Real Life Illustrations of the Power of Social Media |
If you have had any reservations about the power of social media, I am certain that the following two examples will help change your mind: Dr. Roger Redman is a VNN member in Wooster, OH and owner of the Ark Veterinary Hospital. Like many practitioners, the economic climate worried Dr. Redman and his team. In the fall of 2009, Dr. Redman developed an idea to implement 50% off of vaccines on one day per week. He advertised in his local paper, but felt that the response was slow and only regular clients were inclined to take advantage. Then, his staff added the information to a client newsletter and placed it on their Facebook page. He is now reporting that vaccine visits on Thursdays are up over 50% compared to last year and there is no adverse affect on the other weekdays. In addition, new client visits are also increasing. Visit his Facebook page to see his successful efforts. Many of you remember Cheree Miller, the practice manager of Azzore Veterinary Specialists from a column she provided for the VNN Media Insider. In our phone conversation this week, Cheree reports that her practice (in Russellville, Arkansas) is expecting a client from Houston! That's 500 miles away! This client saw one of her videos on YouTube and connected with her to discuss a possible bio-scaffolding procedure or total hip replacement for his dog. So...as you can see...there is benefit and power to utilizing social media in your practice. The key is to mix a lot of socialization and personalization with a small sprinkling of promotional ideas designed to drive people in your front door. AND...it's ok if you are casting a wide geographic net. Cheree's example proves that!
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Facebook Privacy Concerns |
In recent weeks, a great deal of controversy has been generated over Facebook's privacy policy. Facebook has allowed some third party sites to access information from your Facebook page. This move has ended up being a PR nightmare for Facebook.
In a nutshell, most of the web experts we have read don't think that this is truly a big issue. Still, it's always better to play it safe, so we found a great guide that will help you personalize your privacy settings on Facebook. This should stop any unwanted intrusions into your personal information. Learn how to disable Facebook's Instant Personalization here.
The good news is that this should not affect your hospital page.
In a final note, we should remind you that even if you have reset all of your privacy settings, once you put something up on the Internet, it will live there forever! Think twice before posting those college pictures of the all night kegger!
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