Social Media and Local Coverage for Veterinary Practices

Social
Media

and Local
Coverage
Dr. Jim Humphries
Adjunct Professor
Media and Communications
Texas A&M University
College of Veterinary Medicine
Founder:
Veterinary News Network
American Society of Veterinary
Journalists

Copyright 2013, Veterinary News Network

Our Goals (in 50 minutes!)

• Crash Course in Media
Journalism
• Seven Steps To Get On
Local Media
• How Does Social Media
Fit In?

• Learn What Makes A Good
Story
• Learn How To Approach
Them
• Learn How They Think
• BE EASY To Produce!

A Crash Course In Media Interactions
(Traditional and On-Line)


Television
“video”
 Content Is King!
 Broadcast TV is great
 On-Line video is changing that
 Mobile video viewing is way up!
 You should learn basic video production skills
 Animal stories highly popular
 The chances of getting on Google Page One
Increase 53 TIMES with Video!

Radio
 Reaches huge audience
 Satellite Radio giving radio new Life!
 Weekly On-Line Radio Audience Sharply Up 17%
 Average person spends 21 hours each week.
 81% of all Adults listen to radio in the car each week
 Talk Radio has LOTS of time to fill!!
 Easy to do!

Print Media
 Much electronic media comes from print
 Half of Americans read print news daily
 Print companies finding new media strategy
 Citizen journalists: blogging
 Can be done when you have the time (stored)
 Can be re-purposed; clients / site / blogs


NEW Media!
Why The Explosion?
Today we SEEK news/information,
rather than wait!
Technology is wildly popular
Most Now believe traditional media does
not report facts or are biased!
Few Trust Today’s Media

To Be Effective:
Courage / Desire
Preparation / Rehearsal
Leads to  Confidence
Then
• Understand their side
• To have a good story
• To be “easy” to produce
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Keep in Mind:
• Remember news is happening NOW
• News is VISUAL
• News is information and entertaining
• News has an EDGE
• Local news is LOCAL
• News Producers are very pressed for time
• Be Quick!

Radio
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ENERGY!
ENTERTAINMENT
CONTROVERSY
COMPELLING
INFORMATION!
A CALL TO ACTION


News People Are:
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Ignorant of your issues
In a huge hurry – driven by deadlines
Rarely have underlying agenda
Don’t usually want too much detail
Like the negative or sensational
They are skeptical and probing
Think in sound bites or headlines
Not your friends
Not your enemies


How Can We Be
Successful?
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Learn what they need from you
Practice the skills
Don’t be shy about calling them
HAVE YOUR MEDIA TOOL BOX READY
Become a valuable “source”
Keep contacts up-to-date
Thank them and…
Send them story ideas


How Do We Use
Media For Marketing?
Earned Vs. Paid Exposure
Local daily, weekly, monthly paper
Coupons, Ads, Events…
Guest appearances
Newsworthy stories, contests,
Become media source
Regular appearances

Step ONE: The Story
 Determine what stories angles
are of interest to a news audience:
Examples:
DId You Know…
Home Hospice Is Here For Your Best Friend?
There Is A Lot We Can Do When It Looks Like The End?
Euthanasia Is Not The Only Answer
We Start Caring When The Medicine Stops
The New Science Of “State Of The Heart”
Our Pets Are Love Warriors, and We Honor Them
Palliative Care for Pet Friends
The Right Way To Say Goodbye

What Makes A Good Story :
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Something that is happening NOW
A seasonal event
An unusual case
Local happenings
Good causes
“How to” stories
The local angle on national news
The results of a new survey
A new product or service that will benefit people
Things that make people’s lives easier
Controversial issues
Make the producers head tilt! Huh!!


