What Third-Grade Math Can Teach You About Veterinary Marketing

By Steve Klinghoffer

Teachers know that the secret to successful learning is repetition. Most people don’t have the ability to remember or learn material after seeing or hearing it only once. That’s why, when you were young, your teacher had you write your spelling words multiple times. Or maybe your third-grade teacher drilled your class on the multiplication tables over and over—until you knew them inside and out. Even when you moved beyond simple facts and on to complex concepts, repetition remained the key to successful recall.

This principle holds true in the world of marketing, as well. In my nearly 30 years of newsletter marketing experience, I have learned that when a marketing program is successful, it is usually the result of repetition. That doesn’t mean sending your audience the exact same message over and over again—after all, you’re not selling multiplication tables to your clientele. Rather, it means repeating your underlying message over and over again in different ways.

What message are you, as an accomplished veterinarian, trying to send to the people who bring their pets to your practice? That you are a knowledgeable, experienced, up-to-date professional who can be trusted and relied upon. What is the best way to do that? Offer reliable, insightful, up-to-the-minute information about day-to-day animal care and health issues that are of interest to your audience.

But what if the information in your marketing materials isn’t of specific use to the person receiving it? Can you send articles about puppy care to the owner of a parakeet? Articles about feline leukemia to someone who raises pugs? When possible, segmenting messages to your audience is ideal, but it’s not always practical or cost-efficient.

Not every article or every e-mail has to target an immediate need of every recipient. That’s all right. Not every mailing I receive from my accountant addresses something I need to know now. But when I find nuggets of information that I can use, I’m more likely to pay attention to future mailings from him. Regardless of the source, when I learn that this information is reliable and current, I know that it is worth my time in the future to pay attention to what that person has to say.

For your veterinary practice communication—whether it’s a paper newsletter, an eNewsletter, a blog or social media page—to be effective, it must be used consistently. If your content is high quality, authoritative and interesting to your readers, they will become accustomed to receiving it. They’ll even look for it.

A series of communications from you—not the occasional piece but item after item that reinforces your expertise as a veterinarian, that shows you to be a knowledgeable person who stays up-to-the-minute—embeds you in the recipient’s mind. Like a teacher whose regular math drills effectively teach multiplication tables, regular repetition of your message will make you the go-to person when someone needs veterinary services.

Steve Klinghoffer is president of WPI Communications, Inc., a newsletter marketing firm. In the past 29 years, he has helped thousands of professionals market their practices through client and patient newsletters, referral-generating newsletters and Web site content. For more information, please call 800-323-4995 or visit http://wpicommunications.com/.

For advice on any marketing strategies or services, contact VetNetwork at 603-743-4321 or check us out online. http://www.vetnetwork.com

Copyright © VetNetwork, LLC
VetNetwork – Marketing Solutions for Veterinarians and Veterinary Hospitals
www.vetnetwork.com
603-743-4321