VSMP 7: Why Won't Pet Owners Engage With My Social Media Posts?

Are you struggling to get pet owners to engage with your social media posts? There may be a few reasons as to why this is happening! 

In this episode, Cheyanne focuses on why pet owners may not engage with a vet clinic's social media posts. She emphasizes the importance of understanding social media algorithms, knowing your audience, and having clear content strategies.

Firstly, Cheyanne explains that a lack of engagement could be due to misunderstanding how social media algorithms work. These algorithms are designed to keep users on the platform, not to hinder businesses. By learning how they function, clinics can post content that aligns with what their clients want to see, leading to better engagement.

Secondly, she discusses the importance of knowing who you're creating content for. This involves understanding the audience's likes, dislikes, lifestyles, and relationships with their pets. By tailoring content to the audience's preferences and lifestyle, clinics can post at optimal times when their clients are most likely to engage.

Lastly, Cheyanne points out that not knowing what to post is a common issue. Without a plan, content may not resonate with the audience, leading to poor engagement. She compares it to working out without a plan or starting a procedure without preparing tools.

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Links mentioned in this episode: 

• Episode 5: Why Should YOUR Veterinary Hospital Have Social Media Accounts? 
• Ready to work with Cheyanne and join her coaching program? Schedule a call with her here. 

Other helpful resources: 

• New to manage social media for a vet practice? Grab Cheyanne's Quick Start Guide here. 

Transcript

Cheyanne: 0:00

Welcome to the Veterinary Social Media Podcast, where you learn how to navigate social media and apply it to the world of veterinary medicine. I'm your host, Cheyenne Flerks, and let's get down to business. Hey, Hey, welcome to today's episode. I am starting off with a pretty juicy topic in this new series on engagement that I am doing. And we are going to be talking about the reasons why pet owners won't engage with your social media posts and. Just a warning. I'm going to drop some truth bombs on you today, but it's because I don't want to see you stuck anymore. I don't want to see you missing the mark with social media. Because I care too much about you. So before we dive into this, I want to really encourage you to either be taking notes or to be sure that you come back to the show notes or listen to this episode again, because there are some things that I really want you to consider when it comes to creating your social media posts, because there's a few things that we need to do before we can actually create social media posts that will get PO. Owners to engage with us, but before I get into this episode, I want to be sure that you don't miss the next episode in this series. Where we are going to be talking about how to get pet owners to engage with your social media accounts. So today we're talking about the reason why they don't engage with your social media posts. Next week, we will be talking about how we can get them to engage with us. So some really exciting stuff coming up. But with that, I want to be sure that you are subscribed and following the podcast. So, you know, instantly when that episode comes out. So if you could do me a favor, go to subscriber, follow this podcast, wherever you're listening to. And while you're over there, if you would consider leaving me a review, I would love to know what you think of the episodes and the podcast as a whole. Cause I. I really want to be sure that I'm serving you content that you are finding value out of So if you could leave me a. A five star review. If you're joining the content, that would be fabulous. And while you are at it, why not share this with your owner, with your management team or your social media manager on your team so that they can get the insight on How to get better engagement. and get a better grasp on how social media is affecting the hospital as a whole. So. With that let's dive on in. Because I have three reasons why pet owners may not be engaging with your social media accounts now. When I share these, please don't feel like I'm picking on you. But this is something that I have come across so many times and either conversations with people who come to me asking for help. In my Facebook group. And by the way, if you're not in my Facebook group, the veterinary social media managers on Facebook, I would love to have you come join us. So you can find the link to that in the show notes of this episode. But these are overall things that I am seeing in the industry as a whole, when it comes to social media, that I feel like if we all have a better understanding of these, we will be able to. Really get more engagement overall. Now I do want to share that I have heard a lot of people and I am guilty of saying this myself, but it's not the pet owners fault for not engaging with you. It's not because the algorithm is out to get us. It's because of the three reasons I'm going to share with you here in just a moment, but I just want to be sure that we are understanding that it's it's. It's within our control still to be able to get engagement. Yes. Everything is a lot more challenging to get engagement on these days. It's not like the old days where we can just post anything and people will come out of the woodwork and be like, yes, please. Have me as your client or yes, please take my money. But it's more so that we need to be more strategic about what we're posting when we're posting and the overall heart of the matter of why we're posting. All right. One reason why pet owners may not be engaging with your social media content,

4:06

And I already alluded to this earlier. But.

