Are you thinking of adding another social network to your social media marketing roster? If you’re considering Instagram, good choice! Instagram has surpassed Twitter in terms of users and continues to grow at a rapid pace. As a visual medium, it’s also a great choice for an industry teaming with adorable animals like yours!
If you’ve just created your practice Instagram account, and now you’re wondering what to post, this list is for you! We’ve compiled 24 different types of Instagram posts that veterinary practices are already successfully sharing online to the tune of tons of new followers and plenty of engagement. Use this list for inspiration, but don’t be afraid to think outside the box and get creative, and don’t forget the most important rule of social media – have fun!Before we dive into the Instagram posts, here are some quick bonus tips for starting out on Instagram:
- Always link to your practice from Instagram. We’ve seen a few veterinary hospitals with Instagram accounts who didn’t include their website address under the website section. Since the ultimate goal of social media marketing is to bring pet owners through your practice doors, it’s important to make sure they can move from Instagram to your practice website to learn more about your business.
- Conversely, also make sure you’re linking to your Instagram account on your practice website. This allows your followers and interested pet owners to find you on a more relaxed and personal platform as well.
- Don’t be shy about using hashtags! On Instagram, hashtags are a primary method of searching for interesting and relevant photos. Each dog breed has its own set of hashtags, and it never hurts to throw in local hashtags as well. A good rule of thumb for Instagram hashtags is 2-5.
23 Types of Instagram Posts
Patient Selfie
Selfies taken by patients may be pretty funny, but when that’s too challenging to get, you can always share the next best thing – a selfie of yourself with a patient:
Puppy/kitten photos
All your patients are cute, but people are especially susceptible to puppy and kitten pictures. So make sure to get consent and snap a quick pic of your youngest patients:
Puppy/kitten collages:
What’s better than a single puppy picture? How about a puppy collage? Not every day at a veterinary hospital is about puppies, but it’s a good day when it is, so why not share?
The holidays:
Christmas, Easter, St. Patty’s Day, Halloween – they’re all fair game on Instagram:
Funny sign photos
For when your sign is especially clever:
Interesting captions:
Sometimes, a picture is more impressive when viewers understand the context. A good caption can make all the difference, like the caption on this image that lets viewers know that not only is this a cute dog, but it’s also really young for its size!
Or this humorous post that makes light of a funny face:
The promo post:
Having an event? Offering a discount on teeth cleaning? Don’t be shy about using Instagram as another place to promote your latest deals! The more people you reach, the better your event will likely go. You can always make a cool graphic using an online design tool (link here) to keep things visual:
The staff appreciation post:
Introduce your staff to potential clients, and acknowledge how awesome they are by featuring them on your Instagram account. Belmont Shore Veterinary Hospital features a different staff member every month:
The cool procedure:
Surgery may be a little more than your clients can stomach, but some procedures can be fun to share, whether that’s a cat in goggles for laser therapy:
Or a puppy getting a snuggle while he gets his nails trimmed:
The exotic patient:
The majority of your patients may be cats and dogs, which means the majority of your posts will be as well. Which makes it extra awesome when you have an unexpected visitor. Share your unusual patients to capture the hearts of your other clients with exotic friends:
Here is your smile of the day “Tifa” at 6 months old running / playing in the exam room! A video posted by Sunnyview Animal Care Centre (@sunnyviewvet) on
The humor post:
You may be professionals, but not everything has to be serious. Keep the mood light and the humor flowing on your Instagram posts with silly jokes like this one:
The snuggle post:
Catch a tender moment between staff and pets and share with your followers:
The patient smile:
Nothing is better than a smiling patient who is happy to see you, and your Instagram followers will agree:
The clinic cat:
Sometimes your clinic cat is such a celebrity that they require their very own Instagram account to keep up with their fans, like Princess Buttercup of Belmont Shore Veterinary Hospital does:
The repost:
Social media is all about connecting and interacting with your clients, and one way to do that is through reposting. Dakota Veterinary Hospital demonstrated a great way to do this by encouraging clients to tag them in holiday themed pet pics, and then reposting those photos to their own Instagram accounts. Clients love this, because it makes their pet just a little more “famous,” and it’s a great way to interact with your followers.
(Instagram doesn’t have a repost feature, but apps like Insta Repost, Repost for Instagram, Regram, and others will allow you to share your followers’ Instagram photos to your own timeline, while sharing their username so others can trace the images back to their account.)
The hashtag post:
Penn Animal Hospital has taken on a very interesting strategy of creating a unique hashtag specifically for their practice. By superimposing their hashtag on some of their images, they let users know exactly which hashtag to check out to see all their adorable photos. This allows them to cut down on the number of hashtags they use, and it seems to be working for them. With over 4,000 followers, they’re killing it on Instagram:
Pets in clothes:
This type of post works for every social media platform. There is almost nothing cuter on earth than a picture of a pet wearing clothes, as Truin the pug proves:
The celebratory post:
When something big and exciting happens at your practice, whether that’s a renovation, a new baby, or an award, Instagram is the perfect place to share your gratitude and excitement.
The before and after photo:
Offer a service like grooming? Had a patient come in looking a little rough and you fixed them up? Take this opportunity to present a before and after photo, and demonstrate just how effective your services are.
Your staff being rockstars:
A recent post went viral on Facebook of a vet tech comforting a dog recovering from surgery. Your staff goes above and beyond for your patients every day, so don’t be afraid to share that on Instagram as well, and demonstrate the wonderful care your clinic provides for pets:
The video:
Don’t forget that Instagram also has video capabilities. You can upload up to 15 seconds worth of video, which is just enough time to share a quick snapshot of life at your practice:
Kiba shows us her skills! #MAH #mercyvets #mercyanimalhospital #animals #animalhospital #australianshepherd #dogs #fun #instadogs #loveanimals #pets #skills #tricks #vet #vettech #veterinarian #veterinarymedicine A video posted by Mercy Animal Hospital (@mercyvets) on
The adopt me post:
Not just for Facebook, adoption posts work really well on Instagram because the photos allow for a visual introduction to the pet up for adoption:
The event:
Whether your practice participated in a local event, held a neuter/spay clinic, or was involved in the community in some other way, don’t be shy about snapping some photos and sharing with your followers:
Still with us? Instagram is one of our favorite social platforms because its photo-heavy format makes it a great visual experience and a lot of fun for you and your followers alike. And if you’re already taking photos of your practice for Facebook and your website, it doesn’t take a lot of extra effort to add Instagram to your social lineup. Having a blast on Instagram? Share your favorite posts with us below!
