 Make it easier for your colleagues, prospective employers and clients to find you with a unique and consistent web address (URL) on both LinkedIn personal profiles and Company Pages. Personal Profile URLs Claiming your custom personal URL is simple and adds credibility and professionalism to your profile. You can start by simply clicking here and clicking the “edit your custom URL section” in the top right hand corner. Alternatively,
 A few pointers:
Company Page URLs Custom URLs allow clients and employees to find your page more easily while adding to the strength and awareness of your brand. If you have a company page for your veterinary practice, you can easily claim a custom URL. Instead of the default jumble of letters and numbers, your custom LinkedIn URL will look like www.linkedin.com/company/thesocialdvm. To claim or edit your Linkedin Page URL:
 A few pointers:
-The Team at The Social DVM  With so much technology at our disposal, it can be overwhelming to sort through all of the available choices. Which software, app or platform is best? At the end of the day, there is only one right answer: the solution that is most suitable for your practice’s needs. Read on for tips to help you sort through the clutter when choosing a technology platform. Evaluating Your Options When it comes to evaluating any new program, start with the end in mind. As a team, determine the biggest problems facing the practice and identify the areas that are huge time drains on your staff. Answering those two questions is key because every practice's needs are different. Some practices might need assistance increasing appointments while others are already booked out weeks in advance. Some might need ways to help their doctors get notes transcribed while others might be most concerned about helping clients after hours during on-call shifts. Attend any large conference or open a journal and you’ll notice lots of flashy marketing for ALL the technology offerings - but you can't have them all, nor should you. You must figure out what's best for your practice. Sorting through the Clutter Refer to these tips to help sort through the abundance of technology offerings at your disposal.
Make no mistake, coping with tech overload is no easy feat. But with some thorough research and careful planning, your practice is sure to identify a software platform that can help you reap the rewards that positively impact your business. --Caitlin DeWilde, DVM Need help? We’re always just a click away: info@thesocialdvm.com  Using hashtags on your Instagram posts can be a great way to categorize the photo, connect with the local community, and even inspire new posts from your followers. While more than 90% of Instagram users follow at least one business account, many users also follow specific hashtags in addition. You can see how many users follow a particular hashtag when you type it in the search and click on the “tags” tab at the top.  What Kind?
While it’s super tempting to add #puppiesofinstagram and #cute #instagood #photooftheday to every post, it’s unlikely that those who follow those hashtags are ever going to become clients of your practice. Focus on hashtags that are already in circulation in your neighborhood and community, and even consider adding your own (e.g. #petsofYourVetClinic) to inspire photo tags at your practice. Spend a few minutes on Instagram looking up hashtags in your area, including community name, #dogsofyourcity, #yourcitydogs, #catsofyourcity, #yourcitycats, etc. and see which ones are most popular. If you’ve got neighboring businesses with strong Instagram presences, check out what community-themed hashtags they’re using and jump on the band wagon. You can still add the generic #weloveourjob, #puppybreath, #muttsrule type hashtags to your post but know that they’re largely functioning to convey emotion and humor. Get my whole list of hashtags to get you started here. How Many? While you can add up to 30 hashtags to each post, the sweet spot tends to be around 11. Any more than that and your post might look spammy, and is less likely to be using hashtags strategically. Save Time: Storage Tired of typing out the same hashtags over and over again? Or do you have them saved on a note on your phone to copy and paste? Save yourself time and energy, and also be more strategic with your hashtags by creating a hashtag document. I use Google docs, simply because it’s free, everyone can open it without any special software, and it’s saved in the cloud so I can access it anytime, from any device. If you use a scheduling software like Buffer, these platforms often have a feature that will allow you to save common hashtags as well, sometimes referred to as a hashtag manager. Save Time: Post Themes In addition to creating the reusable list of hashtags, consider creating sections in your document for common types of post. For instance, if you’re posting an awesome picture of one of your veterinarians with a cat, using the #dogsofyourcity hashtag isn’t going to work. Create a list for dog-centric posts, cat-centric posts, general pet-themed post, and any other specific niche you commonly post about. Don’t Forget To Change It Up While you can certainly save a lot of time by using these handy pre-built hashtag lists, don’t rely on them entirely. Add new relevant hashtags when appropriate, keep an eye on hashtag analytics (if included in your platform), and review other posts using that hashtag quarterly to ensure you’re meeting your strategic goals and connecting with the right pet parents. Happy Hashtagging! Caitlin DeWilde, DVM  While some time off during the holidays is amazing, it comes with the downside of being sure to update phones, emails, apps and social channels so that clients aren’t surprised to find a locked door and empty building, especially if their pet is having an emergency. Let’s cover some of the ways you can help inform your clients-- and avoid that last minute rush for that 360 count prescription refill. Before we begin, a huge shout out to the teams that DON’T get to change their hours. To the vets, techs and support team working urgent care and emergency on holidays and every day-- thank you. Your hard work does not go unnoticed by your colleagues! While every clinic has a different list of places and platforms to take care of, the good news is that many of these updates are small, quick and can be done long in advance. Here are some of the top changes to make:
Login, click the “Info” tab on the left right, and click on the pencil to edit the “special hours” just below your regular hours. If you know you’ll be closed for the major holidays, you can verify these dates or add your own (think about New Years Eve, New Years Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas as common closures). Click here for the official how-to from Google.
