While most products can sell on impulse, veterinary services are sold as they’re needed. To be effective at marketing, you need to find ways to get pet owners to think about your practice when they need help with their pets, whether they’re looking for a new vet or are already established clients. Here are a few ways you can market your practice to better acquire and retain your clientele.
The World Wide Web Can Be Local
Does the scope of the advertisement you’re considering cover an area that
includes people who are likely to be customers? Is there a way you focus on pet
owners? If it doesn’t, you’re likely wasting your money. While opportunities
for highly focused advertising in local media may be limited, there is a lot
you can do to reign in customers through your website. Having pages that
explain your services and highlight your staff don’t just show possible
customers why they should choose your clinic, it also helps them find your
clinic when they’re looking for something specific for their pet. Add your
website to cards and other products that you hand out to customers, and they
can get more in-depth information than you can fit on paper when they’re
looking for new services.
Connect to the Community
Marketing doesn’t always have to be straight advertising: being active in the
community can help put your clinic in a positive light, whether that means
helping with adoption events, hosting photo competitions in local papers,
magazines and websites, or just acting as a drop-off spot for donations to
animal shelters.
Market Inside Your Clinic
First impressions start when clients enter your clinic. Doing what you can to
make the waiting room comfortable for people and their pets can go a long way toward
their overall attitude toward your practice. While they’re there, you can use
that space to promote services and events with brochures and fliers. When they leave, make sure they have some way to contact you in their hands.
This can go well beyond
business cards, including items like bags, medicine and even colorful invoices.
Focus on Current Clients
It’s a lot easier and cheaper to retain your current clients than find new
ones. While some turnover is normal, making a concerted effort to keep your
current clientele helps build a relationship that can lead to better word-of-mouth
advertising and increased spending per visit on side items like toys, food and
other pet care products.
Even if the client had a great experience, it may be months before they need
your services again. Appointment
reminder cards, birthday cards, branded
bags and
calendars can help you keep your
clinic’s contact information at hand when the client needs your services again.
Promote Other Services
Once you’ve established a relationship with a client, they’re likely to turn to
you first for services outside of regular medical care like grooming and
boarding. Make sure they know you offer these services by having them listed
with your information, whether it’s on a reminder card, business card or
promotional item.
Start Improving Your Marketing Strategy
Today
Positive Impressions can help you market to your clients through our range of
standard and
customizable veterinary products including everything
from reminder cards to sympathy kits. Using these items will help you keep in
contact with your customers and show that you care about their pets.
Through the month of November, we’re running a special on
occasion cards: buy three packs and
we’ll send you one free! This includes cards for pet birthdays, sympathy,
congratulations and welcoming new customers.