Cheyanne: 4:10

is because you're not sure how the algorithms truly work. And thus you're not using them to your advantage. The way that we can use the algorithm, I know will take some time and he bit of a mindset shift, but when you're able to unlock the key on how to use the algorithm, you work much less. And have much less stress and you're not constantly banging your head against the wall. I understand the struggle fully. But just stay with me because the algorithm is designed to keep users happy and on the platform it's not designed to work against us because that would be counterintuitive. Because honestly, the, honestly the developers of the social media platforms have designed the algorithms in such a way. So that it actually keeps the company in business right there in it to make money. They're not in it to make our lives harder. No, they want to keep people on the platform so that there is more. Digital inventory, so to speak so that they can place in ads so that they can sell spaces for people to purchase advertising. And they want to be able to use the amount of number or the amount of users that they have on the platform to say, Hey, we have a billion active users every day, you know, come purchase ad space with us or come do business with us, et cetera, et cetera. So the. The short story is that they're a business. And so they want to be sure that as, as a business or it would be smart alum. To make us as business owners or people who work with it at business. To actively be able to do business with their platforms. So with that said, this is our opportunity to shift our mindset. And really step more into playing a longterm game Where we are either gathering post ideas or creating post ideas. That align with the type of content that our dream clients will want, and really just making a strategy versus finding quick solutions that everybody says that they get engagement with, but actually may not get engagement for you. So you're constantly looking for more post ideas and the cycle continues on from there. One example to kind of help bring the point home. Is when, um, I don't know if you've ever had this happen to you, but when you go to purchase furniture and you have to build it yourself, but you get the instructions all in Chinese or. It's just in a foreign language and you're like, how do I build this thing? I liken it to us, trying to use the algorithm in the same way. We tried to build a shelf with. Um, foreign. Instructions to us, right. We kind of get the idea with the pictures on how we can build it, but we might not understand which piece to put in together and et cetera. So, It's it's in the same way that we are trying to use. The algorithms were trying to use the social media platforms without truly understanding how they work and operate. You have to study the language of social media in order to use it effectively. That might've been just a horrible example, but I'm going to roll with it. The second reason why. Pet owners may not be engaging with your content is because you don't know who you're posting to or who you're creating content for. When we understand who we are posting for, we have a better understanding. Of what kind of content we need to be posting. And when we need to be posting that. Honestly, what worked about, you know, Ten five even just last year, isn't really necessarily going to capture your audience in the same way as it once did. You know, people's tastes and preferences change over time, and it's important to recognize that and track it. One example is, you know, within just the last couple of years, reels have really come popular or those short form videos. That you see constantly in your feed. If you're on social media constantly, I'm sure you've come across or have heard about, you know, tick talks, reels. Those have become very, very popular and. Those are something to pay attention to because. They do capture attention and there's a lot that you can do with them. But if you don't understand the whole strategy behind it or how to create them in a way that are going to capture people's attentions. And understanding that, you know,

