Why social media is becoming a client communication tool

EquiManagement highlighted a 2025 AAEP Convention session in which Mike Pownall, DVM, MBA, argued that equine veterinary practices should treat social media as a structured client communication channel, not just a marketing add-on. The piece centers on using platforms to build loyalty, introduce team members, and strengthen brand identity, reflecting a broader message Pownall has shared elsewhere: social media works best when it’s intentional, consistent, and tied to practice goals rather than handed off casually to the most digitally savvy staff member. AAEP’s 2025 convention program also listed Pownall’s session, “The Effective Use of Social Media for Client Communication in Equine Veterinary Practice,” underscoring that this is becoming a formal practice-management topic, not a side conversation. (convention.aaep.org)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, especially in equine practice, social media now sits at the intersection of client education, reputation management, and misinformation response. AAHA describes social media as an essential tool for educating and communicating with clients, while AVMA and other veterinary groups have warned that online engagement also carries confidentiality, professionalism, and cyberbullying risks. That makes policy, message discipline, and role clarity just as important as posting frequency. In practice, the opportunity isn’t only client acquisition, it’s reinforcing trust with existing pet parents before questions, complaints, or misinformation escalate elsewhere online. (aaha.org)

What to watch: Expect more veterinary groups to frame social media less as promotion and more as a clinical communication and trust-building tool, especially as practices look for better ways to answer misinformation and protect their reputations online. (aaha.org)