Every marketer online will tell you that, as a vet practice, you need to be on social media.

Now, I don’t know about you, but my personal social media feed looks like a strange blend of class reunion and awkward Thanksgiving dinner. My friends are posting pictures of engagements, weddings, and their kids. That girl I knew in school is vacationing on a beach again. My grandparents are ranting about politics. And don’t forget memes!

What good is any of this to a veterinary practice? Do you really need a social presence?

The short answer to both of these is yes. 4.9 billion people worldwide are on social media.

While memes and political spats might not have much to do with your veterinary practice, there’s something bigger underneath all that noise. In its ideal form, social media is all about relationships. And that’s something that every successful practice should cultivate with its clients. It doesn’t matter whether you prefer Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or whatever else, as long as you’re using it to create and maintain relationships.

Social media is where your clients are spending their digital lives (and lots of their real lives), and to consistently stay in your clients’ minds, you actually do need to be there engaging with them.

A good social presence = free word-of-mouth advertising

It’s the oldest form of advertising, and it’s still incredibly important. We talk to veterinary practices every day who rely on word of mouth to bring new clients into their clinics. But nowadays, word of mouth is more like word of keyboard.

75% of people admit to purchasing something because they saw it advertised on social media. An appointment for your pet is no different! Facebook can even detect when someone is asking their friends for a recommendation. That’s the kind of opportunity you don’t want to miss.

If one of your clients tags your practice in a situation like this, you can jump in and immediately start welcoming a new pet owner to your practice. That kind of responsiveness will give you an edge and help you start building a new relationship. It’s an indispensable tool, especially when you’re trying to sell an experience that most people see as a necessity, not a desire.

Social media = free appointment reminders

Even if you have automated appointment reminders, you can still get more value out of social media. The name of the game is staying at top of mind, and engaging with pet owners so they return regularly in two main ways.

The first way you can do this is the active route. Post, perhaps once a month, reminding people to come in. It’s not intrusive that way, and people will be less likely to get annoyed if they aren’t being constantly spammed by reminders. Many people will be more likely to reach out through social than through traditional means like a phone call or an email. 

The other way to do this is passively. Whenever you post, whatever your post, clients who follow your practice will see it. Every time they see your name, it’s a sidelong reminder that they haven’t brought their pet to the vet in a while. You don’t have to say anything direct like “schedule an appointment soon!” Just seeing your name will be enough to put the thought of scheduling in their mind.

Social media with Chckup = fully booked appointments

Inconvenience is one of the biggest barriers when scheduling an appointment. It takes time and energy - clients often have to call an office during business hours (which means they’re at work). 

With Chckup, you can turn your social media into an actual gateway to a booked appointment. Pet owners can schedule appointments with your practice directly from your social media profiles with a few clicks. They can do it all in under 2 minutes

The average veterinary practice can see a website conversion increase of 35-70%. That’s what happens when scheduling an appointment is made convenient.

At the end of the day, social is too valuable to ignore. That’s doubly true when you have a scheduling widget attached to everything you post there. Take some time to figure out the best social plan for your practice. It doesn’t need to be expansive, but without at least some form of regular social presence, you’re leaving value on the table.