AVMA offers toolkit: Social Media 101 for Veterinary Clinics

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The AVMA has created a new online toolkit, Social Media 101 for Veterinary Clinics, to help AVMA members get the most out of social media.

According to the landing page: “Social media is increasingly a part of our lives, and the number and variety of social networks seems to grow constantly. But it’s not something most veterinarians were taught about in college or veterinary school, and it can be challenging to figure out how to use social media tools to help build and nurture your business or your career.”

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“Should you use social media?” asks the first section of the toolkit. The page discusses pros and cons of doing so.

If the answer is yes, the first step is to define a strategy for social media. The toolkit’s section on strategy covers exploring goals, identifying the audience, defining tactics, and identifying resources.

The next section explains how to get started in social media. The page provides basic information about Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube. The section on rules of engagement for social media advises setting clear guidelines for all staff to follow and developing, implementing, and enforcing a moderation policy.

The page on creating and curating content discusses topics such as sources of curated content, easy ways to create original content, and why photos and videos matter. The next section lists tactics for spreading the word about social media feeds—and tactics to avoid. The toolkit concludes with a page about metrics for measuring success in social media.

Social Media 101 for Veterinary Clinics is available to AVMA members here.