Equine practices rethink social media as a client tool

EquiManagement reported that Mike Pownall, DVM, MBA, used a session at the 2025 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention in Denver to argue that equine practices should treat social media as a deliberate client communication channel, not just a place for announcements. His recommendations were practical: decide the goal of each post, match the message to the audience and platform, respond quickly and sincerely to negative feedback, and build content around the “four Es” he outlined — educate, entertain, engage, and evangelize. He also emphasized storytelling, video, and user-generated content, while warning that unpaid posts now typically have limited reach on major platforms. (equimanagement.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, this is less about marketing polish than about trust, retention, and misinformation control. A stronger social presence can help practices answer common questions before they become appointment friction, reinforce brand identity, and give pet parents a reliable source when online advice is noisy or wrong. But the opportunity comes with risk: veterinary guidance from AAHA and AVMA-linked resources stresses that client confidentiality, secure communications, consent for photos or case details, and careful handling of negative reviews all need clear policies behind the posts. (equimanagement.com)

What to watch: Expect more practices to formalize social media policies, budgets, and content workflows as client communication, reputation management, and misinformation response continue to converge. (blog.avmaplit.com)