Everything you need to know about mobile apps and YouTube (Proceedings)

Did you know that the #2 search engine in the world didn't exist six years ago? And most people don't even think of it as a search engine! What are we talking about?....YouTube, of course. If you regularly Google your practice's name, you should start doing the same on YouTube! You might just be surprised by what you find.

YouTube is the very definition of social media: it's something that is interesting, and of value that is created and published online for free by everyday people. People are turning to YouTube for entertainment, to learn more about something, and even to search for topics of interest normally reserved for Google searches. The use of video allows people to tell their stories in a different way. It adds richness to stories that words or pictures alone cannot.

Your veterinary practice should not only start uploading videos to YouTube to promote your services, but also to educate clients. You can begin by creating your YouTube channel. This will not only give you a “home page” on YouTube, but your clients will be able to subscribe to your channel, making it easy for them to view new video posts on a regular basis.

There are so many things you can do to create content for your channel it's almost endless. Begin by creating a list of possible topics and build from there:

·         Turn your client education handouts into short video clips

·         Create “how-to” videos for your clients, as in “how to clean your dog's ears” or “how to give your cat a pill”

·         Create a video tour of your practice, narrating as you walk through each area of the hospital

·         If you can write a blog article about something, consider taking it a step further and turning it into a video article instead

Today, creating video and uploading it to the Internet is easier than ever. Did you know that every five minutes, more than 100 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube? Your practice can break into this video revolution with an investment of less than $200. One of the easiest to use, portable video cameras is the Flip camera, available for around $150, in HD. You can simply point and shoot, plug it directly into your computer's usb port and upload your captured video footage directly to YouTube! Your smart phone might also have video capability. Just last week, as I was walking through the treatment area, one of the Technicians let me know we were about to begin a c-section. I had my iPhone in my hand and went right to work, filming all the activity as each puppy was delivered. Within an hour, our video was uploaded to our YouTube channel and a link was posted on our Facebook page to share with our clients.

Think of YouTube as “the place” on the Internet where you store all your videos. You can then link to specific videos using your website, your blog, your Facebook page, and even Twitter posts. The more links pages have on the Internet, the better, in terms of search engine power. When you add video to your social media strategy, you'll be appealing to a much broader audience and connecting in a more emotional way.

The future of social media and marketing in general is mobility. People are no longer tethered to their laptops, dependent on Wi-Fi access. Our cell phones are so much more than cell phones and will soon be replacing computers in terms of mobility. Factor in the iPad and other small portable devices and you can easily see that people who utilize the rapidly changing technology will be accessible anywhere and anytime. More than 4 billion people use cell phones in the world today. If we follow the trends that are being seen in China and Japan, you can expect that number to double within three years.

Mobile apps are making it easier and easier for people to share where they are, what they are doing, and what they think, all from their phone. Imagine you spot a “mention” of your practice on Twitter and when you look closer, you see it's actually a Foursquare check-in that has been cross-posted to Twitter and there's a photo attached. Click on the photo and you see the picture of a dog in one of your exam rooms wearing a new bandana. Look closer and you might see that it was posted minutes ago and that same client is still sitting in that exam room….think it won't happen? Think again! I've had it happen more than once in our practice.

With Google reporting a 500% growth rate in mobile search queries between 2008 and 2010, it's time to ask what your practice is doing to become more mobile. You should look at this as an opportunity to “own your location” through these mobile search portals. Hopefully, your presence on Facebook and Twitter are fairly strong by now, and you already have a toehold in the mobile world simply through these established venues.

Your next step is to explore geographic specific apps such as Foursquare, Yelp, Loopt, Whorl and Gowalla. Find out which ones seem to be the predominant apps in your community and start being a part of them. Do your research because you don't want to try to be in every forum, just the ones that your community seems to be the most active in. Check out Localytics for a free look at analytics specific to your area for these geographic tracking apps.

You can reward your biggest fans by offering app-only discounts with check-ins. Get creative! Who wouldn't love a free nail trim when they check-in at your practice on Foursquare? Social media and mobile apps are the equivalent of word-of-mouth on steroids. Is it worth a free nail trim for potentially hundreds of people to know where that client takes his pet for veterinary care? I think so!