It’s hard to believe it’s time to start planning for October, but now is the time to get your veterinary social calendar sorted for the next month. Planning ahead enables you to create quality content pieces that encourage engagement. They might even help you reach a few new followers on the way. Here are some spooky and savvy veterinary social post ideas for your October calendar.

The Month of Adopt, Don’t Shop

October is not only Adopt a Dog Month and Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, but it’s also Black Cat Awareness Month, and National Pet Wellness Month. Why not make everything easy on yourself by combining these topics and creating a few different pieces of content from them? Consider doing a highlight on the dogs (and black cats) at your local shelter to help them get exposure that could get them adopted. Give some tips on wellness care for first-time pet owners, or have a special for pet owners who just adopted their furry friend from the local shelter. Not only will these topics help you fill your social media planning calendar and expand your local reach, but they’ll also do really good things for local pets in need.

These Paws Were Made for Walking

The first full week of October is National Walk Your Dog Week, and it provides the perfect opportunity to ask your followers to engage with your page by sharing photos of their walking buddies. Highlighting your followers on your page makes them feel connected to you. Building these relationships is an important element of social media marketing. It gives you a new avenue to humanize your veterinary hospital, and gives local pet owners more motivation to visit you when their pets need some medical attention. 

The Dog and Cat Days of October

Along with these pet holidays that span across the month, there are also plenty of special individual days in October. Consider using the following for ideas for your upcoming social media posts:

• Oct. 1: National Black Dog Day – Black dogs tend to be overlooked in the shelter, but you can use your social media profiles to show why they are just as deserving of a loving home as any other shelter dog.
• Oct. 4: World Animal Day –  While animals are the center of our world’s most days, October 4 gives us all an excuse to celebrate them even more. Consider making a graphic that showcases a bunch of different species—even the ones you don’t necessarily see in your practice
• Oct. 4: Kindness to Animals Day – Sometimes we all need a little reminder about how we can be our best selves for the animals in our lives. Pay homage to Kindness to Animals Day with some educational posts that teach people what animals really need to thrive.
• Oct. 9: CATober 9th – Bring out the catnip and get ready to celebrate! October is unofficially known as CATober, and it is designed to honor the cats in our lives. Create some creative cat posts for your various social media profiles to let your followers honor these quirky pets we love so very much. October 16 is also Global Cat Day for an extra dose of these feline-loving social posts.
• Oct. 11: National Pet Obesity Awareness Day – As you know, even a few extra pounds on an animal can lead to significant health problems. Take advantage of National Pet Obesity Awareness Day to help local pet owners learn how to prevent obesity in their pets.
• Oct. 20: National Fetch Day – Segue from National Pet Obesity Awareness Day to National Fetch Day by encouraging your followers to play fetch with their pets to get them moving. 
• Oct. 22: National Make a Dog’s Day – Think of this as a “yes” day for the dogs. Create some content that gives dog owners ideas for fun and safe ways to help their dogs have a truly unforgettable day. 
• Oct. 29: National Cat Day – Need we say more? Continue your celebration of the cats with even more cat-focused content to celebrate this holiday.
• Oct. 31: Halloween – With a little bit of planning, Halloween can be one of the most pet-friendly holidays of the year. It provides an incredible opportunity to make a lot of shareable content for your social media pages as well. From costume contents to pet Halloween safety blogs, the possibilities are endless when it comes to pet-focused Halloween content. 

At Beyond Indigo Pets, we understand that keeping up with your social media marketing can feel like a full-time job. That’s why we’re here with premium digital marketing services to help your veterinary hospital stand out amongst the crowd. Contact us today to learn more about how our services can work for you.