Here's how you do it without sacrificing your brand integrity: Empower with EducaEon Most pet parents would do anything to protect their pets and prevent them from harm. Unfortunately, ignorance is not always bliss and pet owners are inadvertently placing their pet in dangerous situa5ons more oGen than not. Here in Phoenix, that could specifically mean a fall into the pool for a young puppy, burnt paws on a hot sidewalk for an ac5ve adult canine, or dehydra5on in the summer heat. Many pet owners simply aren't aware of the health concerns that come along with owning a pet. But your prac5ce has the unique opportunity to educate those parents and empower them to make the right choices for their pets. Author: Kandice Linwright VeterinaryMarkeEngAZ.com

Transcript of Brand Integrity- Dominate Facebook Without Sacrificing Your Principles

Brand  Integrity:  Dominate  Facebook  Without  Sacrificing  

Your  Principles  

For  physicians,   in   any   industry,   social  media  marke5ng  is  terrifying.  Facebook  makes  your  prac5ce   vulnerable.   Twi=er   dissolves   your  prac5ce   into   mindless   noise.   Pinterest  demeans   your   prac5ce,   and   Instagram  distorts  it.    Physicians   hold   true   and   strong   to   the   idea  that   social   media   marke5ng   misrepresents,  depreciates  and  exposes  their  prac5ce.    The   ques5on   that   many   veterinarians   face  when   exploring   social   media   marke5ng  becomes,   “How   do   I   keep   clients   informed  and   engaged   and   get   new   clients   without  becoming  nonsensical  noise?”    It's   a   ques5on   I   get   asked   quite   oGen   as   a  marke5ng  professional  who  specializes  in  the  veterinary   industry.   There   is   palpable   fear  that  engaging   in   social  media  marke5ng  will  temper,   even   depreciate,   the   veterinary  brand.   This   is   an   extremely   common   fear,  and   one   that   I   dealt   with   many   5mes   as   a  social  media  director  for  Quain5es  with  large  healthcare   clientele.   Exposing   your   brand   in  any   health   care   industry   is   extremely  daun5ng.    But   I   am   here   to   diffuse   those   fears,   to  literally   show   you   how   beneficial   social  media   marke5ng   can   be,   especially   for  veterinary  prac5ces.    You   can   greatly   augment   your   brand,   the  exact  opposite  of  deprecia5ng  it,  with  proper  social  media  marke5ng  tac5cs  and  strategies.  

What  To  Post  (What  Pet  Parents  Want  To  See  on  Social  Media)  Above   all,   for   veterinarians,   social   media  should  be  use  for  two  paramount  purposes:      •  To  influence  and  empower  pet  owners.    •  To   establish   that   your   prac5ce   is   the  

best  in  the  valley.      Those  are  the  means  to  meet  your  end  goal,  increased   in   appointments.   Here's   how   you  do  it  without  sacrificing  your  brand  integrity:    Empower  with  EducaEon  Most   pet   parents   would   do   anything   to  protect   their   pets   and   prevent   them   from  harm.  Unfortunately,  ignorance  is  not  always  bliss   and   pet   owners   are   inadvertently  placing   their   pet   in   dangerous   situa5ons  more   oGen   than   not.   Here   in   Phoenix,   that  could  specifically  mean  a  fall  into  the  pool  for  a  young  puppy,  burnt  paws  on  a  hot  sidewalk  for  an  ac5ve  adult  canine,  or  dehydra5on   in  the  summer  heat.      Many  pet  owners  simply  aren't  aware  of  the  health   concerns   that   come   along   with  owning   a   pet.   But   your   prac5ce   has   the  unique  opportunity  to  educate  those  parents  and   empower   them   to   make   the   right  choices  for  their  pets.  

Author:  Kandice  Linwright   VeterinaryMarkeEngAZ.com  

Brand  Integrity:  Dominate  Facebook  Without  Sacrificing  

Your  Principles  

Dr.  Andy  Roark  has  the  above  Facebook  Post  Highlighted   and   Pinned   to   the   top   of   his  Facebook   Page   throughout   the   month   of  March   for   Pet   Poison   Awareness.   Dr.   Roark  has   over   140,000   Facebook   Fans   and   excels  at  providing  educaEon  to  influence  behavior.    By   empowering   your   social   media   audience  you   are   building   indelible   rela5onships  with  parents   that   can   easily   transform   into   new  clients.    Influence  with  InformaEon  Informa5on,  delivered  at   the   right  5me  and  in  the  right  way,  can  be  incredibly  powerful.  By   delivering   relevant   informa5on   at   the  most  opportune  moment,  you  can   influence  your   social   media   audience   to   take   certain  ac5ons.   Educa5ng   your   social   media   pet  parents   with   important   informa5on   is   one  thing,   but   providing   them   with   specialty,  expert,   personal   experience   informa5on  along  with  a  call  to  ac5on  can  increase  traffic  to   your   website   and   calls   for   new  appointments.    

