19 Veterinary Marketing Ideas You Have to Try

Sure, word-of-mouth advertising is great, but if you’re looking to grow your veterinary practice, it’s imperative to diversify your marketing strategy. Since most of your current and potential clients are online daily, why not start there?

Digital marketing offers you many ways to target local pet owners in your area to improve your practice’s online presence and book more appointments. Between your veterinary websites, social media pages, and business directory listings, your practice can have a multitude of avenues to get found online.

To get started, we have rounded up 19 of the most cost-effective veterinary marketing ideas to help you bring more pet owners and potential clients into your office with their furry family members! We’ll cover fundamental, long-term strategies, such as content marketing, as well as some that yield quicker results, like email campaigns. Let’s dive in.

1. Start a Blog for Your Practice

Content marketing uses the creation of online materials, such as articles, photos, or videos, to generate interest in a brand and create a community online. While content marketing may not provide instantaneous conversions, it is considered one of the most effective ways to build an online presence for your business.

This is because it has the power to:

• Improve your website’s search engine ranking
• Increase click-throughs to your site
• Build credibility online

A blog is a perfect strategy for improving search engine optimization (SEO). Firstly, a blog can attract more visitors to your website, meaning you will have more chances to convert clicks into clients. Second, this is an extremely affordable veterinary marketing strategy. You only need an idea, a writer, and a page on your website to get started. Lastly, veterinary SEO is a long-term strategy that offers more consistent results over time.

We share some great tips to help you write your first blog post in this article.

Bonus Tip: Publish content on your site regularly and implement keywords to appeal to Google’s algorithm.

2. Create a Community on Your Social Media Channel

As a local business, you have the benefit of being able to establish genuine relationships with pet owners and their furry friends. Extend these relationships into the online world! Social media is an accessible way to connect with your clients outside the office and keep them updated on important industry news that can affect their furry (or scaly!) loved ones.

One way to appeal to your community is to also use client testimonials on your Facebook page. Ask for your client’s animal photos or snap one while they’re in the office to feature with the review so that potential clients can feel connected to your cause. Just add the post to your social media calendar and switch around which pets and reviews you feature!

Take your veterinary marketing efforts to the next level by having fun creating content for your social media accounts. After all these features in your marketing plan create a narrative that can resonate with your community.

3. Hold a Social Media Contest

Since we’re already on the topic of social media, let’s discuss more veterinarian marketing ideas you can add to your arsenal of strategies: social media contests!

The concept is simple. Choose a product or service you would like to promote and construct a contest around that item. For example, if you have just begun stocking a new line of all-natural pet treats, you can plan a giveaway that advertises this product.

Create original graphics to promote your social media contests and provide information. Your contest could be something as simple as, “Win 5 bags of this-or-that dog biscuits!”

All contestants have to do to enter to win is:

• Follow us on Instagram
• Like this post ❤
• Tag someone who isn’t following us in the comments for extra entries (Max 5 tags)
• Repost on your story and tag us! 🎯

Be sure to generate interest in the product or service along with the content so that you can build value. You can do this by sharing contestants’ posts their tagging you in or creating multiple posts for these contests.

4. Feature Client Testimonials on Your Veterinary Website

This is sort of like word-of-mouth marketing, but even better because you will have more reach online! While your furry patients can’t sing your praises, their pet parents definitely can. Happy pet owners can be one of your more effective marketing tools. Reach out to your regular clients and ask them if they would be willing to write you a testimonial that you can feature on your website.

You could even take it a step further by including a photo of the animal you treated so that you can appeal to the animal lovers who visit your site. Seeing how you have helped animals like theirs could inspire them to make an appointment with you!

Bonus Tip: Online reviews carry so much weight these days. It’s worth looking into having reputation management to ensure your practice is ready to respond to both positive and negative reviews.

Learn More: A Quick How-To on Getting Client Testimonials

5. Email Discounts and Specials to Current Clients.

Veterinary marketing ideas worth exploring include email campaigns. Here’s why. A reported 80% of business professionals believe that email marketing increases customer retention. An email marketing campaign enables you to bring clients back into your practice by informing them of upcoming specials or events, such as flea and tick season.

