This document provides an introduction to using Facebook for veterinary practices. It discusses why Facebook is an important platform, how to set up a Facebook page for a practice, types of content to post, best practices for posting, and tips for promoting the page. The goal is to engage clients and drive them back to the practice through an active Facebook presence.

1. Welcome to Facebook 101
Jo Halliday
Lisa Robb
Lindsay Sutherland
www.petnet.co.uk

2. Tonight’s webinar
7.30pm – 8.30pm
• Housekeeping
• Little bit of background
• Facebook session
• Questions
www.petnet.co.uk

3. Housekeeping
• Prompt start & finish
• You will not be able to speak but please do
message throughout
• We will do our best to answer at the relevant
point or in the summary at the end
• We will mail out link to presentation
www.petnet.co.uk

4. We talk to pet owners all the time
PetNet is the digital place for trusted advice, fun & tips for those
who love cats & dogs.
A “Mums Net” for pet owners. Working with professional partners
such as BVA & APBC.
www.petnet.co.uk

5. They are looking for information from you
• 86% search for pet health advice online
• 22K monthly searches on dog health
returns 716M Google searches
• 25% do so monthly, but they only visit
their vet every 4-6 months
www.petnet.co.uk

6. Engaging with pet owners
• Your digital plans are key to
engagement between visits
• Measure everything
• Tonight is about practical steps
you can take on Facebook, other
areas can be covered in future
www.petnet.co.uk

7. Why bother with Facebook anyway?
Just some quick stats from here in the UK……
Total Facebook
33,713,560
Users
Position in the
Sixth
global list
Penetration of
54.07%
population
Penetration of
65.54%
online population
www.petnet.co.uk

8. But what can it actually do for me?
• It’s expected - consumers expect to have one-
to-one conversations with people they ‘do
business’ with, when and where it suits them.
• Build loyalty and awareness, keeping you &
your practice front of mind
• Allows you to drive clients back into the
practice
• Encourages people to spend more on different
services i.e. preventative etc.
www.petnet.co.uk

9. So how do I get started?
• Go to https://www.facebook.com/pages & click on the ‘Create
a Page’ button
• Choose:
• Then complete your contact details for the practice
www.petnet.co.uk

10. The next steps are personalisation
Add a profile pic, Write a brief overview Choose your cover
ideally this should be of your practice picture
your practice logo
Once you have 25 likes on the page claim your pages username – don’t forget to do this BUT
keep it short, a long page name makes it difficult for others to tag you!
www.petnet.co.uk

11. A little bit more about the cover picture
• This is really important and can really make your page stand out so
make it work for you
• Practical info: cover photo size 851x315 pixels. (A good free photo-
editing tool is Gimp – you can resize images and add text)
• But what can you use it for?
– Feature a fan or photo of the month
– A new promotion
– A highlight of another feature
• Be careful! There re strict rules on
what you can include - for all the
details check out Facebook’s rules.
www.petnet.co.uk

12. Setting up tabs
• The tabs can take you to other interesting features.
• These could be free Facebook Apps (Pinterest for example)
• Definitely consider
a link to your
website
• Or maybe an Email
sign up form?
www.petnet.co.uk

13. Setting up your timeline
• Make sure you give your clients your ‘history’
• Add “Milestones” - go back and add important
calendar events to your timeline i.e. when you
opened, new branch opening
www.petnet.co.uk

14. Getting started – think first!
• Think about what you want to say, it’s not just fun it’s an
important channel to get your messages out to your
clients:
• Make a plan for the next
8 weeks (ideally) and aim to
put 2 key messages per week
in your plan that are specifically
about your practice &
your business.
www.petnet.co.uk

15. What else can I put in there?
• You need to ‘beef’ up your content & a good blend of
will work with your audience:
www.petnet.co.uk

16. Where do I find this content?
• Set up Google Alerts
• Follow other Facebook pages
for:
– Big brands in the pet world
– Pet Charities
– other pages in your local area
(groomers, kennels, catteries
etc.)
• Sign up for our e-news!
www.petnet.co.uk

17. What if I want to share someone else’s content?
• The un-written rules of Social Media
– Always give credit where credit is due
– Sharing is good
– Celebrating other
people’s success
is also good (it’s
not all about you!)
• Just remember to
credit it!
www.petnet.co.uk

18. Should I always use a picture in my post?
• If it works for your post, then yes, we are lucky
to work in a world of cute!
• Pictures create a ‘double whammy’
• Pictures can be your post – caption
competition for example
• Share pictures from the community – always a
winner!
www.petnet.co.uk

19. So what are good post ideas?
• Pet of the week – chosen from the pictures
uploaded to your page
• Questions & fill in the blank
• Today in practice
• Facts and stats – particularly preventative
• In your area – share what’s going on
www.petnet.co.uk

20. Making the most of your posts
• Pinned posts • Highlighted Posts:
www.petnet.co.uk

21. What is post ‘best practice’?
• If a picture works for your post, then use it -
– Pictures create a ‘double whammy’
– They ‘appear’ to be favoured in the Facebook
algorithm
• Keep posts as short as possible and break up
text with line spaces
• Shorten links using something like bit.ly
• If you are sending traffic to your website –
track the URL
www.petnet.co.uk

22. How often should I post?
• Ideally you should look to post at least
once per day but twice if possible (don’t
forget the weekends!)
• You can schedule
posts in advance
• Peak times tend to be lunchtime and
early evening
www.petnet.co.uk

23. What else should I do on the page?
• Community management:
– Check on your own posts and ensure you answer
any questions that may have raised
– Make sure you answer any questions or posts on
your wall
– Engage with users who post pictures – ‘oh what a
cutie’!
– Don’t forget to check your messages
• Pages over 500 ‘likes’ can use offers
www.petnet.co.uk

24. Promoted Posts
• Appears in the
news feed
• Has a ‘call to action’
for the page
www.petnet.co.uk

25. Sponsored Stories
• Appears in the news
feed but is just
shown as a post
www.petnet.co.uk

26. Facebook Advertising
• More traditional and
obvious
• Easy to target
– Interest
– Location
– Gender
– Age etc
www.petnet.co.uk

27. Telling people in the real world!
• Don’t forget to tell clients you are on
Facebook , key messages:
– It’s an easy way to keep in touch
– Don’t miss out on latest offers
– We love to know what you’re up to share pics!
• How?
– Waiting room displays
– On leaflets, invoices, website etc.
www.petnet.co.uk

28. Measuring Success
• Why doesn’t everyone see my posts?
• Use Facebook Insights
• Track traffic in Google Analytics
www.petnet.co.uk

29. Do I have to do this all myself?
• No!
– Obviously you can if you’d want to but often it’s
good to get the head nurse or practice
manager/head receptionist involved
– Remember:
• They are talking on your behalf so you must trust them
to get the tone right
• However, they should have time ‘on the ground’ to take
pictures and see what is going on in practice that they
can share
www.petnet.co.uk

30. Any other questions?
E mail: info@petnet.co.uk
If you are interested in boosting your online
reputation & profile through a listing in the PetNet
“Local” directory please get in contact to find out
more details : lindsay@petnet.co.uk
www.petnet.co.uk