Step TWO: Media List
 Make a list of “most desired media” for your story
idea. This is the media that reaches your target
audience. And it is not necessarily all the big
media.
 Newspapers, radio, television, neighborhood
weeklies, “community” media is best.
 Gather contact information for this list keep it fresh.
Get email and faxes
 Don’t forget to ask staff and clients who they know

Step THREE: Make A Media Kit
• Glossy Binder
• Photo And Bio
• News Release
• Story Rundown
• Letters Of Praise And Testimonials
• Company History
• Letter Or Tape From Prior Media Appearances
• Potential Interview Questions
• Any Published Articles
• Your Business Card
• Brochure, Sample, Radio Tape, Promotional Item


Step FOUR: Deliver it
 Learn how to write a News Release
 Learn how to pitch the story to:
 Morning TV News
 Morning Drive Time Radio
 Talk Radio
 Specialty Shows
 Noon TV News
 General Community Affairs Shows
 Don’t forget the small stuff! Very effective.
 Learn how to pitch the story using E-Mail

Contacting The Media
 Do your homework and find out the right person to call. Don’t be
a pest – know how much is right.
 Find out when is the best time to call. Deadlines, on the air,
promo time, staff meetings.
 Remember they are very busy and you need to get to the point
quickly – 10 seconds! If they like the sound of your story idea, they
will give you more time.
 Create a one-page guide of your story and have it in front of you
when pitching.
 Don’t forget - you are building a relationship and a “no” only
means no for now.
 Be ready to send support info, discuss visuals, give back up data
and how the story affects local viewers, listeners and readers.

Connecting With Reporters
1. Know the media you are calling
“I love your show”, be a real consumer
2. Build and maintain a fresh media list
This takes time, staff can help, know their reporting

3. Know when and how to contact them
Fax, phone, email. Soon after a show is good

4. Get focused
Don’t “wing” a pitch. Prepare and be concise.

5. Think headlines
Save the details for later. Remember, listener, viewer and
reader service!!

Connecting With Reporters
6. Use email carefully
It works well, just use it correctly

7. Remind them who you are
They hear from hundreds a day – remind them

8. Stay in tune with your reporter base
Get something newsworthy to them every month

9. Do what you tell them
Follow through on all promises

10. Good Follow-up
Each one is a bit different as to how much is too much
Some like to be reminded. Try to get them on the phone.
Leave one message then no more. Try different times.

Step FIVE: Be A GOOD Guest!
• Arrive on or a little before
the time they ask you to.
• Dress properly; Lab coat & tie
or Business Casual – MORE Image
and IMPRESSION than fact is
communicated in media!
• Bring all your props, visuals.
• Be energetic, enthusiastic, personable, fun,
interactive, quick and be ready to think on your feet.
Give the audience the benefit of listening to you.

The Message:

• It is much more persuasive to connect
with an audience on an emotional level, as opposed
to a practical one, and emotions are evoked by
touching our values!
• STILL be focused! The message must be clear,
concise, value-based image or statement that
connects with the audience in a meaningful way.


Step SIX: Be Responsive
• To all media requests for information
• To all media’s really stupid questions
• To the media tendency to want everything on short
notice
• To all potential clients who have seen your wonderful
work and call your office.
• To the media’s desire to have you on again


Step SEVEN: Repeat Steps 1-6
• Become an avid radio listener and television viewer
• Develop a sense for what makes producers interested
in your profession
• Practice and improve your abilities to do good
interviews and news segments
• Approach the media with regular story ideas – you
want them to see you as a source of good information
• Don’t forget to tell your clients about your work in the
media

A Practical Overview Of
Social Media


hty
Mig
he
T


What Social Media Is NOT…
A quick path to success
Something for someone else to do
An immediate increase of new clients
A foolproof way to market your practice
A “set it and forget it” way…
A replacement for other publicity

Don’t believe that Social Media
is a fix for bad client service…
Without a well run, client friendly practice and staff,
social media can be a real double edged sword.
In fact, social media can allow an upset client to
reach thousands before they leave your parking lot! .
That will kill you.
Focus on outstanding client service and people will
sing your praises – Online and OFF-line.

What Social Media IS…
An inexpensive and easy way to target clients and
potential clients in your area
A way to create a positive first impression about
your business – before they even meet you!
Social Media allows you to earn a reputation as a
caring expert (And That Means With Media Too!)
An interactive, dynamic and high-tech tool that
enables you to educate and motivate clients

What Social Media IS…
Your website and/or blogs
Review sites (Yelp)
Comments on news stories/articles
Networking sites (Facebook, Twitter, Linked
In)
Video sites (YouTube, Vimeo)
Forums
Which social tool reaches the audience that
is best for you?

