How to use Instagram for your practice

Facebook pages are booming in the veterinary industry and the UK is leading the way! If you are managing a successful Facebook page you may feel it’s time to branch out and try another social media platform too. 

Instagram, owned by Facebook, is used by millions of people worldwide and veterinary practices have a bit of an advantage here – Instagram is all about photos and you have, at your finger tips, very appealing subject matter: pets!

Instagram is full with accounts owned by pet owners, showcasing their dogs, cats, rabbits, exotics… and it’s equally used by pet lovers who interact with these accounts.

What Instagram is lacking is veterinary practices! 

Instagram in Brief

A social media platform focussed on photos. You have a personal or business account which can be public or private, onto here you post photos and add comments and hashtags. As a user, you will see all the photos of the accounts you follow in your newsfeed, where you can interact with them by liking the photo or adding a comment to it.

You can also search for photos that interest you by using hashtags (if you search for #dogs, you will be shown the photos with comments including that hashtag).

Why should you manage an Instagram account?

• You will reach a new audience on Instagram.
• You can use Instagram to show a different side to the practice.
• You may have a member of staff that is great a taking photos or thinking up short, snappy comments and that gives you an advantage over other practices and is a great skill you can put to use.
• You can build up a big following on Instagram without the need for paid advertising (if you have the time to do so anyway).

How do you manage an Instagram account?

• Download the app on your phone and set up an account – it’s easy and free.
• Choose what your aims and tone of voice will be from this platform.
• Decide who will manage this platform.
• Set out targets and times to hit them so that you can assess whether this is working as a business tool.
• Take photos and post them to Instagram, experiment with different filters and effects to make your photos more attractive to your audience.
• Add descriptions to the photos.
• Add hashtags to the photos (up to 30 per photo, these are important as this is how your photos and your profile will get found by others).
• Add a location to your photo so it can be found by local people (your existing and potential clients).
• Find and follow relevant people and like / comment on their photos, this will also encourage them to do the same to you.
• As with Facebook, reply to all comments and answer all messages and questions promptly.
• Enjoy this visually captivating method of engaging existing and potential clients.
• Managing any social media account either takes time or money (usually a bit of both) so invest in it like you would any other marketing or business tool.

Do you have any questions or would you like some help managing your digital marketing? Contact us, we would love to help you.