Try creating a campaign centered around an offer you are running at your practice, like 25% off animal care products or reduced rates for micro-chipping. You can choose to just send a single email or schedule multiple throughout the month to maximize the chances that your clients will engage with your emails.

6. Claim Your Business Directory Listings

Your veterinary practice website isn’t the only thing that populates when a web user searches for a business like yours. Oftentimes, when your audience inputs a search for a local business on Google, the first things they see (after advertisements) are a series of business directory listings. These listings usually come complete with information like a phone number, address, and rating based on customer reviews.

Instead of filtering through pages of sites, consumers will often gravitate towards these listings to help them hone down on which local business they want to visit. To capture these potential leads, it’s important that you claim your listing on any sites that you believe your target audience might be using to find you. We always suggest that you start with a Google My Business Listing, as these always populate at the top of the first search engine results page (SERP) for a local Google search.

7. Start Using Video on Your Website and Social Channels

Video is the most popular content medium on the internet right now. Videos are expected to drive about 80% of all web traffic by the end of this year! Get ahead of the curb by implementing video on your website and social channels as soon as possible.

Luckily, modern technology has made it pretty easy to create videos at your practice using your smartphone or a DSLR camera. You can even edit videos on your phone! More good news? People love content about animals, so you’re already at an advantage.

You can try documenting case studies of interesting or unusual cases you’ve seen at your practice, make compilation videos of all the cute patients you’ve had, or do a ‘Q&A With the Veterinarian’ series where you answer commonly asked questions!

8. Create Profiles on Your Staff Members

Pets are a part of the family, so your clients want to make sure that they are in good hands when they take them to the vet’s office.

Allow your clients to get to know your staff by creating a profile for each member, including everyone from the office manager to the veterinary surgeon. Give basic details about their experience and qualifications, but make it a little more personal by telling your audience fun facts about your staff.

Add a professional photo of your staff member to accompany the bio. They may even want to include their pet in their photoshoot!

9. Give Back to Your Community

You can create an entire marketing campaign revolving around your veterinary practice’s efforts to give back. This veterinary marketing idea can make your vet practice stand out in your community. Practice social responsibility while promoting your brand by supporting local causes related to your business, such as your neighborhood animal shelter.

Creating connections with other local organizations can strengthen brand recognition as well as create grassroots marketing opportunities. Spread awareness about how to ensure a healthy lifestyle for pets and more. Plus, your staff will feel good about the work they are doing for their community.

10. Focus on Client Retention

New clients aren’t the only way to grow your revenue. On average, about 65% of a company’s business comes from existing customers. Many of the tactics we’ve gone over in this article can also boost client retention, but we have a couple more ideas up our sleeve.

Try implementing automated recall messaging to easily communicate with your clients and let them know when they have an upcoming appointment or their pet is due for a check-up. This will help you reduce no-shows and encourage existing clients to make an appointment with your pet owner’s veterinary practice grooming services call tracking digital advertising

11. Maximize Your Network Through Email Newsletters

Veterinary practices collect valuable client information like contact numbers and email addresses every time pet owners visit their clinic. You should make the most of this data by sending these people updates on your veterinary practice, your latest promos and services, and even industry news.

Moreover, your email newsletter shouldn’t be limited to current patients. You should also invite potential clients to join your newsletter when they visit your website or attend an event where your practice is present. By sharing your knowledge through email, you position yourself as a trusted healthcare provider and entice more pet owners to support your business.

12. Invest in Online Ads

While search engine optimization can boost your veterinary marketing efforts in the long run, you should complement your SEO tactics by investing in online ads. Even small businesses like startup veterinary practices can afford to place ads on various digital platforms thanks to online ads.

Pay-per-click advertising allows you to reach your target audience by harnessing the power of keywords. You’ll only be required to pay every time a person clicks on your ad, and the cost-per-click is within reach of most businesses. Hence, Google Ads can open many incredible opportunities for your practice.

Google Ads isn’t the only powerful online ad platform you can utilize. You can also place ads on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. This particular veterinary marketing is scalable, so you don’t need tens of thousands of dollars to get started.

