Did you start a new Instagram page for your veterinary clinic? Or maybe you’ve had one for a while with little-to-no activity. It’s time to use your Instagram to your advantage by building up your follower count and marketing your clinic to your followers.
It can take a lot of time and effort to build up a following on Instagram, but we’ll break it down into a few steps to kick start your follower count.
Set up a business account.
When creating an Instagram profile, there are two profile options; personal and business. Personal profiles are for individuals, while professional accounts are for businesses. You’ll want to make sure your clinic’s Instagram is a professional one so that you have access to features like analytics, contact information, and other business-only features.
If you already have an established account but have it set up as a personal one, you can still change your profile type. These are the steps to having a business account.
Optimize your profile.
The most important thing to do when your goal is to build up your following is to fill in your profile information completely. This is your space to tell your potential followers exactly who you are. It will also make it easy for your current clients to find your profile. Optimizing your information is essential in developing your account and setting you up for success.
You’ll want to make sure all of your important information is up to date in your profile and matches your branding across your entire online presence consistently. To edit your Instagram profile, click on your profile photo in the bottom right-hand corner. Then click ‘Edit Profile.’
Your name should be your full business name. It is essential to make sure this name is consistent across your entire online and real-life presence. For example, if your clinic is named ABCD Animal Care Clinic, use the full name. If your Facebook says ABCD Animal Care, your Google My Business profile says ABCD Animal Clinic, and your Instagram says ABCD Animal Care Clinic, this will create much confusion, even though there are subtle differences in the names of each account.
Next, you’ll want to link to your website and fill out your bio. You get 150 characters in your bio, so make it short and sweet!
Turn on your notifications.
A surefire way to ensure that your Instagram profile is being pushed to more potential followers is to keep your account active and engaged. By turning on your notifications, you can be alerted when someone comments, likes, or shares your posts. If you receive a comment, you should respond quickly to keep the conversation going. This boost in engagement will grow your profile’s popularity and will also increase your credibility online.
Staying on top of comments is just one component of managing your digital presence. It’s also one of many things that WhiskerCloud’s content clients no longer have to worry over. Our team is comprised of social media experts that will manage your accounts for you! This includes creating and scheduling posts along with responding to your followers on your behalf.
This is how to do it:
- Tap
or your profile picture in the bottom right to go to your profile. - Tap
in the top right, then tap 
Settings. - Tap Notifications and adjust your settings.
Set up a regular posting schedule.
Consistency is key with social media. Instagram’s algorithm is mysterious, but one thing we do know is that it favors accounts that have high engagement. This means that the more active your account is, the better. Plan out your content in advance and stick to a posting schedule. Developing a social media strategy is quite the undertaking as there is a lot of trial and error in figuring out the best times to post for your audience. When you’re just starting, it is best to pick a few days a week to post and keep track of your engagement levels, then see if you need to adjust.
As we’ve said before, a lot goes into managing your clinic’s Instagram profile and, even more so, if your goal is to grow your follower count. Want to learn about how WhiskerCloud can take care of all of this for you? Schedule a demo today, and we’ll walk you through all the amazing features that come with being a content client!
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