Before You Photograph That Adorable Pet In Clinic ….
Your adorable pet patients are your biggest marketing asset. Puppy dog eyes, kitten whiskers, and fancy feathered noggins all lead to photograph marketing genius. If you’re not photographing each and every pet kid that comes through your clinic doors, you’re missing out and here are some great reasons why:
- most pet parents will love to see their pet kids on social media
- potential clients can see there are many pet parents that trust you with their pets care
- you can discuss treatment options and make your posts educational without appearing so
- pet people like pets, and they’re more likely to share your post growing your social media reach
BUT WAIT …. DID YOU GET PHOTO RELEASE CONSENT?
It’s hard to imagine someone would say no to a posting of their pet kids, but it can happen, and if you post without consent, it can lead to awkward moments and a possible disgruntled client. The line I always use before taking pet photos is the following:
“Fluffy is the most <amazing, gorgeous, adorable, sweet> <pet>. Would you mind if I shared on our clinic social media page? Everybody is going to love <him/her>.”
If it is a surgery or emergency case requiring hospitalization, I add to the above
“It will also be a great teaching moment for other pet parents to be educated on <insert illness>.”
In all my years in practice, I have never had someone deny me, not to say the day won’t come, but for the most part folks are really good about saying yes. Just ensure you pick appropriate times and medical cases to ask.
Written Photo Release
I always suggest to the clinics I work with, to have a “photo release consent” code in their practice software noted as “verbal photo release consent” and after verbal permission has been granted, it’s noted on the client file that verbal consent was received. You can go a step further and request written consent to attach to the file. Here’s an example of the verbiage you can use:
