Building Your Veterinary Brand Around Storytelling

Let’s be honest: the core veterinary services differ very little from practice to practice. So what really makes pet owners choose your practice and not your competitor’s? With websites, social media, and review sites, they have an unprecedented amount of information at their fingertips. Increasingly, what truly sets your veterinary brand apart comes down to how you tell your story.

Imagine you are looking to buy a new winter coat. You are overwhelmed by your options. Every coat has a tag that lists its down fill, insulation, wind and water resistance and fiber content – percentages and numbers that should impress you, but essentially mean very little outside of any context.

Then, you come upon a coat that doesn’t talk facts and stats. The tag hanging from the jacket is instead devoted to telling you a story – a story about a person who climbs mountains, hikes through forests, bikes along rough terrain, navigates crowded streets, and who chooses to wear this coat.

Now, all because of a few words, this coat has meaning and value beyond its fabric and down fill. You see how this coat is more than a coat, it is an expression of a lifestyle. Now it stands out: it is different, better, uniquely suited for you. That’s storytelling at work.

Show, Don’t Tell

While buying a coat isn’t quite like choosing a veterinarian, storytelling, and the creation of meaning, context and emotion, works anytime a consumer is looking to buy a product or service. In fact, healthcare for a beloved pet – a relationship already fused with deep feeling – may lend itself even better to this approach.

Begin your veterinary hospital story with your story. Why did you become a veterinarian? What is most meaningful to you when it comes to your patients and clients? What are your most memorable professional experiences? Give pet owners a chance to know you so you stand out from other practitioners in your area.

When you talk about your wellness services, tell us about a specific pet you care for and how regular wellness examinations have made his or her life healthier and happier. Want to talk about senior pet care? Tell pet owners about an older patient who is living happily into old age thanks to the special preventive care regimen that your practice offers. Your diagnostic services come to life and have real impact when, instead of talking matter-of-factly about all the problems X-rays and ultrasound can identify, you tell the story of a sick or injured pet who was saved thanks to the technology at your practice and the unsurpassed skill and knowledge of your medical team.

Tales Bring More Tails to Your Practice

Don’t worry if you’re not a wordsmith. VetNetwork’s talented editorial team knows how to help you choose the stories that mean something to pet owners, demonstrate your expertise and capabilities without explicitly selling them, and ultimately bring pet owners through your door. We have lots of resources and knowledge regarding how to build your veterinary brand that we’re eager to share. To learn more, please give us a call today!

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