“Pinterest? I’m not a wedding planner! “If you’re a veterinarian, veterinary practice manager or vet tech new to using social media for your animal hospital, you might not think that Pinterest makes sense for your practice.
Well, would it surprise you to find out that Pinterest was the #3 traffic source to my veterinary hospital’s website, after Google & Facebook? (And I honestly don’t even spend THAT much time on my hospital’s Pinterest yet, compared the effort I put into our Facebook.)
These days, I still see super old posts getting traction! (I wrote this nearly 10 years ago, but have updated it since.)
1) Pinterest Is The Search Engine of Social Media
Pinterest isn’t exactly that social of a social media platform. Confused? Pinterest is more interested in being a search engine, like Google, than another social media network, like Facebook.
This means that when pet owners are looking for details on what they need for their new kitten or hike with their dog, they’re likely going to Pinterest to get inspiration. Be there with ideas!
Bonus tip: Make them super local and specific to stand out with your ideal client.
[Related Masterclass: Designing social media posts that grab attention]
2) Using Pinterest Can Increase Traffic to Your Veterinary Website
Maybe someone is looking for information on pet nutrition or brushing their dog’s teeth. As Pinterest and the idea of “visual search” becomes more popular, people are going to turn to Pinterest, like they currently use Google, to search for information. When they search on Pinterest, they will find related “pins”, what Pinterest calls the posts you make, to help them solve the problem they have. Pins can be linked to websites. That means that in a few simple steps, a current or prospective new client can go from looking for pet health tips on Pinterest to being linked to your veterinary hospital’s website.
Starting a Pinterest for your veterinary hospital will allow you to take advantage of Pinterest’s search features, driving traffic to your website. Not only that, but if your current clients like your animal clinic’s Pinterest, they’ll be able to use it like a visual resource library of information you’ve posted.
3) Pinterest Can Act As a Client Education Library
Pinterest can act as an online resource library for your veterinary practice’s client education. Your animal clinic can create boards dedicated to various topics. The great thing about Pinterest boards is that, unlike Facebook, the posts you make don’t fade away quickly down a feed. When you put pins about a certain topic onto a board, people can go find them easily a year after you posted them! That’s not the case for information you share on Facebook or Instagram.
Your veterinary hospital Pinterest could include a patient board, a pet weight loss board, a dental health board or any type of topic that you feel is relevant to your practice. Look at that! You have a little pet health library for current and potential clients.
Maybe your veterinary hospital’s website has client ed information on it, but clients don’t really use it. If you’ve invested time or money in having client ed articles or informational blog posts on your website, Pinterest can be a quick and fun way to bring attention to that fact. Your clients are already on Pinterest, so why not educate them while they’re there!?
Not sure what to post?
Defining the right content for your veterinary brand can be tricky, but it’s exactly what we help you do in our courses and coaching programs!