Login and visit the Business Information, then click on Edit next to ‘Upcoming Special Hours” to verify hours for common holidays or add your own special days. 
Please make a note of our upcoming holiday hours! If your pet is running low on any of their prescription meds or food, please plan accordingly and we are happy to make sure you have a full supply before our office is closed. To request a refill, visit: www.yourveterinarypractice.com/refills (or call 555-5555 or email info@yourveterinarypractice.com, or use the app, etc). If your pet should need emergency care over the holiday, please contact: Emergency Hospital 1: 555-5555 (ideally tag the hospital’s page) Emergency Hospital 2: 555-5555 (ideally tag the hospital’s page) For non-urgent appointment requests, refill requests or questions, please email us at info@yourvetclinic.com and we will respond within 24 business hours of our reopening on INSERT DAY, DATE AND TIME your practice will reopen. As always, we wish you and your two- and four-legged families a safe and happy holiday!
I hope this saves you a few minutes of time as you prepare your hospital and team for a busy holiday. Take your time off to rest and recharge! -Caitlin DeWilde, DVM  As veterinary practices start to rely more heavily on Instagram, the limitations of its single link option become even more noticeable. Because Instagram only allows ONE clickable website link (hosted in your bio, not on each post), practices are forced to either a) choose a single link like their practice website or b) constantly swap links out every time you have a post that references a different site.
Plus, we know that not all of our clients on Instagram behave the same - new clients may want to check out the practice’s main website while existing clients may want to take action on booking an appointment or ordering a refill from their online store. I never want a client to be inspired or prompted to take action….only to be deterred. It’s asking a lot to ask a client to see a post then close their Instagram app, open their browser app, Google your practice, get to the website and THEN get to the specific page for which your post promised them they’d find more information. So what’s the solution? Using an Instagram bio tool. Instead of only providing a single clickable link, an Instagram bio tool will expand into multiple - so your practice can link to a variety of helpful resources for your clients, such as your website, appointment booking portal, blog, online pharmacy, and more! You can edit these at any time and add relevant links (e.g., the voting site for a community award, an event page, etc). Best of all, many of these tools provide additional analytics on what your clients are clicking and how Instagram may be helping your practice. Which tool to use? There are a few ways to maximize your bio link. Here are my top three favorites:
Happy linking! Caitlin DeWilde, DVM  10 Ways to Improve Your LinkedIn Profile LinkedIn is a social media platform focused on professional networking and career development. It offers personal profiles as well as company pages for businesses. Over 167 million Americans utilize the platform, with more than half of them college-educated. While Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and Snapchat may be full of veterinary professionals, LinkedIn is the platform that routinely gets overlooked and is steadily gaining traction in the veterinary industry. It offers both individuals and practices the opportunity to network, share information and ideas, earn reviews and accolades, and find the next great job (or great hire). Follow the tips below to get your LinkedIn profile noticed, and you’ll be making new connections in no time!
Set up or improve your profile today, and start connecting! Need more help with LinkedIn? Take a peek at my on-demand course! Let's connect! Caitlin  Have you ever wondered why some practices willingly embrace technology while others are more hesitant? Most often the answer lies in one of two reasons: time or effort. In today’s time, both are precious commodities.
Understanding the Hesitation Busy veterinary practices may say that they have little time to learn and implement new software skills even when it may save time (and money) in the long run. Another common complaint is that the practice has gotten this far without adopting a new system and they’re skeptical of adding something that will require more training and effort. For instance, It's hard to justify the need for Instagram to someone who has owned a successful practice without any social media for 20 years. If they're happy with their revenue and client list, then why take on more work? These are both understandable concepts. Getting Your Team on Board Tech-hesitant team members are not a lost cause. The best way to counter their objections is to share the data and WIFM (“what’s in it for me?”) facts. Follow these steps for getting your team on board and embracing technology in no time.