Success in social media is NOT measured
by the number of “fans”, “followers” or
“likes”
Success is measured by the quality of
the community
Engagement occurs when other people
like and share your content, widening your
audience
Don’t OUTSOURCE this important job!

Websites
• Beautiful & Simple
• Image and Impression
• FUNCTIONALITY:
Flash rotator
Map & hours
Services
Virtual tour
Staff Photos!
Appointments
Rx refills

Library
Few Links
Testimonials
Logos
Emergencies
Boarding & Grooming
After care instructions

Final note on websites
Remember…this is your HOME.
• Keep the pages fresh, especially the home page.
Don’t let months go by without updating the home
page.
i.e. Pet food recall information still on some
veterinary websites! (2005)
Per VetLearn…54% of practices updates their
site a few times a year or NEVER!!

Phone Number “Above The Fold” Please!


Founded in 2004
 Easy sign up, use and navigation
 Currently the largest social network (>1
Billion!)
 More than ½ log on every day!
 Very informal, social, friendly
 Can be used for Marketing, Education
 Relationship building (personal or business)
 Huge High School Reunion!
 Should have a Personal Profile and a
Business Page!


What To Put On
Your Page
Clients “like” your page because they are interested in you
and your hospital!
Anything that would be interesting to clients:
 Interesting cases (my experiment on what works)
 Photos / Videos
 Your Blog Posts
 What you are doing for the community
 Fun Facts about Pets
 Share other interesting business pages
 Make sure your Page is connected to your
website!

Warning!
A Facebook Page does NOT replace
your website!
Facebook

will always “own” the page and can
remove it at any time, without warning
Facebook’s platform, although powerful, is limited.
 Not easy to explain complex issues or topics.
Facebook is the “party”, your practice website is
HOME!
 Focus on bringing people to your home on the web


A House Build On Many Supports!


Connect with Twitter
Recommend connecting your Twitter
account with your Facebook Page
• www.facebook.com/twitter
• Allows your posts to be simultaneously
“tweeted”
• Keeps a presence on Twitter without extra
effort


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Began in 2011
Around 400 million registered users
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>100 million visit every month
Individual profiles and business pages allowed
“Makes connecting on the web more like connecting in
the real world”
Easy method of sharing different things with different
people.
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Circles, Hangouts


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Began in 2005
Second largest search engine
60 hours of video are uploaded every minute
500 Years of video are watched everyday on
Facebook
4 billion videos viewed daily
4 billion hours of video viewed monthly
SEARCH?? Your chances of being “Google
One” are 53 Times Greater with Video!


If you already have a Google account
(gmail, blogger, adwords, ad sense)
you can easily start your YouTube
channel.

Online video accounts for 50% of all mobile traffic!
YouTube accounts for 28% of all Google Searches!
Videos have a 41% higher click through rate than plain
text results.
But not easy for average practice or business.


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Began in 2003
More than 238 Million Users + 1 million new
per week (~100 M in US)
Professional / Executive (50% have BS or
Graduate Degree)
Huge Data Base and Search
Connecting gives you 3 levels of connections
Connect with highly connected people
81% belong to at least one group
3 Million company pages


Conn
ect

w ith H
ighly
C


onne

ct ed P

eople

Twitter
Learning to Listen
Many people don’t “get” Twitter and even
find it annoying.


Is Twitter For Real?
OR a Fad?
80% of Twitter accounts are inactive
20 million accounts are fake
@ 500 million users
340 million tweets daily
Most do not know how to use and abandon
94% of accounts have < 100 followers
5% of users = 75% of all activity
The Twitter “core” is very committed


What are people doing on
Twitter?
• According to Pear Analytics:

•Pointless babble – 40%

•Conversational – 38%
•Pass-along value – 9%
•Self promotion – 6%
•Spam – 4%
•News -4%
• The NEWS category is growing! As news
gathering / research in real time.

TweetDeck


HootSuite


Become A Certified Veterinary Journalist!
American Society of Veterinary Journalists

www.ASVJ.org

Contact Information:
Dr. Jim Humphries
Dr.Jim@MyVNN.com
719-495-2100

www.MyVNN.com

Social Media and Local Coverage for Veterinary Practices

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