I came across this fascinating article on a flour company in the USA that is over 200 years old and is doing an awesome job on social media (A social media lesson from a 200-year-old flour company (SmartCompany)).
Yes… a flour company… the white powdery stuff you use in baking. Can you think of a more generic product?
And it got me thinking. If they can do such an amazing job developing an active, passionate, thriving community, then there’s absolutely no reason why your veterinary businesses can’t do the same!
King Arthur sells generic, white powdery stuff that, out of its packaging, is totally indistinguishable from its competitors.
You offer so much more! You help your clients with an incredibly important relationship in their life – their pet.
So I thought it would be interesting to compare what King Arthur does with their online presence with what you could do in your veterinary business.
It’s important to note that King Arthur didn’t achieve this amazing thriving community overnight – it’s taken them a few years to determine what works best and for them to build their community.
What does King Arthur do?
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What could you do?
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| They sell flour |
You deal with an emotional and very important part of many client’s lives |
| They produce interesting and engaging content on ….flour! |
You can create interesting and engaging content on…. pets! Dogs, cats, mice, rabbits, horses, fish, lizards, snakes, turtles, cows, sheep…… |
| Their strategy is not to sell ‘flour’ but to educate the public on cooking with flour |
Your strategy shouldn’t be about selling your veterinary services but educating the public on how to look after their pets |
They market their brand by telling interesting and informative stories across multiple mediums:
- Website
- Social media
- Video
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You can provide interesting, informative information on a range of animals across multiple mediums:
- Your website
- Social media
- Video
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FACEBOOK
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| King Arthur On Facebook:
www.facebook.com/kingarthurbaking
Ovre 1.2 million Likes |
Your Facebook Page: |
Uses Milestones to tell the story of the business
- Founded in 1790
- Includes some photos through the 1800’s
- Includes photos of moves, upgrades
The regular posts on their timeline now include interesting information about cooking and LOTS of amazing images of gorgeous food (aka food porn). |
Use milestones to tell your story:
- When did the practice start?
- What was there before your practice?
- Photos of equipment purchases
- Photos of when new services were introduced
- Awards received by the business
- Milestones of the staff/owners – qualifications received, etc.
Your regular posts can include a range of interesting information and LOTS of gorgeous images of animals: your animals. your staff’s animals, your patients…. just generally gorgeous animals. |
YOUTUBE CHANNEL
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| King Arthur You Tube Channel:
www.youtube.com/user/kingarthurflour
145k Subscribers, |
Your YouTube Channel: |
| ‘How to’ videos on baking |
‘How to’ videos: e.g.
- How to give a cat/dog a pill
- How to clip nails
- How to massage an elderly pet
- How to clean cat/dog’s ears
- How to clean cat/dog’s teeth
- All the other fascinating ‘how to’s’ other types of pets require
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| Educational videos on farming |
You could also have educational videos on areas that impact your practice:
- Farming,
- The life of a vet, vet nurse, practice owners,
- Puppy farming,
- Environmental issues,
- Your favourite charity,
(I don’t think you should be afraid of educating people in things you believe in – as long as you don’t ‘preach’ people often appreciate the opinions of an expert) |
TWITTER
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| King Arthur Flour on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/KingArthurFlour
63k followers |
Your Twitter account |
- Mostly they just ‘connect’!
- Check out how many of their tweets start with @xyz which means they’re replying to people & sharing their content
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- Twitter really isn’t for selling – it’s for connecting & conversing (in 140 characters!)
- You may be very surprised at who you meet in Twitterland (I admit – most of my interesting connections & resources have originated from Twitter)
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WEBSITE
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| http://www.kingarthurflour.com/
Shop Page:
- Sells a range of products and baking accessories
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- Why not sell OTC products from your website?
- What about pet accessories? (you don’t need shelf space if you sell online!)
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| Recipes Page |
- Pet information – links to articles & information
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Flour Matters Page
- Information on their products
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- List your veterinary products & services
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Education Page
- Information on baking workshops
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There are lots of educational opportunities:
- Puppy pre-school
- Educational seminars:
- Senior pets
- Overweight pets
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| Community Page
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Your Facebook Page, Twitter & Blog comments is a great way to set up a community |
Blog Page
- every blog has amazing images of food!
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There are lots of topics you could blog about:
- Interesting cases
- Local issues eg ticks
- General topics
- Funny things
- Team achievements
Don’t forget to add in an awesome image each time!
And don’t forget to add that ‘Photo Release Form’ to your files. |
One last thing……
Remember King Arthur sells flour…. but to them, it’s more than just flour. Check out this image I found on the internet:
So if these words can describe flour, what words would you use to describe your veterinary business? Tell us in the comments section below.
I am constantly amazed at the resourcefulness of some businesses. Bravo to King Arthur for engaging themselves and their customers in so many ways and bravo to you for pointing out the ‘should be obvious’ parallels with veterinary practice. Really good blog entry.
Thank you Emily 🙂 I’m so pleased to hear you enjoyed the blog. And I agree, some businesses are really good at looking ‘outside the square’. The owners of King Arthur are obviously passionate about what they do – just like many veterinary practices owners are passionate about what they do. The trick is to bring your clients along for the ride!