May 12th, 2011
Once thought of as a fad, Facebook can no longer be ignored by businesses, even veterinary ones. Many veterinary practices are now online with a spiffy web site, and that is a great first step. Adding a Facebook page as another way to connect with clients is the logical next step.
Nuts and Bolts: Getting started on Facebook
1) Sign up on Facebook – You need to have a ‘personal profile’ page first, even if you do not intend to be on Facebook as an individual. You will be prompted to create a login at the very first stop: www.Facebook.com.
Many people I have talked to at clinics protest “ugh I don’t want to be on Facebook!” Not to worry – your personal profile page is not publicly connected to your business page. You do not have to do anything with it if you do not want to. Be sure to go to Account > privacy settings to maximize your privacy.
2) Set up a Facebook Fan Page – This is a separate page from your personal profile! It is easy to confuse the two. A fan page is public. Viewers do not have to be signed up on Facebook to see what you have to say. Viewers “like” fan pages. In contrast, people must request to be your “friend” and you must approve that request before they can access your personal profile page. (Your privacy settings will dictate what viewers can see publicly).
Here is where go to set up a Facebook fan page.
3) Customize your page – Now the fun begins. Facebook has some prompts for importing your contacts and promoting your page, but I like to click on the “edit page” button at the upper right. Here you will find several categories to fine-tune the look and function of your page.
First stop should be the Profile Picture. Browse on your computer to find a clear photo of yourself, your logo, or clinic photo, and upload. There are also tips and tricks if you are feeling creative with the profile photo space.
Be sure to fill in address, phone, and all other traditional ways for people to contact your practice.
4) Get posting - This is the most intimidating part for many people. What should we say? How do we post stuff?
Thankfully, Facebook makes it easy to share content with your viewers. Start by copy/pasting a link of a page from your blog or a site with information relevant to your viewers into the “write something” box at the top of the page. Facebook automatically pulls in an image (if there is one) and the text from the article and !viola! a nice easy post – just need to press the “share” button.
Posting photos (and videos) is also easy – click on Photo > browse > upload, add a comment and ”share.”
I believe strongly in having your own web site/blog first. Putting all of your photos, posts, and practice content into one basket – Facebook – is bad if Facebook goes away or for some reason your page goes away. On the other hand, Facebook makes sharing photos and videos very easy.
There are tools to automatically connect your site and Facebook, which is a nice way to cross-promote and have the best of both worlds.
5) How to find inspiration – Post a pet of the day photo (with owner permission), a behind-the-scenes photo of staff hard at work, or an interesting case. Invite your viewers to post their own pet photos.
By “liking” other pages of interest, you may find pet information that will benefit your viewers. Simply copy the URL, and paste it in the “write something” box. Find stories in your local newspaper or using online tools such as Google Alerts to notify you of topics that would be a good fit for your page.
6) Fans find you, spread the word – Tell your friends and clients about your new page. Once you reach 25 ” likes,” you can claim your own URL, for example www.Facebook.com/YourPracticeName. Each time a fan likes or comments on something on your page, it shows up on their page, letting more people know about your page and what you are up to.
For more information
This is a very quick guide for the mechanics of how to set up a page. To learn more about Facebook etiquette and social media policies specific to a veterinary practice, I highly recommend Social Media for Veterinary Professionals by veterinary practice manager Brenda Tassava CVPM CVJ as a great primer on this topic.
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Janet Tobiassen Crosby DVM never planned to be a writer. She wanted to be a veterinarian from the moment she learned such a job existed - sometime during the first grade, when she accompanied her mom to the vet with a sick cat. Janet "adopted" all the neighborhood cats, and at age 11 she started training her first dog, a newly adopted rescue Collie. At age 12, she joined a dog obedience 4-H club and was active through high school as a member and as a junior leader.
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