Equine practices rethink social media as a client communication tool

Social media can be more than a marketing channel for equine practices. In a new EquiManagement report published March 13, 2026, Amy L. Grice, VMD, MBA, recaps a 2025 AAEP Convention session in which Mike Pownall, DVM, MBA, argued that practices should treat social platforms as a structured client communication tool, not an afterthought. Pownall said teams should define the goal of each post, match content to the intended audience and platform, and balance brand-building with specific business or service-line initiatives. He also framed effective content around the “four Es”: educate, entertain, engage, and evangelize. (equimanagement.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the takeaway is less about posting more and more about posting with purpose. Social media now sits at the intersection of client loyalty, reputation management, and misinformation response. AVMA guidance urges practices to correct misinformation carefully, use competent, confident, compassionate responses, and rely on a defined response process when criticism or false claims appear online. The association has also built cyberbullying and reputation-management resources for veterinary teams, underscoring that social media is now an operational and risk-management issue, not just a promotional one. (avma.org)

What to watch: Expect more practices to formalize social media policies, assign trained staff rather than the “youngest digital native,” and tie posting strategy more directly to client education, trust, and misinformation management. (equimanagement.com)