(This post was originally published on March 30, 2015, and has been updated to even better!)
Worried that your Facebook Page is starting to look a little blah? It can be tough to come up with new posts to keep your Page fresh, so we cooked up some post ideas that will resonate with your followers, encourage engagement, and spice up your Page.
Q&As
Q&A posts can be an awesome opportunity to show off how knowledgeable your staff is and engage your fans at the same time. Take Q&A posts to the next level by making this a regular content series that fans can look forward to and participate in each week. Get the ball rolling with your own questions for the first few weeks, but add a call to action at the end of each post asking your followers to contribute their own questions. And be sure to mention fans by name when you answer their question, both to reward them for asking the question and to encourage other fans to join in.If you’re looking for initial starting ideas, consider common problems pet owners have. This is an opportunity to teach pet owners how deal with behavior issues humanely and effectively. Offer tips to common problems like having a pet sit through a claw trimming or stopping your cat from jumping on the counter.
There are a couple of approaches you can take to Q&As. You could start a video series and upload your video answers to Facebook (we recommend this over submitting your videos to YouTube and sharing from there – you’ll get higher reach with direct uploads). Or, if creating a video requires too much time and effort, you could simply create a status with the question and answer. You could also create a blog post and give a more in depth answer. Then, link to your Q&A blog on Facebook, but provide a shortened version of the Q&A in the description, with a call to action to go to your blog for more details.
Fill in the blanks
I recently did an experiment on my personal Facebook profile where I asked people to fill in the blanks on how my parents would feel when they returned from their vacation to Florida. I had always heard that fill in the blank social posts were successful, but until I tried one for myself, I had no idea just how successful they were! My fill in the blank post generated 8 comments. This is in comparison to my usual number of comments, which is zero. Talk about an increase in engagement!
What makes fill in the blank posts so engaging? First, these posts naturally invite responses by being incomplete. They also do most of the work on the comment. All the commenter has to do is add on to a mostly complete sentence. You’re also directly asking for comments, which makes the reader feel welcome to respond.
To create a great fill in the blank post, ask your clients something about themselves or their pet, such as the name of their first pet, the toy their dog likes the best or their cat’s favorite place to sleep. Don’t be afraid to lead by example and fill in the blank yourself first. For example, your post could read: With a response of your own, you’ll get your readers thinking and let them know how easy it is to join in.
Behind the scenes
Give your Facebook fans a sneak peek of what’s going on behind the scenes at your practice. Did someone show up a great Halloween costume? Are you all wearing green for St Patty’s Day? Maybe you’re adding a mural to your practice or flowers to your front path. If something unusual or awesome is happening at your practice, let your Facebook fans in on the action. We personally had a rather delicious cupcake day that we couldn’t resist sharing.
By posting pictures or videos about what’s happening at your practice, you’re personalizing it and making it easier for your Facebook fans to picture engaging with you in person. You’re also reminding your Facebook fans that there are real (fun!) people behind the posts on your social media.
Photos of pets
We’ve recommended this one before, but we like it so much, we’re going to say it again. Pictures of animals are hugely popular on the Internet, and you have a ton of them to show off. So take advantage of this great marketing asset by featuring pictures of pets on your Facebook Page. Similar to the behind the scenes posts, these photos will personalize your practice and show real pets in your practice. As an added bonus, pet parents might be so pleased that they’ll share your post on social: And it doesn’t just have to be client’s pets. Posting pictures of your own pets can add some cuteness to your Facebook Page and make you more relatable to pet owners. After all, you’re one of them!
Quotes
People love to read and engage with quotes on Facebook. Inspiring or moving quotes are a really easy and positive thing to share, and they make people feel good. So give your Facebook fans a boost with some touching quotes.
You can always use quotes about animals and pets, but if you run out of those, or want to change it up a bit, it’s also fine to just share positive quotes, such as encouraging people to seize the moment or live in the present. If you’re looking for quotes, Quotery is worth checking out, and you can always rely on Google.
You can also spice up your quotes by placing them over images. This is a popular way to make your post stand out.
I created both these quotes in less than 5 minutes using Canva and free images I downloaded. With these tools, it won’t be hard for you to create your own eye-catching quotes for your Facebook Page.
Selfies
Selfies have taken the Internet by storm. They may seem a little goofy or self-centered, but that’s part of the charm. Show the lighter fun side of your practice by sharing an occasional selfie of the staff, or even better, a pet selfie! Selfies shouldn’t be posted daily, but you could make it a part of your weekly content rotation with the use of hashtags like #SelfieSunday (or substitute in any day of the week after #Selfie).
Milestones
Post and celebrate your practice milestones. Have you moved your practice to a new location? Has a staff member been with you for 10 years? Did you reach 500 Facebook fans? Whatever the occasion, include your fans in your celebration by noting the milestone on your Facebook Page, and thanking your fans for supporting your practice every step of the way. Share photos if applicable. Celebrating your milestones is a great way to include your fans in the significant moments of your practice.
Stats and Facts
All you have to do is look at LifeLearn’s Did You Know series to see how popular fact posts can be. Introduce interesting pet facts or statistics that pet owners might not be aware of to engage and intrigue them. The more amazing the information, the more shareable it is to friends and family, so think of the coolest/most important pet facts you know, or do some research to come up with tidbits that make fans go “cool!” or “I didn’t know that!”. Try to balance a mix of informative facts (e.g., you can buy dog toothpaste to brush your pet’s teeth) and just cool information (e..g, a collection of cats is called a clowder).
As with the quotes, you can easily create cool images for your pet facts and stats with tools like Canva – or download our package of pre-designed did you know facts to make your life even easier! Spicing things up doesn’t have to be difficult. Use these post ideas as a way to refresh your Facebook Page and engage fans with your practice.
Short on time? Find out how we can make posting to social media fast and easy for you with WebDVM Social!
