1. Create Content 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. All you need is 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.
2. 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 Business Profile, as these always populate at the top of the first search engine results page (SERP) for a local Google search.
3. 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 that 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
- Do you know where you practice ranks on Google? Let our marketing experts show you how you stack up to your competitors.
6. 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 post on social media along with the contest rules so that your audience knows how to enter to win. Your contest could be something as simple as, “comment on a video of a pet’s reaction when the treats come out to win 5 bags of this-or-that dog biscuits!”
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 creating custom content promoting the item.