S trateg ica l ly   publ i sh ing   spec ia l i zed  informa5on   regarding,   for   example   feline  urinary   tract   infec5on   or   canine   seasonal  allergies   along   with   an   invita5on   for   your  targeted   audience   to   schedule   an  appointment,  will  increase  your  social  media  return   on   investment   drama5cally.   It   will  also  work  to  establish  you  and  your  prac5ce  as  the  premier  resource,  the  go  to  resource,  for   pet   health   informa5on.   Essen5ally,   this  strategy  will   hope   to  establish   your  prac5ce  as  the  best  in  Arizona.  

This  Facebook  Post  from  the  North  American  Veterinary   Community   illustrates   how   to  provide  specialized  informaEon  while  inviEng  Fans   to   engage   and   parEcipate   in   the  webinar.    

Author:  Kandice  Linwright   VeterinaryMarkeEngAZ.com  

Brand  Integrity:  Dominate  Facebook  Without  Sacrificing  

Your  Principles  

Engage  with  Fun  Every   Phoenix   veterinarian   that   I   have  worked  with  in  the  past  struggles  to  walk  the  l ine   on   social   media   between   s5ff  professionalism  and  just  plain  silliness.  There  is  not  one  single  veterinarian   in   the  state  of  Arizona,   or   around   the   na5on   for   that  ma=er,   who   wants   their   brand   integrity   to  be  diminished  because  of  a  silly  social  media  post.      Of   course,   that's   the   last   thing   we   at  Veterinary   Marke5ng   AZ   want   as   well.  Veterinary   prac5ce’s   are   able   to   post  trending  images,  fun  pet  videos  and  popular  pet-­‐related   links  while   s5ll  maintaining   their  brand  integrity.  

Dr.  Karen  Becker,  who  has  just  under  500,000  Facebook  Fans,  occasionally  posts   these  silly  images  and  videos  because   it  appeals  to  her  core   audience.   However,   Dr.   Becker   only  publishes  these  types  of  status  updates  once  in   a   blue   moon   so   as   not   to   devalue   her  brand   and   her   credibility   as   an   expert   in  veterinary  medicine.  

The   key   is   not   to   post   these   silly   status  updates  all   the  5me.  The   fun  post  must   s5ll  be   completely   relevant   to   your   brand  message   and   your   veterinary   prac5ce,   as  well   as   your   target   audience.   The   silly   post  s5ll   needs   to   align   with   your   overall   brand  mission.      There  will  come  a  5me  when  you  will  have  to  loosen  your  5e  a  bit  and  allow  for  some  silly  posts:   simply   because   your   target   audience  craves  it.  But  you  can  be  smart  about  it.    Invite  with  InspiraEon  Pet  parents,  just  like  kid  parents,  adore  posts  that  fill  them  with  emo5on  and  inspire  them.    

Lifecare   Animal   Hospital   is   a   client   of   ours  who  has  seen  dramaEc  growth  in  terms  of  in-­‐office   appo in tment s ,   soc ia l   med ia  engagement   and   overall   brand   awareness.  Here   we   use   an   emoEonal   quote   with  matching   image   to   inspire   pet   parents   to  consider   adopEng   a   senior   pet   for   Adopt   a  Senior  Pet  Month.  