Bottom line? You won’t know how much your practice can benefit and improve from new technology if you don’t give it a chance. Resistance to change can deter your team from utilizing invaluable tools and resources that will help them flourish in their job and contribute to the overall success of your practice. Start small-- collect data, highlight how it helps the team, implement a trial period, and look at the cold hard facts before making a decision. Good luck! --Caitlin & Lori at Dr Caitlin DeWilde  We all spend a lot of time worrying about that one negative review- how to respond to it, how it will look to clients, the stress it will inflict on us and our teams. While that concern is valid and we do need a strategy for handling negative reviews, we need to put a similar emphasis on building that library of POSITIVE reviews. Think how much stronger our reputation could be if we spent the same amount of energy eliciting positive feedback from those who do support us and will likely continue to visit and advocate for our practice!
Positive reviews are just that- positive all the way around. Not only do they help bolster our reputation and earn client trust, but they can help us attract new clients, reinforce our ideals and give us feedback on what’s working well. They can brighten our spirits and help our teams remember why we do what we do. So why are we not trying to get that information? Here are my four tips to getting more reviews. #1 Make It EASY! We can’t assume that our clients know that we’re on Facebook. Or Google. Or Yelp. Or that we even want reviews. We need to make it as easy as possible for our clients to GET to our review sites and as easy as possible to leave a review. Here are a few tips to make it easy for both your clients AND for you to access your reviews.
Be careful not to offer incentives for reviews, or overtly tell clients that you need more reviews. This can violate the terms of service of some platforms, especially Yelp. Leave the trail of breadcrumbs so they are prompted to and can easily share their experience. #3 Don’t Forget About the Visual Reminders Don’t forget about the power of a visual image. Here are some ways that simply providing signage in your hospital can increase client awareness about your review sites.
  As I woke up this morning to a barrage of texts and emails canceling school, closing the clinic and weather safety, I knew one of my tasks for the day could be done quickly-- sharing the closure announcement on social media. I keep three posts as drafts in my practice’s social media accounts at all times, and I think you should too. Save yourself time and stress by having these branded graphics ready to go, along with a standard caption, so instead of scrambling for an image and wording, you can simply adjust a few details, click “post” and move on.
I think this is so helpful for veterinary clinics, I’ve made you the graphics-- use this Canva template to get you started. Drag and drop your logo and customize how you’d like. Captions are going to be more variable based on the practice and situation, but here’s how to get started: GATHER SOME INFO
Second best contact option for your clinic if standard phone service is down: consider what would be the best for your clinic to use. There is no right or wrong answer, but your practice may want to have a “Plan B” contact method(s) ready to use and the team should be aware of it. Possible options to consider/include:
WE’RE CLOSING EARLY Due to inclement weather, our practice will be closing today at <INSERT TIME> so our team members can get home safely. We’ll be reaching out to anyone with a scheduled appointment directly. If you’d like to reschedule your appointment, please <CLICK HERE FOR ONLINE BOOKING/EMAIL US AT _______/CALL US AT (555) 555-5555.> If your pet needs emergency medical attention, please contact:
We’re hoping you and your pets stay safe, and we plan to reopen <INSERT ANTICIPATED TIME e.g. TOMORROW MORNING AT 8 AM> as usual. Check back here for the latest info!  OUR PRACTICE IS CLOSED Due to inclement weather, our practice will be closed today to ensure everyone’s safety. We’ll be reaching out to anyone with a scheduled appointment directly. If you’d like to reschedule your appointment, please <CLICK HERE FOR ONLINE BOOKING/EMAIL US AT _______/CALL US AT (555) 555-5555.> If your pet needs emergency medical attention, please contact:
We’re hoping you and your pets stay safe, and we plan to reopen <INSERT ANTICIPATED TIME e.g. TOMORROW MORNING AT 8 AM> as usual. Check back here for the latest info!  OUR PHONES ARE DOWN
