7 Clever Advertising Ideas for Veterinarians Who Want to Wow Their Audience

You run the best veterinary office in town. But, not everyone knows that yet.

You need to get the word out!

Your clients are happy. Their pets are healthy. Your staff is friendly. And all animals get free belly rubs.

How can your advertising and marketing campaigns stand out from the rest? Here are some clever advertising ideas to wow your audience.

Offer a “Ruff”eral Program

It’s a simple idea with an opportunity for creativity.

Give a discount on exams or certain services when your clients refer a new pet patient to your office.

Whether it’s for a toenail trim or ear cleaning, keep it simple. But the advertising for it should be creative.

You might be surprised at how a creative name, eye-catching flyer, or cute social media post stands out. Use visual images and a catchy program name to encourage your loyal clients to share your vet services with their pet-friendly friends.

Sponsor a Local Dog Park or Event

Dog parks are popping up everywhere these days. And there are no shortages of pet-friendly events bringing pet-perfect companies together to celebrate animals.

Gain instant visibility by sponsoring an event. This is one of the best low-cost advertising strategies to raise awareness. And the grassroots rewards are high.

You don’t have to plan the event. But plan to get out of the office once or twice a year for some visibility in the community.

If you have a local dog park, sponsor the doggy water fountain. Add some benches for weary pet owners to rest while their dogs romp the yard. Or donate the poop bag station.

Be sure your name is visible! Show your community you care about them and their pets.

Partners for Pet-Profits

Cross-promoting is a tried-and-true marketing strategy.

Does your city have a local dog bakery? Do you have local dog-friendly pubs or restaurants? Is there a local dog groomer you recommend?

Find companies willing to partner with you for visibility. Their customers become your customers–and vice-versa.

Offer specials on services when you mention the patio restaurant down the street. Encourage the restaurant to offer a discount if they also use your vet services.

Ask For and Promote Reviews

It might seem strange to ask for customer reviews of your de-worming services.

But ask for them anyway.

We live in a time where people place their business based on customer reviews. If you run the best veterinary clinic in town, you should have plenty of reviews to let the world know.

As you build a solid base of customer reviews, make them visible on your clinic’s website. Most people vet vets and other companies online before deciding which company to use.

You can tell everyone you’re the best. But you’ll generate more new business from word-of-mouth reviews and advertising.

Get Social

These days, one of the biggest time wasters is scrolling Facebook and watching pet videos.

Cats are falling off of things. Dogs are stuck in places. People love watching pets on social media.

Your audience is already on social media looking for pet videos. Take some time to create a few videos of your own for them to watch.

Today’s social media videos don’t need to be flashy or elaborate. The Facebook and Instagram “live” video features are perfect to show off your staff and some of your favorite pet clients.

Show off your staff’s kind, fun, and pet-friendly personality. Feature a Pet of the Week. Highlight a successful treatment story. Show off new technology.

Be sure your current customers “like” you on Facebook. Ask them to share your videos and help build a following for your clinic on social media.

Get Informational

Do you have a clinic e-newsletter? Have you created a mailing list of customers?

Repeat business from current customers is easier to maintain than constantly finding new customers. Building relationships with customers is one of the keys to repeat business.

To keep customers coming to you for any pet-related need, create value beyond the yearly pet checkup. Put together a quarterly or monthly newsletter of tips, updates, and offers.

Inform your pet owners of seasonal issues for different pets. Let them know about safety concerns around the home or yard. Give updates about new vaccinations, pet illnesses, or treatments for chronic conditions.

Celebrate your customers. Feature them in the newsletter. Highlight staff members.

Create special offers within the newsletter. Add coupons and announce events.

A printed version of the newsletter can mail out for a low cost. But an additional online version is easy to design, low-cost to send, and has the potential for customers to forward and share online.

Support a Local Pet Charity

Pet people love to support pets in need. Your vet clinic can help!

Look for local pet rescues or adoption centers. Choose one with a good adoption and pet care history. Be careful attaching your clinic’s name to any organization that doesn’t promote good animal care.

Partner with the charity and create incentives for customers.

Apply a portion of your costs to support the charity. Have a pet food drive once or twice a year. Spend a day offering discounted spay or neuter services in partnership with the charity.

Goodwill toward all pets will help your clinic rise above other clinics in the community. And this is another way to increase your visibility as the best vet in town.

There’s No Shortage of Advertising Ideas

If you’re stalling on ideas to help bring more business to your clinic, don’t worry. There’s no shortage of advertising ideas to help bring new and returning pets and owners through your doors.

But the best ideas won’t work until you put them into practice. You probably are the best vet in town. But maybe you aren’t the best advertiser when it comes to your clinic’s services.

We can help. We are a full-service veterinary marketing agency dedicated to helping veterinary clinics advertise and grow their businesses.

You take care of the pets. We’ll take care of letting everyone know you’re the best. Contact us today to get started.