Author:  Kandice  Linwright   VeterinaryMarkeEngAZ.com  

Brand  Integrity:  Dominate  Facebook  Without  Sacrificing  

Your  Principles  

You  can  use  that  emo5on  to  mo5vate  ac5on.  You   can   inspire   your   social   media   audience  to   donate   to   a   local   pet   charity,   a=end   a  local   event   or   s imply   schedule   an  appointment   to   have   their   pet   spayed   or  neutered.    How  to  Depreciate  Your  Brand  through  Social  Media    Now,  of   course   there  are  prac5ces   that   you  can   do   on   social   media   that   will   absolutely  tarnish   and   diminish   your   brand   and   your  veterinary  prac5ce  integrity.  Just  as  there  are  certain  strategies  in  search  engine  marke5ng  that   you   try   to   avoid   at   all   costs,   known   as  Black  Hat   SEO,   there   are   strategies   in   social  media   marke5ng   that   you   need   to   avoid.  Avoid   the   strategies   below   to   prevent   your  brand   integrity   from   becoming   diminished  on  social  media:    Inconsistent  PosEng  Consistency   builds   credibility   and   trust  with  your   audience.   There   are   numerous   social  media  experts  who  will   tell  you  exactly  how  many  5mes  to  post  per  day  and  at  what  5me  throughout  the  day  to  post.  The  best  advice  that   I   can   give   you   on   this   front   is   to   be  consistent  with  your  posts.   If   you  choose   to  post   twice   a   day,   you   need   to   consistently  post  twice  a  day  forever.        

Memes  and  Cat  Videos  A   few   months   back   Facebook   updated   its  algorithm   to   essen5ally   penalize   those  Facebook   pages   that   repeatedly   posted  annoying   memes   and   irrelevant   videos   and  images.  If  you  are  pos5ng  more  than  one  silly  photo,   video,   or   link   per   day   you   are   doing  your   brand   and   injus5ce,   and   ul5mately  Facebook  will  penalize  you.    Duplicate  Posts  on  MulEple  Facebook  Pages  Just  as  with  veterinary  SEO,  you  do  not  want  duplicate   content   on   your   website   or  Facebook   page.   When   researching   a   social  media   marke5ng   company   to   manage   your  veterinary   accounts   for   you,   do   your  homework   and   make   absolutely   sure   that  the   post   that   go   up   on   your   page   will   be  unique   and   specialized   to   your   prac5ce   and  your  audience.      If  your  Facebook  page  is  publishing  the  same  posts,   at   the   exact   same   5me   (essen5ally  autoposts   from   marke5ng   companies  managing  many  Facebook  Pages  at  once)  as  other   Facebook   Pages,   you   might   as   well  shut  it  all  down.    This   strategy,   oGen   used   to   save   5me   for  marke5ng   companies,   tells   Facebook   that  you   are   using   a   ‘bot’   to   manage   your  Facebook   Page   and   that   you   are   not  interested   in   the   reality   of   Facebook  Marke5ng.   Facebook  will   flag   your   account,  limit   your   Reach,   and   virtually   dissolve   your  page.      

Author:  Kandice  Linwright   VeterinaryMarkeEngAZ.com  

Brand  Integrity:  Dominate  Facebook  Without  Sacrificing  

Your  Principles  

Below   we   have   an   example   of   five   local,  Arizona   veterinary   Facebook   Pages  who   are  clearly   all   managed   by   the   same  markeEng  firm.  Below  you  see  an  exact  screenshot  from  what  any  pet  parent  might  see  on  their  News  Feed  if  they  followed  all  five,  or  any  number,  of   these   parEcular   Facebook   Pages.   They’d  see   unoriginal,   analogues   status   updates  that  devalue  each  brand.      

Boring,  Predictable  Posts  Your   veterinary   brand   needs   to   be   unique  and  relevant  at  all  5mes.  Publishing  the  same  types   of   posts   over   and   over,  whether   they  are  link  posts  to  veterinary  news  or  text-­‐only  posts   with   veterinary   5ps,   no   ma=er   how  informa5ve   or   educa5onal   they   might   be,  will   decline   your   overall   Reach   and   will  alienate  your  target  audience.      Secure  Your  Brand’s  Digital  Presence  I   can’t   stress   enough   how   indispensable  social   media   marke5ng   is   for   veterinarians.  It’s   5me   you   took   Facebook,   Twi=er,  Pinterest   and   Instagram   seriously   and  considered   it   as   a   winning-­‐strategy   in   your  overall  marke5ng  efforts.      Veterinary   MarkeEng   AZ   provides   specialized  markeEng   and   adverEsing   for   veterinarians   and  animal  hospital  managers  in  the  state  of  Arizona.  We  are   deeply   commiYed   to   each   and   every   veterinary  pracEce  that  we  work  with,  consistently  going  above  and  beyond  the  call  of  duty  simply  because  we  thrive  on   our   client’s   happiness   and   their   business   growth.  This   commitment   to   the   veterinary   industry   is  triumphed   with   extensive   knowledge   of   markeEng  trends,   emerging   technologies,   developing   strategies  and   the   ever-­‐evolving   mediums   we   use   to   deliver  brand  messaging.    

Author:  Kandice  Linwright   VeterinaryMarkeEngAZ.com