Our phone service is currently down and we are unable to accept calls, but we are still here for you and your pets! If you’d like to reach out, we are open our normal business hours today and can be reached via:
I hope this will save you some precious time and energy at your practice. Stay safe out there! -Caitlin DeWilde, DVM  Sadly, we spend a great deal of our time and energy dealing with negative client experiences--now more than ever. Online reviews, impatient clients, COVID-precaution naysayers all leave us drained and occasionally, questioning why we do what we do. Ever the optimist, I think there are a lot of solutions. Of course, we can ignore the jerks. We can respond to positive reviews and share them with the team members. We can highlight the positive case outcome stories and the "wins" in our team meetings and in our social media channels. We can eat ALL the donuts that those unicorn clients bring in. And now, we can celebrate our Facebook "Top Fans!" What is a Top Fan?Top Fan badges are an optional setting on a practice's Facebook Page. Once enabled, Page followers can be eligible for a top fan badge on your Page by being one of the most active followers. This means they frequently like, react, comment, or share your Facebook posts.. Page followers who qualify for (and accept) top fan badges will have a badge next to their name on future interactions with the page, Their names will also be publicly visible on a "Top Fans" list, accessed on your Page's Community tab. Why Should We Care About Top Fans?These are the people who are voluntarily supporting our business online, with no incentive. They're active followers of the Page, and it's almost guaranteed that they're doing so in a positive way. They're liking our posts, they're sharing our content within their own networks, and they're supportive in the comments. Our content clearly resonates with these followers. THESE ARE OUR PEOPLE! Best of all, these are people who are using their own networks to serve as virtual ambassadors for our practices. When I've earned "Top Fan" badges on pages I follow, it's never something I've purposely worked for-- and is more of a nice surprise. I'm happy to support them. There's no perk or monetary reward-- it's simply an online, automatic thank you from the Page. Enabling & Identifying Top FansFirst, enable Top Fan badges in your Facebook Page Settings. Navigate to Settings > Top Fan Badges > Click On.  Next, to find who earned your Page's Top Fan designation, visit the toolbar under your practice's cover photo on a desktop, click "More," and then "Community." These users are updated automatically each week. You can review the user, the length of time they've been a Top Fan, and you can remove them if necessary. How This Helps UsIf you simply review the names and nothing else, it's a nice way to remind yourself that there ARE good clients- clients who value the work we do both in the clinic and online. There ARE members of our communities rooting for us to succeed and thrive. We've found reviewing this alone to be a positive experience for our whole team. In practice, we've chosen to take it a step further, and send the clients who have been Top Fans for more than a month a small thank you note a sticker, and putting a small credit on their account. We share the list of Top Fans with our team in our Slack channel each month, so all our team members know the clients that are giving their support. We're focusing on the positive, and rewarding GOOD behavior--not negative. Check out your Top Fans, and if time allows, consider thanking them for their support in-clinic and online with a quick message, email or note in the mail, and focus on the good. Hang in there, teams!
-C. DeWilde, DVM   Social media goes way beyond the cute puppy pictures and sharing helpful articles. It has the capacity to drive business to our practices- but only if we’re leading our followers in that direction. Here are FOUR ways you can increase your bookings: 1. Change your main page CTA button to “Book Now” Your Page’s Call To Action (CTA) button is just below your Page’s cover photo. You can click “Add a Button” or “Edit Button.” Doing so brings up a pop-up window with options for you to choose Book Now, Contact You, Learn More, etc. Selecting “Book Now” and clicking “next” will allow you to set up appointments on Facebook and Instagram, connect another third-party scheduling tool (no veterinary ones yet) or simply add your own website address. I recommend the latter, specifically to the “book appointment” or “request appointment” link. Click “Finish” to save your changes, and consider testing the button afterward by clicking on the CTA button then “Test Button.”
