I had one of those wow moments at the 2010 American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) annual meeting. Dr. Mike Pownall of Mckee-Pownall Equine Services presented a business management session that really caught my attention: It was about social media and its impact on the equine practitioner. Social media is not just for client education purposes anymore—Facebook and Twitter can and will improve your profitability—but only if used correctly.

DO YOUR RESEARCH

Social media, whether in the form of Facebook, Twitter, or myriad other online networks, is basically a way to interact with a large group of people via the Internet. A Pew research study has found that 86 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds and 61 percent of 30- to 49-year-olds use social media.

Social media allows you stay connected with your existing clients as well as expand your pool of potential clients. As Dr. Pownall said during his AAEP presentation, "People do business with people they like." Social media allows you to get acquainted with potential clients fast—the faster they know you, the faster they'll like you and trust you.

For updates to your Facebook page, you can post links to information that would be interesting to your clients, let them know what's new at your practice, explain about a condition that may be showing up in horses in the area, or merely give a quick report on a great CE program you're attending. You decide what to post because it's your page.

Facebook is a great way not only to tell clients about your practice but to show them as well. Create educational videos with your smart phone or digital camera. Take your clients on a tour of the practice and demonstrate some of your new technology. Be creative with your videos and post them on YouTube—a site that receives 2 billion views a day. Keep in mind that's nearly double the prime-time audience of all three major television networks combined, according to http://viralblog.com/.

Twitter is another fast-paced social network that has been exploding in popularity. It's a form of microblogging—your posts must be 140 characters or less—so it's important to choose your words wisely. Dr. Pownall's practice is using Twitter actively to communicate with clients and other followers about his practice. Twitter is more popular in larger cities, but you can never have too much free publicity.

LOG ON TODAY

Few equine practices are taking advantage of social media to increase revenue and brand awareness. If you're ready to take the plunge, be aware: as with all marketing strategies, you need to create a plan with concrete goals. This will take some strategic planning among you and your staff. Here are some questions to think about before you get started:

> What content will you have?

> Who will manage your involvement on the sites?

> How will you measure your success with social media? (Here's a tip: Check out Google Analytics, which helps you measure your website's traffic—visits, posts, and page views. It will help you determine what your clients like and what they don't like.)

Once you've thought through these issues, Dr. Pownall suggests the following game plan:

> Start with Facebook or Twitter as your main social media site.

> Set up your accounts using email addresses with your clinic name as the domain name. (This will drive clients to your website.)

> Identify another person besides yourself to oversee the daily scheduling of content to post.

> Remember to monitor, measure, and adjust your use of social media on a regular basis. This will keep your clients from getting bored.

The future of equine practice is closely tied to practitioners' willingness to connect to present and future clients via social media. The process may seem intimidating at first—especially if you're an older male who prefers to talk on the phone—but you can always delegate the social media mission to the younger doctors or staff members at your practice.

Social media is a free way connect with your clients—this is one powerful tool to add to your toolbox.