I often get asked, "Why aren't I getting more comments, shares, or likes on my posts?" and "Why aren't people engaging with my posts? I spend so much time creating and posting. I'm so frustrated!"
I'm here to provide some insight as to why you possibly are not getting the engagement you desire and ways to help you boost your engagement rate! Are you ready? Let's dive in!
Reason #1: Your why for using social media isn't clear.
Do you know why your practice wants to use social media?
Is it because you want to build your online presence? Or perhaps someone advised your team that you "should" be on social media? Or maybe your practice desires to establish a presence in your community?
Everyone has their reasons but knowing YOUR practice's why will help you approach your social media more boldly and powerfully. As a result, the energy you bring to your social account will attract the followers and clients you want.
PUTTING THIS INTO ACTION: Sit down and determine why your practice wants to have a presence on social media. If it's unclear, meet with your team or management and assess your why together.
Reason #2: You aren't clear on who your audience and followers are on social and what their pain points or interests are.
Do you know who you are posting for and what they enjoy?
Simply knowing that you are posting for pet owners isn't enough anymore. Gone are the days when you could just post, and the crowds would come and instantly like your stuff. To create and curate social media posts that draw in engaging crowds, you will want to learn about their likes, dislikes, behaviors, and lifestyles.
For example, suppose you have younger clients and designer dogs. In that case, they will likely not be interested in seeing only photos and images and reshares of other pages and the same type of content over and over. Instead, they will probably desire more videos, fresh and entertaining content, simple and quick tips, and content that humanizes your practice and features your team.
Versus someone older, has a rescue cat, and struggles with using tech, may log in to Facebook once a week and may enjoy seeing content that takes more time to consume.
Overall, your approach to each type of client or follower in your audience will differ. Having a good understanding of who followers and dream clients are and what they enjoy will be vital in helping you determine how active they will be and interact with your content.
I like to think of it as, if you have a strong dislike towards a tv show and I make you watch it anyway, you will probably find other things to distract you or excuse yourself from watching it. But, on the other hand, if I turn on your favorite tv show, you will make it a priority to have your undivided attention on that show.
PUTTING THIS INTO ACTION: Start by thinking about who your favorite clients are and write out what their character is, what they like, what their relationship with the pet is, what their lifestyle is like, and what their relationship with social media. From there, you can start to tailor your approach to social media.
Reason #3: You aren't being social enough on your social media accounts.
It's easy to post, ghost, and move on with our jam-packed schedules. But, it's important to remember that there is a reason why we call it SOCIAL media. We can't expect people to be social with us if we aren't social in return. It's like us texting or calling someone over and over again without any response. Then, as a result, you begin to get frustrated and lose interest, right?
Social media is a great place to connect and stay in touch with people any time of the day, week, or year. It can be a powerful tool for a business, and veterinary hospitals ARE a business after all, and businesses can't stay in business without people and relationships.
This is why it is crucial to build and grow good relationships with clients and customers, and social media is a great tool to make that possible without needing to step into the clinic constantly.
PUTTING THIS INTO ACTION: Think of ways to increase your social interaction with followers on your practice's social media accounts. One way could be as simple as spending 5-10 extra minutes each day to respond to comments on your posts and direct messages.
Reason #4: You aren't consistently and actively inviting your clients to follow AND interact.
This is especially important for your Facebook pages as people can't easily discover your practice's page with simple search terms.
People need constant reminders and clear directions on what you want them to do, or else they won't know what to do! Our culture is naturally busy and easily distracted, so don't feel bad for inviting people to follow or join you on a social media platform.
The chances of ALL of your clients seeing your one or two invitations to follow you is nearly impossible. Thus it's essential to reach out in multiple different ways repeatedly.
PUTTING THIS INTO ACTION: Start by adding a sign in your lobby with your social media handles, adding links to your email signatures, adding your social media handles to your receipts or your business cards, and telling clients to follow you when you get photos or videos of their pets and encourage them to share with their friends!
By consistently inviting people to follow you, you'll be able to increase the number of fresh eyes on your page and increase the number of people who could engage with your account AND do business with you in the long run.
If you're ready to take your social media to the next level but unsure where to start, I'd love to chat with you. Click here, and let's connect!
Are you looking for ways to spend less time creating social media posts and avoid creative burnout? We have several resources we've created specifically with you in mind!
Check them out below⤵
🔎 Snag my free cheat sheet for 60 post ideas that will inspire fresh creativity for your posts.
📑 New to managing social media for your veterinary clinic? Grab my free quick start guide.
📅 Want a monthly posting calendar with Canva templates and caption prompts delivered straight to your inbox? Check out the Vet Vibes Hub Membership.
📌 If nailing social media for your veterinary practice is a goal of yours, you definitely don't want to miss out on my course Veterinary Social Media Foundations.
✨ And don't forget to join my free Facebook group for Veterinary Social Media Managers.
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