 2. Create a “Get Bookings” Post Your Facebook Page gives you a free post type called “Get Bookings,” but ONLY if you’ve got the above “Book Now” Call to Action button set up for your page. Accessing this feature is best done through Creator Studio. Click Create Post, then “Get Bookings” on the post type. You’ll be able to add a caption as normal, but also select a new photo(s). The “Book Now” button will appear underneath. This post type is free and easy! Consider uploading a photo of your doctor or technicians with a patient, and a caption that corresponds and discusses your unique service offerings, educational reasons behind a veterinary visit, highlights a success story or simply features your practice and team. These post types take up more space in the news feed and easily direct your viewers to the appointment booking link! 3. Add Call-To-Action statements and/or direct booking links to your social posts. Far too often, we share phenomenal photos, graphics, educational posts and best of all-- posts that tell a story-- but don’t tell the owner how THEY could have this same experience, or give them the tools to make it happen conveniently. The majority of original posts made by the clinic could end with a directive statement and/or link that facilitates booking. While none of us yearn to be sleazy or salesy with constant barking at owners to book an appointment (see what I did there?), we have to remember that we’re using social media to help pet owners understand the value of the care we provide and to support our practice as a business. Help meet both of these goals by regularly directing your clients toward your goal, and making it easy for them to book an appointment to your practice with a clickable link! Don’t assume that your post will inspire an owner enough to a) stop scrolling b) leave Facebook c) open an internet browser d) navigate to your clinic website and e) find the information to call or book an appointment online. Save them FIVE steps and include the direct booking link. For instance, if you’re sharing a photo of a senior pet who came in for a semi-annual wellness exam and describing the whats and whys of a senior pet exam, end the post with a statement like: “Does your senior pup need a checkup? Our doctors recommend exams for pets eight and older twice a year! Book your pet’s semi-annual wellness exam here: yourveterinaryclinic.com/book.” Another example: Yadi came in for his first puppy checkup today! Dr. DeWilde loved cuddling this adorable face, and we also helped get Yadi off on his best paw forward by checking him from nose to tail, working with his owners and previous records to determine a preventative health plan including vaccines, heartworm, flea and tick prevention, and even checked his stool sample to make sure no creepy crawlies could come between him and his new family. If you’ve got a new pup that needs the same love and attention, we’re here to help! Book your appointment here: yourveterinaryclinic.com/book. 4. Ads & Boosts Ads and boosts (a type of ads) are easy ways to drive more online bookings for as little as $1/day. Running an ad and/or a boosted post through your Facebook page will give you the ability to add the “Book Now” button into your post (and take up some more real estate in the newsfeed), target the content you choose directly toward your audience, and have your content appear in locations outside of the newsfeed (on Facebook, Instagram, and even some of Facebook’s other owned properties--other apps and sites known as the Audience Network). Ads in particular don’t require a great social media post with lots of text and can be more direct: a simple photo with the statement of “Book Your Pet’s Appointment Today” targeted to pet owners in your area will suffice. If you haven’t tried an ad, start small and experiment with a $5-10 budget for a week. You just need a great photo and your online booking URL to get started. Similarly, if you’ve got a great post that directs owners to book (like one of the ones described above), consider giving it a little oomph by boosting that post. Don’t forget to edit your audience to target pet owners in your geographic area for best results. Starting Small:
Each of these booking methods can help direct more traffic into your practice and give you the opportunity to help more pets. Whether your budget is $0 or $1000, you simply need a good photo, a good story, and a link to your booking page. Get to booking! Caitlin DeWilde, DVM   If your practice's Facebook Page has less than 100,000 likes, you can invite people who react to your Page's posts to like your Page. This is a great way to organically grow your Page's followers, since it's possible that clients may have liked your post but not your Page...and we want them to see your future content too! The caveat here is to remember- focus on quality > quantity. It's almost always better to focus on reaching clients- existing and potential. Occasionally, a post will go viral or get reach outside your geographic area. While it's great for an engagement bump, these aren't great long-term Page followers. They're unlikely to engage with future posts-- particularly those that promote your practice and it's services, so in effect can downgrade your page engagement. It would be much better to build the page of followers in your local area that will be clients. However, inviting Facebook followers is a quick, easy and FREE way to grow your Page followers. The process will show the person's name, so you may recognize some existing clients. Further, you can often click or hover on the person's profile so you can confirm if they're local to your practice. Here's how: To invite people who react to your Page's posts:
 I’m a big fan of tools that help me do my job better and/or more efficiently. While my list of these tools is long, I wanted to share a few of my favorite Google chrome extensions. These extensions, automatically integrated into my browser windows, are tools that I use every day, and may help other veterinary social media managers. For info on installing and managing these extensions, click here!
