As a veterinarian you are responsible for caring for America's beloved furry friends, and we sure do love our pets. In fact, there are 88.3 million owned cats along with 74.8 million owned dogs in the U.S alone, and it is your job to heal and treat animals no matter what malady they may have.
But since you have to impress both the pet and their owner, it is important to stand out and make an impression. Here are some fun, quick ways to add personality to your practice, and keep those pets close!
Create a loyalty program
Keep those customers coming back by creating a loyalty program that will reward clients for repeat visits. They can either earn free pet accessories and food, special coupons and rewards, or a free grooming service after a certain amount of time.
Create a warm atmosphere
You will want your clients to feel at home the minute they step through the door, so make sure to decorate with warm, inviting colors! Choose a theme, and keep it consistent throughout the waiting room and examination rooms. This could be anything you'd like, from rainforest or jungle-inspired themes, to huge paw prints leading the way, to a montage of popular movie animals.
Share pictures of patients
A new client may be wary of your skill and expertise. Make sure to calm their fears by posting happy and smiling pets all over the walls. This can be Christmas card pictures, thriving patients after surgery, or special heart-warming stories. And since this is the digital age, you should also be sharing those happy photos on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Just ask patients for permission to tag them in the posts.
Send reminder occasion cards
Occasion cards are a great way to remind your patients they are due for an appointment or they have a booked appointment coming up. The opportunities for personality are many: you can send out pet holiday cards, animal welcome cards, and veterinary sympathy cards for losing a pet. Plus, 70% of Americans believe mail is more personal than the Internet, so you will be sure to make an impression!
Be active on social media
Everyone has social media accounts nowadays, including some of your furry patients! So having an interacting, engaging account is a great way to be relatable to patients. We've already told you to share photos from your waiting room, but also post interesting pet news, fun pet memes, and a helpful blog where patients can go if they have any questions about pet care.
Just follow these tips and you are sure to have patients trot through the door!