It seems like each day there is a new social media platform that can be used to help you reach new potential clients. Optimizing resources like this opens up a whole new world of demographics for your veterinary practice. Dynamic media platforms like Instagram and TikTok give you a new way to engage with your audience better than ever before. In order to get the most out of these platforms, however, you must understand how they work and when to use them. That’s where we come in. 

Go Where the Kids Are

While it may be fun to scroll through your Facebook newsfeed and see cute animal videos and updates about your grandma’s neighbor’s lawn antics, the younger generations are ingesting their social media elsewhere. Two of the bigger platforms that are catching the attention of the youths (and keeping it) are TikTok and Instagram.

• TikTok: TikTok is a social media app used to make and share short-form video content. Soon, it will be a hub for long-form content as well. TikTok has grown to become the biggest video app since YouTube (and it just might take over) 
• Instagram Reels: Reels are Instagram’s response and competition to TikTok. While similar, reels are only 90 seconds, whereas TikToks can now be 10 minutes long. There are also a lot of copyright restrictions for sounds and music on Instagram that TikTok has figured out.
• YouTube Shorts: YouTube recently released and is pushing “shorts” to compete with TikTok. If you have a Youtube channel, this is a great way to crosspost your content and get more views. Just don’t forget to take off that TikTok watermark.

Reels are great for simple videos, but TikTok has a much more extensive set of tools for editing.

There is also an age difference; 31 percent of Instagram’s users are aged 25-34, while 25 percent of TikTok users are 10-19.

Reels and TikToks for Veterinary Marketing

Appealing to such a young crowd might seem counterintuitive when trying to find new clients who will spend money at your practice. The younger market is often overlooked when it comes to veterinary marketing. These days, however, more young people are opting to have pets instead of human children. Reaching some of TikTok’s youngest members can also inspire them to tell their parents about fun videos they viewed. TikToks and reels can:

• Give veterinarians the opportunity to reach broader AND younger audiences. Gen Z is adopting pets! It’s the perfect time to get them as clients.
• Show the more human side to a veterinary business and give your hospital personality
• Give you an easier way to post videos, which are more popular than photos. If you want more of your followers to see you organically, you have to post videos regularly.
• Provide a place for you to answer questions and be seen as an authority in your industry. There is a Q&A section of TikTok where users can ask questions and veterinarians can answer with a fun video! (Example: What plants are bad for pets?)
• Provide a location tag to enable more local users in your area to see your video.
• Obtain a platform that balances between entertaining videos and information about services.
• Utilize subtitles to increase overall SEO and make your account more visible. TikTok pulls relevancy of the video directly from hashtags, voiceover, audio, and subtitles to help categorize content. 

How to Start a TikTok

Jumping straight into a new social media marketing platform can seem scary, but we have some tips to make it more accessible:

• Use trending sounds. Hopping on “trending sounds” is a great way to get started. Using a popular sound can help boost your content in the algorithm, and it’s a simple way to start making content without having to edit too much.
• You can never go wrong with simple, silly videos of cats and dogs. It doesn’t have to be professional! TikTok users often value authenticity over quality. Cats making biscuits, stretching their beans, yawning big, etc. Just shoot, and if it’s cute, press post!
• Share interesting topics and facts about pets. What is a reverse sneeze? Can dogs eat grapes? TikTok is moving to longer-form content, which means these types of videos are going to become more popular.
• Don’t be afraid of duets and stitches! Veterinarians can react to or “duet” videos or stitch videos that have already been posted to offer insight, education, or entertainment.

Some topics people are searching for on the platform are: funny pet videos, funny dog, funny cats, cats of TikTok, cat videos, cat sounds, cat TikTok, dogs of TikTok, dog videos, dog TikTok, pets funny videos, pets of TikTok. Click here to see what’s trending.

Beyond Indigo Pets is here to help you set up new channels/accounts to increase social engagement, and get new tails through your door. We can curate dynamic branding for your multimedia posts, create short videos for publishing, and reach new audiences with these social platforms. To learn more about these and other marketing services, call (877) 244-9322 or fill out our form.