Are you looking for ideas to attract more clients to your veterinary practice? You may have noticed that the way to promote your practice has changed completely in recent years. Digital marketing for vets now offers many opportunities for small and medium-sized veterinary practices that want to communicate their news and share information about their work.
However, digital marketing is full of specialisations and it is easy to get lost in SEO positioning, digital advertising, social media, etc. As a veterinary practice manager, it is practically impossible to focus on all these aspects and still get on with your work.
Although businesses often need a specific plan, in this article we will share the main strategies that you can apply when creating a digital marketing plan for your veterinary clinic.
Why Use Digital Marketing for Your Veterinary Practice?
Are you wondering whether digital marketing is a good investment? Before deciding if you should dedicate resources to promote your business’s digital presence, let’s review the main reasons why you should focus on digital marketing.
First of all, by not working on your marketing strategy, you may be missing out on some opportunities that would help you reach new customers. It is possible that most new clients come to your clinic thanks to the recommendation of an acquaintance. However, it is advisable to avoid this being your only method of getting new clients, and to take a proactive role in promoting your business. Using digital tools will help you understand what your main recruitment channels are and detect where you could improve
Secondly, maintaining a strong online presence positions you as an authority in the sector, which can build trust among your customers. According to Google, 82% of consumers look for information on the Internet before making a purchase. What impression will they have of your clinic if they can’t even find an opinion on the Internet?
Thirdly, digital marketing has the great advantage of being able to segment and target a very specific audience. For example, if you only cover a small part of the region you live in, you can just target people there.
Top Trends in Digital Marketing for Veterinary Clinics
There are numerous advantages to implementing digital marketing at your veterinary clinic. But where should you start? We are going to tell you about some of the strategic actions you can take to promote your clinic. These are things you can either do yourself or delegate to a professional.
Nurture Customer Relationships Through Email Marketing
Much has been said about the headache that social media algorithms pose for businesses. When starting out, it is common to open a profile on one of the most popular social networks, such as Facebook, Instagram or TikTok.
However, relying on these platforms is putting your business in an unstable situation. On many occasions, the reach of your posts is reduced and the relationship you establish with your followers is not very deep.
Fortunately, there are channels (such as email marketing) that allow you to build and maintain stronger relationships, to announce your centre’s news and to increase the loyalty of your current customers.
What can you do with email marketing? Here are some ideas:
- Organise a special class on pet care.
- Send a newsletter every two weeks or every month with tips on caring for pets
- Share the latest news from your veterinary clinic.
- Send an automatic email to your clients with a special offer to build customer loyalty.
You can also use this channel to improve the communication and relationship with your current clients. Sending appointment reminders, a summary of the visit, or following up on the treatment will help improve the client experience.
As you can see, there are many opportunities to work with email marketing to ensure that your clients and potential clients understand what you have to offer.
Stand Out on Google with Google My Business Listing
What do you do when you need information? Most people go directly to Google, so that’s where you should be too! One of the easiest ways to achieve this is through a Google My Business listing.
This is something that appears both in the search engine and on Google Maps when a user makes a local search with the aim of finding a nearby establishment or one that is located in a specific area.
Fortunately, this is a free service offered by the search engine itself and it is very easy to register. However, we recommend that you take the time to complete all the information and include images, a useful description, and the correct contact information.
Reach Your Customers with Targeted Ads
One of the main advantages of digital marketing is access to advertising and segmentation for small businesses. Depending on the platform, you can target by hobbies (Facebook Ads), professional positions (LinkedIn Ads) or keywords searched in the search engine (Google Ads). In addition, you can select your geographic area, as well as the age of the people you want to target.
Let’s look at an example. Let’s say that Charlie has a veterinary clinic in Brighton. His goal is to reach people in Brighton and surrounding areas who are specifically looking for a veterinary clinic. Through Google Ads, he can request that one of his ads be shown when someone in the area searches for “emergency veterinarian” or “veterinarian in Brighton”. During the weekend Charlie also organises events for dogs to socialise. Again, through Facebook Ads he decides to segment the Brighton area to show his Instagram ads to people there who are interested in dogs.
A Digital Marketing Opportunity for Veterinary Clinics
In this article, we have talked about the reasons why you should use digital marketing for your veterinary clinic and we have shared some of the strategies you can apply in your business. But, do you want to know the latest trends in the veterinary sector? At Dinbeat we want you to be up to date with the latest trends in veterinary medicine and technology. Therefore, we invite you to download our free ebook “12 Trends That Are Revolutionising the Veterinary Sector and You Should Adopt in 2022”.