8:49

Some trends work for you. And

Cheyanne: 8:51

some don't or when it's appropriate to use a trend. Right. It's it gets overwhelming. But if we understand the audience that we're posting for. We will be able to see, okay, well that is this video. Idea or this reel or this Tik TOK going to be relevant to my audience. So this is Really important for you to understand who you are posting for. So for example to help kind of narrow it down. I like to think about my dream client that my hospital would want to attract. So., If you are a hospital that's, you know, more on the. Higher end of things. And you want a pet owner who doesn't even bat an eye about the invoice, or who's very dedicated to their pet and is willing to go the extra mile to provide treatment for them. They are going to meet a different audience. Then if you are a practice that provides. Care for low income it's going to be a different field. It's going to be a different vibe. If you're posting for. Gen X and above, or if you're posting for millennials or if you're trying to attract a younger audience. Knowing. Their lifestyle and their preferences and how they interact with pets as a whole is going to be crucial. Very crucial because if you're posting something that the older generations might prefer like on Facebook, if you're actively on Facebook, but you're trying to attract younger audience, but you're posting things that attracts the older clientele still. It's not going to help you gather those new. Or the younger generation. That you're trying to bring in. Right. So getting really clear on who your dream client is and what kind of things that, what kind of content they would resonate with is going to be key here. So a couple of questions to help you kind of narrow down your dream client. If you don't know that already. Definitely come back and check out the show notes for this, but Really get to know what they love. So examples are their hobbies, their favorite activities. Do they love to travel or are they home bodies? What charities or causes do they support? Another thing that you should know is what do they dislike? What are, what are things they avoid or can can't stand or things that instantly just puts a bad taste in their mouth, knowing those two things of what they love and their dislike is going to help narrow down exactly what you need to be posting. Another thing is know what their lifestyle's like I mentioned, are they retired or they active parents. Are they single college student or are they a business owner? Each of getting to know each of their lifestyles is going to help you tailor. What type of information you provide for them? What kind of content you produce?

11:46

And it's going to really help you to figure out when is the best time to post for you. And your hospital, because if you have a ton of. Clients that follow you. The are retired. You could be able to post a little bit later in the day or much earlier in the day where it, depending upon their lifestyle, but if you have a busy parent. You may want to be posting around dinner time or lunchtime when it's a bit quieter and calmer. Just really figuring out when it's going to be the best time for them when they are more than likely going to be. On social media, on their desktop, on their mobile, and actually able to look at your content and engage with it. All right. The next question I want you to be able to answer is what is the relationship like with their pet? This one's a huge one for us, right?

Cheyanne: 12:43

Like, does that person see their pet as a close family member? Who's constantly in the house who never leaves their side, or are they working animal with a job on the farm or are they companion animal who protects the house or do they, are they a service animal? Each of those. Lifestyles and how that relationship with that pet. Is going to really dictate on how their spending habits are. Right? Like if they are a very dedicated pet owner, like I mentioned already, They're going to be willing to pay more money, to make sure that their, their family member. There are close friend. Their companion is filling great and healthy. Another thing you need to know is what length are they going? Are they willing to go for their pet? Like I said already, are they willing to sell an arm or leg to provide for their pet or do they have to live within a budget? And the last thing I want you to figure out when trying to determine who your dream client is is what kind of pets do they own? Like, yes, this might be a no dog question, but you need to be sure of. R, if you're just seeing what type of pet, you know, if you're a cat only client, they're a clinic, then that will be easy for you, but you also need to know too. They own. Other variety of pets. If you're a mixed animal practice, you know, you might see only one of their pets, but there's an opportunity for you to say, oh, you've got five other pets at home that we didn't know about. Well, why haven't we seen them? Or, you know, we'd love to help you. You know, keep them healthy. You. You know, but just going along those lines and diving in deep of who they are and getting to know them, basically on the same level, as like you do with your best friend, it's going to take your content a long way and really get more engagement because the more that your posts are relatable to the people who are seeing it on their feeds, the more. They are going to want, engage with you. The more they're going to want to get to know you, and you're going to build that trust. Thus, making it easier for them to want to do business with you, or keep coming back for more. So, I mean, one example here, it's like, okay, you wouldn't buy your best friend something with peanuts. If you know, they are allergic to them, that would just be very insensitive. Right. Or buy them a sports item for for a team that they absolutely despise. Okay. And then for my coffee drinkers, here's an example for you. It's like. Okay. I wouldn't buy my friend a tall decaf latte. When I know she's going to want an ice quad shot espresso with a splash of half and half. It has to be a little bit of half and half. It can't be a ton. Right? So like, knowing the difference on how you speak to your dream client is going to take you a long, long way. So the third reason why pet owners may not be engaging with you. Is the last two that we talked about or huge not knowing who you're posting to. And creating content that resonates with them and then understanding the algorithm. But the third one. Is. Not being clear on what you need to be posting. And that goes along with creating content for your ideal client. But overall, if you don't plan ahead, you're just going to be posting whatever you need to in order to keep things going and active or just posting for the sake of posting and that. Is a that's not going to be a great long-term strategy for you to be following. Because once people see a content on there that doesn't resonate with them, or they're not interested in, they're not going to want to come back and the algorithm isn't going to want to show. That content to them because people are interested in it. And the algorithm on Facebook and Instagram in particular shows content to people that they. They enjoy and they want to see more of, because that is how they keep them on the platform. So. Without that clear guidance of what posts are going to get people engaging. What's going to resonate with them. You're constantly going to feel like you're not, you're good at. You. You're going to constantly feel like you're behind and comparing yourself to others or feeling like you just need more post ideas. You need something else to fix your engagement, et cetera, so. W what I want you to do for this is be sure that you're getting clear on the overall why your hospital is using social media. And I talk about that in episode five. So definitely take time to go back and listen to that. But it's how I liken this point is to us, like going to the gym and not having a workout plan, you just kind of look around at the machines and kind of decide, okay. I'll go on the treadmill guests for a couple minutes and, you know, make it up as you go. Or it's almost like, okay. We have a procedure for a patient here, right? We're going to clip their toenails or give them a vaccine or even get them ready first spay. Right. But then we just get down with the pet. Get started, but we never prepared. With any of the tools we need until after we started. So it's. Basically just throwing spaghetti on the wall and trying to figure it out as you go, but you spend more time trying to figure out what you need instead of actually doing the thing that you need to get done.

