The Burning Questions We Received at VMX

The morning seemed calm enough—people camped out in front of the exhibit hall doors with their morning bagel and coffee. It was a peaceful scene, and not unusual for the first day of the Veterinary Meeting & Expo (VMX). 

Then, insanity hit. 

What were people streaming into the hall looking to find? What were vendors asking when they had a moment to talk to one another? Within moments of the doors opening, we were peppered with questions from industry vendors and attendees from corporate-owned hospitals, independent hospitals, and everything in between.

What People Wanted to Know

At one of the most populated VMX conventions we’ve ever attended, people had a lot of questions about their digital marketing, specifically within the realm of social media. Some of the most frequently asked were:

• What’s new in social marketing?
• What’s trending (with social marketing)?
• How often should I post?
• How do I get followers?
• Should a large animal practice do social media and additional digital marketing?
• Is it okay for ER practices to have social media?
• What is a reel?
• Should we use TikTok?

The volume of the questions we received was unprecedented. In years past, social media fell into the “yada yada” category of “I guess we will do it, but ‘meh.’” Now there is real interest, which we find compelling.

Personal Social Media Pages

Another item that came up was a discussion of how people use their personal social media to find information. For example, team members of Beyond Indigo Pets at the convention discussing the upcoming WVC conference referenced key TikTok influencers to figure out where they want to eat while in Las Vegas. Not once did anyone search Google. They were making suggestions based on social media videos. 

Your Clients Use Social Media for Searching, Too!

Your clients are doing the same when looking for local business suggestions. 

If you have been in the “meh” category when it comes to social media, I nudge you to stretch your wings a bit and engage more with your network. Here are a few suggestions: 

• Create your social media content ahead of time and schedule posts in the platform. Or, if you want to make it even easier for yourself, consider using a tool such as Hootsuite that allows you to schedule content for multiple platforms at once. 
• Embrace videos for TikTok and make reels on Instagram or Facebook. You can even scatter in a few how-to videos and throw them up on YouTube. A fun idea is to create a TikTok or Reel with pictures of a patient as a puppy/kitten and at the hospital over time. This illustrates client loyalty when they bring you their pets during different stages of life. Other topics for consideration would be health care tips, frequently asked questions at the hospital, and fun facts. 
• For all types of businesses, ask your clients what they want to see on your social media. You might be surprised at what they suggest. 
• Challenge yourself/your team or pay a marketing company to keep multiple social media platforms active simultaneously, e.g. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Google My Business, and Nextdoor. 

Next-Level Content Creation

If your business has already moved past “meh” in its attitude, the next step is adding cadence, tone, and depth to the creation of content. How are you creating a message and where is it being delivered? 

For example, dental month is a common narrative that many hospitals embrace. Are you throwing up another static picture of an animal who desperately needs dental care with “25% off” typed on the bottom?  If you instead decided to create a video with a staff member showing off a patient’s pearly whites while discussing the importance of dental care, you can make a bigger impact with your message. 

Beyond Indigo Pets is a digital marketing company with decades of experience in the veterinary industry. From social media management to paid advertising, we have the skills and experience needed to add some pizzazz to your platform. To learn more, please call us at (877) 244-9322.