As I have mentioned many times, dealing with Facebook as a way to market your practice can be a bit challenging.  The new Timeline format has a lot of people confused.   Never fear...I found some helpful tips to make sure you don't run afoul of some little known Facebook rule!

First, although it may seem far fetched and unlikely to happen to your Page, you need to know that businesses have had their pages removed or shut down for violating Facebook's Terms of Use (Terms of Service, Terms and Conditions).  Often, the page is unknowingly sponsoring some sort of contest or even trying to help a charity.   Facebook does NOT like this and will remove the page.  Here is an example from a New Zealand company, Hell's Pizza, that was simply trying to donate money to a charity based on people "liking" their page.  They had over 20,000 "likes" when their page was lost...can YOU afford to lose the likes you have generated on your page to date?

It's also important to note, even though you are legally running some sort of contest or promotion through a third party app, you must include a disclaimer that the promotion is in no way affiliated with Facebook.  This holds true for any sort of data collection that you might do as well.

Next, with the new Timeline format, you have a great opportunity to highlight your practice with the Cover Photo.  This picture should be about 851 pixels by 315 pixels.   More importantly, it CAN NOT include any contact details, pricing information, any call to action to "like", "tell your friends" or "share" the page and, of course, the image has to be yours.   Here are some pages that have  violated these precepts.  Bottom line, don't use the cover image as an advertisement.

Finally, don't neglect the "About" section on your Facebook page.  This is an area where you can add important keywords that will help the search engines find you and your practice more efficiently.



By clicking on the "About" link below the description, you can edit what your visitors see.   You should definitely have your website in this blurb as well as important keywords (veterinarian, your city and state, dogs, cats, etc).  Furthermore, there is a LOT of space for you to add even more detail that your followers will see when they click on that About link.

Let me know if you have any questions about how your Facebook page is proceeding.

Tom

It's UP!  Our newest VNN video release is available for you to watch and share on your website and your social network.  "Rehab is FAB for Pets and Horses Too!" is a quick look at the up and coming world of pet rehabilitation.   Seriously, you MUST watch this video to see the incredible "point of view" (POV) shots that Dr. Jim was able to get!!

Physical Rehabilitation for Pets