18:13

This might be a good time for a breather, because I know that was all a lot of heavy things to throw at you, but I want it to be sure that I address those things before we talk about how to get engagement, because. I want to set you up for success. And I want to be sure that you're starting off with good foundations in place. And with good foundations in place, then we can address all the little factors that are at play here because we didn't even get to talk about. How your posts come into play with all that I mentioned. So like, yes, I alluded to it a little bit, but there's a whole strategy behind posting and getting an engagement so that we are bringing all the pieces together so that you are able to bring in conversion to get business and traffic over into your hospital so that you can work with those dream clients. And you can make the money That your practice needs an order to thrive and still serve clients and patients. so. Like I said, I know that was a lot, but

Cheyanne: 19:14

if your hospital is struggling to keep up with the ever-changing world of social media and struggling to follow a strategy that supports your hospital's goals for marketing. I have a coaching program that may just be the right thing for you.

19:30

In my one-on-one coaching program, I ultimately just get down and dirty on what you're currently doing in social media and provide you with a clear strategy and systems and tools that you need in order to succeed and streamlined the whole process of social media. I do that by. Auditing your social media accounts and reviewing everything that's currently happening. And then I provide you a strategy that aligns with your goals and provides the type of engagement. And conversion that you're looking for. And that also provide you with a custom system and processes along with tools that you will need in order to streamline the whole process of social media. Get your whole team on board and ultimately just create a whole social media ecosystem for you so that you are working more efficiently, more effectively. With less time. And with less stress. And one of the best parts about this program is that you get direct access to me. Via slack, where you can talk to me nearly every day. Get advice as you're implementing stuff or encounter anything along the way. And I will walk you through it and help you overcome any challenges that you are experiencing and just help set you up for success. If my coaching program sounds like something you could really benefit from. I would love to connect with you, chat about it some more and see how we can partner together. So head to the show notes. Check up the link that I have provided for my coaching program. And I can't wait to talk with you.

Cheyanne: 21:03

Until then I hope this episode. Expanded your mind, if not. Broke your brains. And to really seeing that engagement is so much more than just the type of posts that you share or when you post it's about. The behind the scenes of your social media and the Y your hospital's on social media and who you're posting to, and understanding how to use social media to your advantage is really going to help you. Unlock the key to getting engagement and really reducing the overwhelm that you, you can experience. When it comes to social media. So if you have any questions about this, definitely reach out to me via email or in my Facebook group, the veterinary social media managers, Facebook group, we would love to have you there. But until then tune in next week where I. Spill the tea on how to get your pet owners engaged. With your social media accounts and we'll give you some tangible strategies and tips there for you to implement for yourself. But until then, I wish you all the very best and I will catch you on the next episode. Bye-bye.