Make Business Bloom Year-round With These Simple Marketing Tips

Spring is just around the corner and for many veterinary practices, this marks the busiest time of the year. With an influx of new puppies, kittens, and pocket-sized pets, the season serves as a fresh start and end to the slower winter months when pets are primarily indoors and thus less apt to get into any mischief.

But, don’t let good business leave you complacent. Strengthen your veterinary marketing strategy now to reap the benefits all year long! The following Marketing 101 tips will keep you seeing green from now through December:

Nurture existing relationships – Your longtime clients are invaluable to your bottom line. Don’t let them slide through the cracks and fall into the arms of a local competitor. Send out friendly emails with pet-related news articles or special offers periodically to remind them that you value their loyal patronage. The more personal, the better.

Learn from your clients – Your existing clients can provide insight to the strengths and weaknesses of your practice better than anyone else. Take advantage of this by promoting online reviews or by sending out email surveys to strengthen your customer service. Don’t forget to send out a ‘thank you’ note to everyone who participates.

Spring is in the air! But, don’t let good business and adorable baby animals distract you from continually marketing your practice.

Market creatively – A flimsy, faded-looking mailer that says a pet is due for X, Y and Z isn’t going to inspire anyone to schedule an appointment. Your marketing efforts should attract clients to you. Invest in a high-quality postcard mailer, include an incentive, or come up with an attention-grabbing, cost-conscious marketing package to attract business from new or existing clients. Be sure to have a clear objective and method of measuring your campaign’s success.

Commit to email marketing – Combining email marketing with your other veterinary marketing strategies is a great and affordable way to market your practice while also establishing your expertise with your audience. This is done through informative monthly email newsletters, new technology or staff announcements, and periodic promotions. As long as the email has value, your clients and prospective clients will read it. Again, know your objectives and make sure your email piece reflects your veterinary brand.

Utilize publicity – Local newspapers and media outlets are your practice’s best friends. Not only can news stories get the word out about things happening at your hospital, they are also more credible and more cost-effective than most paid advertising. Don’t expect every lead you provide to the media to result in a story, but if you have something worth sharing – do it.

Contact VetNetwork today for assistance with your complete veterinary marketing needs. Owned and operated by a veterinarian with more than 20 years of hospital ownership experience, our entire staff is dedicated to helping veterinarians increase business and generate long term growth. Reach us online or by calling (800) 564-4215.