Thomas Dock, CVJManaging Editor, Veterinary News NetworkBoard of Certification, American Society of Veterinary JournalistsAs we are now almost two weeks into a new year, many of us have set up resolutions about eating right, losing weight, spending more time with family and many other things. But, have you set up goals for how you are going to market your practice this year?
For more than six years, Dr. Humphries has talked about the power of "earned media" and this power is really one of the foundations that helped develop the concept of VNN. "Earned media" is when you get asked to be a regular contributor to a local TV news segment, create a weekly or monthly column in a local paper or appear regularly on a radio talk show or call in show. Very often, this type of media costs nothing but your time and has the power to bring new clients into your front door.
We have also spent the last few years talking about how the "new, emerging" media of the web can be leveraged in a similar way. By taking the right steps, you can "earn" a social media audience who will help promote you as a pet expert and also drive potential new clients to your website, social network and practice. Done correctly, an "earned social audience" can also increase your likelihood of developing relationships in traditional media and the chance for "earned media" there as well. THAT is an extremely powerful combination!!
So...are you going to go get some "earned media" this year? Consider some of these tips as a means to help you reach your goals:
Your Website:Does your website invite people to visit you? Is it a dynamic place that beckons people to return on a regular basis to check up on the latest news or cute animal pictures? Before you spend a lot of time developing a blog or interacting on Facebook, make sure that your website is up to date, has good relevant content and is a place that you are proud to call home. After all, you will use all of your other marketing tools to send people BACK to your website and then on to your hospital.
Studies have shown that far too many small businesses fail to update their websites regularly. Some (approximately 40%) update their sites less than one time each year!! That's not enough to keep people interested in your site and returning. If you still have 2007 pet food recall information in a prominent place on your website, your site needs help!!
If you need content, all you have to do is log in to MyVNN.com and find the stories that interest you. We have more than 130 story resources from 6 years of production work along with a message point library containing nearly 200 different sets of messaging. As a member of VNN, you can download, edit and use these materials in a way that benefits YOU!
Develop a Blog:You are the true pet expert...so why aren't you using all the tools that you can to help educate pet owners? Blogging is a powerful tool that can not only help you help owners provide a higher level of care for their pets, but it is also a great way to help build traffic and drive it to your website.
Search engines LOVE blogs and a well maintained blog can help you "own" the first pages of any search. But, like most helpful things, blogs can take some time. In order to really develop an audience, blog postings must be regular (at least once weekly if not 2-3 times per week) and you must be available to interact (see below for more details on interactions).
The good news though, again, is that VNN can assist you with this. First, our extensive content can help you when you develop writer's block or if you feel that you just don't have the time to effectively create new material. Second, our weekly communications (the News Alert and Media Insider) can help you generate ideas from stories that are making headlines. Finally, if you blog and you let us know about it, we can help drive people to your blogs and also generate activity by placing comments.
Next week, January 16th, VNN will be unveiling our newest project, VetNewsOnline. This multi-user blog site will be for all of our VNN members who feel the creative urge to write and share their opinions about various topics. VetNewsOnline can be used as your blogging platform (sparing you the necessity of maintaining blog software, setting up the blog templates, etc) OR it can be used as a place to cross post your blog from your site. The more high quality links coming into your blog or your website, the better you will perform in search engine results.
Take the Time To "Listen":Recently, VNN hosted a webinar on Reputation Management. The archived version of that webinar should be available soon in our Media Training Library. The essence of the webinar was simply that in order to protect your reputation online, you first have to know what is being said about you.
Have you set up Google Alerts with your hospital name as the keyword? Do you regularly review Yelp, CitySearch and other review sites to make sure you aren't being slammed with negative reviews? Do you Google yourself and your hospital regularly? If you didn't answer yes to at least two of these questions, you might be missing some serious attacks on your business from online reviewers.
This is yet another way that VNN can help you. Contact Dr.Jim or myself or have your practice manager call us to find out some great first steps at protecting your reputation.
Interact in Social Media:Finally, we have talked about this extensively over the past 3 years, but if you want your social network to thrive and help you promote your practice, you have to interact and engage the visitors to your Facebook page, blog or other social sites. Don't stress over the quantity of "likes" or comments...focus on the quality of how you respond to them.
Don't try to do this all by yourself. Look to your team and find 1 or 2 people who enjoy interacting and who you trust to make the right type of posts or responses in social media. If you respond and interact to people who are asking questions or even posting material on your pages, you will see a higher level of engagement and more people will start talking about YOU. And that will help you develop a powerful "earned audience" in social media.