I don’t think any veterinary practice could have foreseen the need for daily to weekly posts to platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and now Pinterest a few short years ago. Throw in my favorite—blogging—along with your already fulltime job as a practice manager and you might be feeling more than a little overwhelmed. Continue reading
We’re taking social to a new level—-well, a new coast to be more specific! If you’re in the southern California area anytime between January 31st and February 10th, 2013, then you’re in luck! You’ve got two major veterinary educational events taking place in San Diego, starting with Continue reading
Armed with my iPad, I blogged my opinion about veterinary blogging a few days ago, in response to a colleague’s statement that veterinarians shouldn’t be allowed to blog. I saw a wide variety of veterinary professionals chime in to share their experiences and offer great advice. Between the dvm360 community boards, Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and the comments on this blog, I saw the coming together of like-minded individuals who all had an interest in veterinarians and blogging—–that’s an engaged community! Isn’t that what we’re all aiming for when we use social media tools and write blog posts? Do veterinarians really need to think bigger than blogging? Continue reading
I may not be a veterinarian, and I certainly don’t consider myself a marketing maven, BUT if the dark-rimmed glasses (purple, by the way) and iPad identify me as a blogger in the veterinary profession, then I’m guilty as charged. I also happen to be a practice manager, practice consultant, author, speaker and…..in general, a very busy person. Why do I blog, and why do I recommend that my colleagues in the veterinary profession blog? It’s simple—-blogging and social media tools bring people together. They connect people who love their pets with those who have information about pets. If veterinarians and veterinary hospitals aren’t blogging, then who is generating the content being found on the Internet? Stop and think about that before you answer. Who should be writing the pet health content on the Internet, if veterinarians shouldn’t be allowed to blog? Continue reading
Last week, I was in Chicago for the majority of my work week. As I find myself traveling more and more for work, I’ve had to look for more effective ways to perform my day-to-day duties, including managing our practice’s social media presence from “the road”. Recently, Facebook launched a new app called Pages. This app was designed with the business page administrator in mind. Continue reading
The Social Media Fab Four are about to hit the road once again! In August, join Bash Halow, Brie Messier, Phil Barnes (and me!) for a full day, hands-on social media workshop that is designed to take your veterinary practice’s marketing and client communication efforts to a whole new level. Continue reading
On the road again….it seems like I just got home from a whirlwind trip to Sacramento and Reno in less than 48 hours, just last week. Oh yes, that was just last week! Here I am on the road again, and I find myself in Washington, DC attending BlogPaws 2011. This is my third BlogPaws experience and this time, I am a speaker and panel member for the VetTrack. This trip began with a call from United airlines canceling my flight as I was driving to the airport….not a good start to anyone’s travel plans. Their solution was to get me to my destination a day late….which doesn’t work when you are scheduled to speak first thing in the morning! Continue reading
This blog has been on the back-burner for longer than I had hoped, but I’m happy to say that “I’m back!” after finishing up with the release of my new book, Social Media for Veterinary Professionals: Online Community, Reputation, and Brand Management. If you’re in the veterinary industry, and interested in how you can use social media to benefit you and/or your practice, I hope you’ll read my book. It was a year in the making, but my journey of experimentation and learning about social media has actually been on-going for more than three years now. For an independent online review, please see Dr. Janet Tobiassen’s blog at About.com. Continue reading
If you ask any Practice Manager or Office Manager what the number one internal (staff) problem they have in their practice is, most will quickly say “gossip”! This is not a problem unique to just veterinary practices….it’s human nature to want to connect with other people. Unfortunately, this desire to connect with one another can spiral into gossip.
What is gossip? Formal definitions include:
The world is buzzing with “social media marketing” as the next big thing for direct marketing and advertising. But, what is social media marketing and how does it relate to your veterinary practice?
Social media is a way to interact with your existing and potential clients. There are all kinds of social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and blogging to name a few. Most social media is FREE and easy to use, with little to no experience or instruction. Continue reading
