Marketing your veterinary practice takes more than just putting your name on giveaway items or discount coupons.
Retaining and growing your client base is a challenge under any circumstances, not just during a pandemic. And marketing your veterinary practice takes more than just putting your name on giveaway items or discount coupons. What can you do to get your message to your potential customers – safely, effectively and affordably? It is going to come down to appealing to your audiences where and how they like to get their information – online.
Go Where They Are
Where do your clients hang out online? According to Pew Research, Facebook and YouTube are the most popular places across all demographics.
Let’s start with the lowest hanging fruit: a Facebook page for your business. This should be a separate page specifically for your practice, with a personality that reflects you and your team’s friendly professionalism. High quality photographs, fun graphics and/or short videos paired with written messages relevant for your customers can lay a good foundation for attracting and connecting with them. It is easy to set up and there is no cost, Check out “how-to’s” from Facebook here.
In addition to no cost posts (which should happen regularly), consider trying paid Facebook advertising. With a small budget, put together a paid ad for an audience target based on a combination of:
- Physical location
- Their specific interests (for example, followers of “Dogs Fans”, a Facebook group of 800k+ dog lovers)
- Age and/or gender
There is also something called a “look alike audience” you can use in reaching people who “look like” your current followers or contacts. Regardless of how you create your audience, a paid ad can be a great way to launch a new service or highlight something unique you have to offer the community. Just be sure to have a strong call-to-action to convert their interest into a direct connection with your practice.
There are a variety of ways to reach your audiences through YouTube. From creating your own short series of “tips and tricks” videos for reptiles to “The Veterinarian Answers Your Questions,” the sky is the limit for potential topics. Create a playlist of videos you think your patients’ owners will find most interesting – and then use the videos to help populate your website and other social media.
Looking to target younger audiences? Maybe those in their 20s adopting their first pets on their own? Or those in their 30s establishing families and more pets? Consider Instagram. These segments are heavily represented on this social media platform and it is a visually oriented way to provide an online presence for your practice. Put your best foot forward with a strong bio and visual to anchor your account.