Hoping these tools help you in your work, too! I’d love your feedback and to know your favorite Chrome extensions! Caitlin DeWilde, DVM  Kids, it's been a week. The last seven days have been some of the most stressful many of us have ever experienced. As I've shifted from helping practices market and run ads to helping them figure out how to use telemedicine and make COVID-related posts on social media, we're all adapting. In my own practices, it's been a day-to-day change and rapid/forced adoption of new technologies and policies. I spent my last shift conscious not only about my distance from the tech and the client but the inevitable distraction that came when some one-anyone- so much as sniffled or cleared their throat. It's just...been a week. And now that our teams are adjusting to a new normal-- for most of us, curbside care, dropoffs, non-essential/non-elective care-- many of my social media and consulting clients are asking- what the heck are we supposed to be posting? Our normal strategy of crafting a mix of promoting the practice, sharing fun photos, helpful articles and the occasional meme just doesn't seem right now. But social media is now so full of COVID-related posts making MORE of them hardly seems right either. How do we balance? How do we provide value without adding to the stress and overload? Here's what I'd recommend sharing (examples at the end, and please share yours with us too!): 1. How your team is helping: if your practice has donated gowns, masks or medical supplies, share a picture of the team packing it up or making the donation. If you've shuttered your surgery room to conserve PPE, take a picture of the dark empty room and tell the story of why your team thinks it's important. 2. Support the community: if your neighboring businesses are offering new curbside, carryout or delivery options, give them some social media love by sharing it on your pages. Just this weekend I was able to order a curbside pickup kids art project kit from the craft store, a DIY pizza kit from the pizza place down the street and a carryout dinner (even beer!) from a restaurant near my clinic as they try to minimize the loss of business. These solutions and offerings are creative, supportive and frankly, a welcome distraction (especially since I don't cook!). If your team always gets lunch or coffee from a local establishment, consider sharing a post to support them. 3. Convenience offerings: pet owners will still need food, meds and potentially, their care questions answered. Most practices have options to help in some way, and you should share these!
4. The team (at home). By now, some teams have had to cut staff or reduce hours or may even be mandated to stay-in-place. That's ok. That means that people are safe. It's not great for business and paychecks- I get it-- but it means that people are staying safe. If your team is staying home or reducing their hours, share pictures of your team at home cuddling with their pets. This will help showcase your team PLUS the knowledge that pets are not going to be a source of COVID, and let's face it- they're basically the best part of staying home right now and essential to our mental health! 5. Share what's relatable- we're all stressed, we're all tired, and we're all ESPECIALLY tired of COVID. A funny meme, video or totally non-COVID social post is OK. Looking for some good, safe sources? Check out The Pet Effect, Meowingtons or Mutts Comics. Or maybe this particular social media video that I've watched and laughed at 30 times this week (best with sound). 6. Consider supporting those with two-legged kiddos too. Many are stuck at home WITH kids, looking for things to do. My personal feed has erupted with live videos, at-home exercises, and kid-friendly online activities. If your practice is up for doing some kid-centered live videos, like a tour of the practice, a pet exam, or even reading a pet-themed story- I guarantee you this will be a hit with parents EVERYWHERE and further bond your practice to your community. Stay tuned- I'm working on a two-legged veterinary resources kit to share! It's a rough time to be a social media manager and this is an unprecedented experience that is continuing to evolve. Focus on your people and your practice first, and worry about social media if and when you can. Hopefully, these tips will give you a few ideas on keeping your page valuable to your practice and your followers. Stay safe! -Caitlin DeWilde, DVM      Increase your social media followers and positive reviews with this one change to your clinic email account. Every clinic sends dozens of emails every day-- from appointment confirmations to diagnostic test results to acknowledging receipt of records-- our practice is appearing in inboxes across our communities every day. Email communication with our clients is free, easy and accessible regardless of your practice management system software (or lack thereof). Why not take advantage of this opportunity and give your clients a one-click method to not only respond to your email, but also to connect with your social media channels and your review sites? Email signatures give practices this solution in a variety of creative formats. Email signatures, or the block of text that appear and the end of your emails, generally include a sender’s name, email address, business contact info or website. They can be saved and automatically appear with nearly all email providers. Grab the directions for Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo inboxes here! In our case, email signatures can be customized to include not only the practice’s contact information, but also links to our social media sites and our review sites (Google, Yelp, Nextdoor, etc). You could also consider, based on the way you set up your signature, an appointment booking link or other call to action statement and link. For instance, every email you send could close with something that looks like this:  You can make your practice’s signature as simple or fancy as you’d like. I’ve used tools like the free HubSpot email signature generator, the free version or a low-cost version from WiseStamp, or even simply hyperlinking your social sites in the text of your signature.
Personally, for most practices, I would recommend providing one-click links to your Facebook and Instagram channels, and a call to action statement and link to visit your review site on your website (hopefully this page has links to all of your review sites). If you don’t have that page on your website, no problem-- simply substitute your direct Google or Facebook review link. Data exists to support that email signatures do actually generate interest and catch the reader’s eye (check out this cool research and eye-movement analytics here). Take advantage of this opportunity to give your readers an easy to way to contact you, connect with you on social, review your practice and more! Happy signing, Caitlin DeWilde, DVM |
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