13. Capitalize on Veterinary-Related Holidays

Did you know there are special holidays like World Animal Day and Adopt-a-Cat Month? Most of your clients may not even know these occasions exist. That’s why you should factor them in when crafting your social media calendar and overall social media strategy.

These veterinary-related holidays can increase engagement from pet parents who adore their pets. You might end up posting and sharing news close to their hearts. In turn, these pet owners might become inclined to support your practice.

14. Give Out Flyers & Other Printed Ads

While digital marketing can help boost your business tremendously, you should also consider investing in offline marketing tactics. For example, you may give out flyers to people in your local community to raise awareness of your practice. If you’re sponsoring an event, you should give brochures to passersby.

Ponder on your target audience and local community. Is there a magazine or a newspaper that would help you reach these people? It would help if you placed printed ads in these publications as some pet parents who may not be online may instead see your print ads and learn about your practice from there.

15. Start a Referral Program

A stellar way to encourage new clients to visit your clinic is by providing incentives to current ones to invite their friends and family. A referral program allows you to expand your client base by motivating your loyal clients to recommend your business to others.

While this particular veterinarian marketing strategy may require you to offer a discount or freebie to clients, the investment will return to you once more pet owners visit your clinic. This is also an excellent opportunity to strengthen relationships with current clients.

16. Explore Mobile Marketing

Most people rely on their mobile devices for various purposes, including communicating with others, school, and work. Mobile marketing allows you to communicate with potential clients through their mobile devices.

Mobile marketing involves various channels like SMS, social media, and mobile applications. The goal is to convince your target audience to visit your mobile website or introduce them to a new audience participation campaign. This affordable marketing tactic provides instant results, making it optimal for time-sensitive campaigns.

17. Make the First Check-Up Free

Everyone, including pet owners, loves freebies. That’s why you should offer potential clients the opportunity to visit your practice and learn what services you can offer them for FREE. Offering your expert advice helps you set the stage and share which services may help address these clients’ problems.

Think of this check-up as a targeted sales pitch. By offering your time and expertise, you can help pet parents make informed decisions that may improve their pet’s health and well-being.

18. Attend Veterinary Events

To become one of the best veterinary practices, you must learn from the best. Veterinary events are a stellar opportunity to expand your technical knowledge in the healthcare industry and network simultaneously. These events may help connect you to potential suppliers and even clients.

What type of events should you go to? You or a representative can attend conferences, networking opportunities, and significant fundraising events. As a start, you can join relevant events in your state to lower travel costs. Once you’ve enough funding, you may consider attending nationwide or even international events to expand your reach and unlock more incredible opportunities.

19. Collaborate With Reputable Influencers

Do you know any reputable pet owners with a strong social media following? You should collaborate with them to build trust, improve brand awareness, and enrich your content strategy. Influencer marketing has become one of the most relevant digital marketing strategies, and you should capitalize on this movement.

When choosing the best partners, you should look beyond the numbers game. Think about your target market. Your chosen influencers should also be able to reach the pet owners you’re targeting in your other digital marketing tactics. You should prioritize quality over quantity.

Expand Your Veterinary Marketing Strategy with VetMatrix

We hope you’ve pinpointed a strategy or two in this article that you want to use at your practice. Don’t be afraid to think outside the litter box and get a little creative. Just make sure you are speaking to your ideal client when you create veterinary marketing content for your practice.

Are you interested in getting marketing expertise that can elevate your online presence? VetMatrix is a veterinary marketing company that can tailor a vet marketing plan to meet the needs of your practice. We have a team of veterinary marketing experts ready to offer the best digital solutions. Just click here or give us a call at 800.792.8384 today.

FAQs

What is veterinary marketing?

Veterinary marketing is a marketing strategy tailored to veterinary practices. This permits your practice to reach your target audience through different digital channels.

What is vet advertising?

Veterinary advertising or vet advertising is a marketing strategy targeted specifically towards veterinary practices. This may come in various forms, including social media and print.

How can I promote my veterinary business?

There are various ways to reach new clients. You should create a stellar marketing plan that maximizes your assets and promotes what makes your business unique.