Equine practices rethink social media as client communication tool

Social media is becoming a more deliberate part of veterinary client communication, and a new EquiManagement report suggests equine practices may need to think about it less as optional outreach and more as core infrastructure. Covering Mike Pownall’s presentation from the 2025 AAEP Convention, the article says practices can use social platforms to build client loyalty and strengthen brand identity when communication is planned around audience, purpose, platform, and timing. (equimanagement.com)

The message isn’t entirely new, but it’s landing in a different environment. Pownall has been making the case for years that social media can deepen trust and visibility for equine practices, and EquiManagement has previously framed social platforms as a low-cost way to stay connected with horse-owning clients. What appears to be changing is the level of structure now being recommended: not simply posting updates, but treating social channels as part of a broader business and communication strategy. (dvm360.com)

In the new article, Pownall recommends building content around the “four Es” of social communication: educate, entertain, engage, and evangelize. He also argues that storytelling matters more as platform algorithms keep changing, that video now dominates, and that user-generated material tends to outperform reposted content. The article cites 2025 Pew data showing broad adult reach for YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, reinforcing the idea that practices need to choose channels based on where their audiences already spend time. It also makes a practical business point: unpaid reach may be under 10%, so boosting posts should be considered part of the marketing budget and measured against clear goals. (equimanagement.com)

That advice lines up with wider veterinary industry guidance, but it also runs into familiar guardrails. AVMA reputation-management guidance tells practices not to disclose confidential client information online, not to escalate arguments with critics, and not to delete posts unless they clearly violate community standards. The RCVS likewise says veterinary professionals should apply the same professional standards online as offline and encourages practices to implement social media policies for staff. Recent veterinary business guidance has also emphasized written policies, especially as teams navigate polarizing topics, reviews, and brand risk. (avma.org)

There’s also a misinformation angle that matters beyond marketing. AAHA has been offering training focused on helping veterinary teams address online misinformation, strengthen medical recommendations in digital conversations, and create crisis-response and content-approval systems. In practice, that means social media isn’t just about attracting clients; it’s increasingly part of how practices defend trust when pet parents arrive with advice from influencers, search results, or viral posts. That’s an inference from the broader guidance, but it fits the direction of travel across veterinary communications education. (aaha.org)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the takeaway is that social media strategy now sits at the intersection of marketing, client education, reputation management, and clinical trust. A well-run account can reinforce preventive care messages, explain local disease concerns, and make a practice more familiar before a first appointment. But the same channel can quickly expose teams to privacy breaches, boundary problems, and public disputes if roles and rules aren’t clear. For equine practices in particular, where client relationships are often long-term and highly personal, a consistent, policy-backed approach may matter as much as the content itself. (equimanagement.com)

What to watch: The next step is likely more operational than philosophical: more practices assigning clear social media responsibility, setting approval and response protocols, tracking performance metrics, and deciding when paid distribution is worth the spend. Convention coverage and continuing education offerings suggest this topic is moving from informal advice into standard practice-management training, especially as misinformation and online reputation become harder to separate from everyday client communication. (convention.aaep.org)