A common thread from a recent online event attended by hundreds of vets from around Australia was a desire to create a community out of their clients (and potential clients).
But it’s not quite as hard as it seems… As a vet, you have a ready-made community just waiting to be formed. Your clinic is surrounded by thousands of pet owners in the local area – and a fair few of them would already be your clients. And like the makings of any good community, they are bound by a common interest – the love of their pet.
It may seem obvious, but to create an engaged audience, you need to be engaging. And the easiest way to be engaging is by being active online. Sharing regular content on social media, keeping your website updated and sending regular updates by email are all great ways to bring a like-minded audience together as a community.
Here’s our top 5 tips to build an engaged community based around your vet clinic:
1. Start conversations online to get your community involved
This can be as easy as sharing photos of cute or unusual animals when they are in your clinic. And as an added bonus, your clients will feel special by having their pet’s pic shared online. There are plenty of ways to spark a conversation – ask a question, share interesting content, or post something a bit quirky or fun.
2. Make a commitment to posting on social media consistently
Be it everyday or twice a week, posting regular, proactive content is vital to keeping your community engaged. This could be behind the scenes photos in the clinic, top tips for looking after pets in different life stages, or educational-style content highlighting common medical conditions.
3. Be responsive
If someone takes the time to comment on one of your posts, make sure you respond to them in a timely fashion. They will love the engagement – and the social media gods will reward you too!
4. Use different ways to communicate
While social media is the fastest and cheapest way to connect with your audience, consider using additional methods such as email or text messages to communicate with your community. Don’t discount using good old snail mail – a birthday card for their pet or a Christmas greeting is guaranteed to get opened and will create enormous good-will with your clients.
5. Facilitate community meet ups
While most of your community engagement will be online, a great way to strengthen those connections is to connect in real life! Consider regular meet ups a dog parks or Christmas drinks for clients. Perhaps you could facilitate interest groups around dog breeds, or encourage meet ups after puppy school ends. your clients (and potential clients) can bond over their common interests and build your community for you offline as well as online.
Learn More
Does this make sense, but you don’t have the time to put these tips into action? VetDigital is here to take the hard work out of building a community so you can concentrate on doing what you do best – looking after your patients.
For a set monthly fee we develop and implement your marketing to get a community up and running and working for you. And we only work with one vet clinic per agreed area – guaranteed.
Contact the VetDigital team to find out more.
This is an excerpt of a blog written by VetDigital and posted on VetAnswers. You can read the full article here.
