My 8-Step Veterinary Social Media Workflow That Saves Hours Each Month
- Cheyanne Flerx
- Mar 19
- 5 min read
Updated: Mar 28
Managing social media for a veterinary practice can feel overwhelming. Whether you're the only person handling social media or part of a team, having a solid system in place can save you significant time and reduce stress. Today, I'm sharing my tried-and-tested 8-step Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for veterinary social media management that I've refined over years of managing accounts for my general practice, veterinary consultants, other hospitals, industry partners, and my own business.
Here is the 8-step workflow from a bird's eye view:
REVIEW IT: Assess goals, upcoming events, and past performance
PLAN IT: Create your content calendar for the month
CURATE IT: Gather all necessary photos, videos, and information
CREATE IT: Produce all graphics and write captions in batches
SCHEDULE IT: Upload and review everything before scheduling
ENGAGE IT: Respond to comments and messages daily
TRACK IT: Analyze performance and gather insights
REPEAT: Begin the process again with new insights
Why You Need a Social Media SOP
Before diving into the 8 steps, let me explain why this matters. A good social media system:
Saves you time (no more daily scrambling for content)
Reduces stress (goodbye to that "what do I post?" panic)
Gives you back energy to actually engage with followers (which is where the real magic happens)
Creates consistency in your social presence
This system is designed for monthly planning, but you can adjust it to whatever cadence works for your practice. Let's break it down!
The 8-Step Veterinary Social Media SOP
Step 1: Review It
Conduct this review toward the end of each month. During this phase:
Review all marketing and business goals for your practice
Check upcoming events, announcements, and promotions
Analyze how previous social media posts performed
Pro Tip: If you don't have clearly established goals for your social media efforts, take time to create SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound). Having clear goals will help you plan content that drives actual results. Grab my S.M.A.R.T. Workbook here to help you create your own goals!
Step 2: Plan It
Still working toward the end of the month, this is when you'll create your content calendar. This calendar should include:
Post ideas for the coming month
Important dates (staff birthdays, practice anniversaries, etc.)
Community events your practice is participating in
National pet health observances (should come after everything else to make room for what's really important.)
This is purely planning – you're not creating content yet, just mapping out what you'll need.
If your goal is posting three times weekly on Instagram, you know you'll need 12 posts for the month. Having this visual calendar helps tremendously with organization. If you need a template to help you create a content calendar, check out my FREE templates here.
Step 3: Curate It
Now it's time to gather everything you'll need to create your posts:
Take or source photos/videos
Collect testimonials or staff quotes
Research necessary information
Record videos for reels or tutorials
Important Reminder: Use original photos whenever possible instead of stock images. Original photos build connection and trust, as clients recognize staff members and the actual hospital environment.
Step 4: Create It
This is when you'll actually produce all your content for the month in one batch:
Create graphics
Edit videos
Write captions
Prepare any links or hashtags
I personally prefer to create all my graphics in one sitting, write all captions in another, and then bring them together. This batching approach keeps me focused and productive. If you need help creating posts, my shop and membership, Vet Social Hub, provides templates to help you customize and create Canva graphics quickly!
Step 5: Schedule It
After taking a short break (I recommend at least a day), return with fresh eyes to schedule everything:
Upload your content to your scheduling tool of choice
Review each post one final time for typos or errors
Confirm posting dates and times are appropriate
Make sure everything is properly tagged and hashtagged
This scheduling step doubles as a final review process – much better to catch errors now than after posting! I recommend Metricool's free plan to schedule posts. Check them out here through my affiliate link.
Step 6: Engage It
This happens throughout the month, ideally daily during business hours:
Respond to comments on your posts
Reply to direct messages
Comment on other accounts' content
Share relevant content from followers
Even just 5 minutes daily can make a huge difference in building engagement. You may need to dedicate more time if your accounts are particularly active.
Step 7: Track It
At the beginning of each month, analyze the previous month's performance:
Record results (follower growth, engagement rates, etc.)
Analyze which posts performed best/worst
Look for patterns in your successful content
Add findings to your ongoing report
Remember: Don't obsess over metrics. Think of this as taking the vital signs of your social media presence – it's informative but not life-or-death. Building genuine connections matters more than follower counts.
Step 8: Repeat!
Begin the process again for the next month, using insights from your tracking to improve your approach.
Why This System Works
The beauty of this SOP is that it front-loads your work. By dedicating time at the end of each month to plan, create, and schedule, you free yourself from the daily stress of content creation. When unexpected things arise (like your phone lines going down and needing to post about it), you can easily adjust your scheduled content.
This system prevents those dreaded "brain dead" moments when you're staring at your phone thinking, "What should I post today?" It gives you structure while still allowing flexibility.
Ready to Master This SOP With Expert Guidance?
If you're ready to implement this system but want personalized guidance, I've created something special for you! Introducing my Veterinary Social Media Mastery Bootcamp - a 12-week program where I'll help you customize this exact system for your practice.
In today's social media landscape, simply posting content isn't enough. You need a strategic approach, and that's exactly what this bootcamp delivers.
What's Included in the Bootcamp:
Weekly lessons that are short, actionable, and focused on implementation
Live Q&A sessions scheduled at various times so everyone can attend
Templates, workflows, and tools to simplify your social media management
A supportive community to share ideas and get feedback
Full year of access to all materials and the community
VIP Option Available!
For those wanting more personalized support, VIP spots include:
Two 30-minute 1:1 calls with me
Custom website and social media audit (normally $600-1,000 value)
Priority support through Voxer throughout the bootcamp
Personalized feedback on your content calendar and posts
Don't spend countless hours creating posts that don't generate results. Let me help you develop a strategy that works in today's ever-changing social media landscape.
🤔What social media challenges are you facing in your practice? Drop a comment below and let me know which part of this SOP you're most excited to implement!
About The Author
Cheyanne Flerx is the owner and founder of Hey Cheyanne, LLC.
She is a former veterinary assistant turned veterinary social media coach and educator on a mission to use her experience and knowledge to help veterinary teams genuinely understand and use social media to help their practices build stronger bonds with their clients. Cheyanne offers 1:1 consulting and time-saving solutions to help veterinary hospitals successfully reach their social media goals. Learn more here.
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