Vets often hold a very special place in pet owners’ hearts. Being the go-to person in their community throughout their pet’s life, when they are ill, injured or nearing the end means that your clients can feel quite a strong connection to you as their vet.
This means that when choosing a vet clinic, a pet owner wants to know they’re making the right decision for their beloved cat or dog.
A one-off advertisement or special offer won’t attract many pet owners. They don’t want the hard sell – they want to feel connected with the clinic they choose to look after their pet and build a trusting relationship.
How can you do this? Read on…
Use digital platforms to build community
When people are looking for a vet – whether they’ve just got a pet or aren’t happy with their current one – most will look at your website and social media. They will pick up on your tone, personality style, values and so on. If people know you better and what your brand is all about, you’re more likely to attract people to your clinic.
Educate your community
A key attribute they’re looking for is trust. And what better way to show that you are a trusted professional than by providing your client with key information and advice about the best way to care for their cat or dog. A recent survey showed that vets are the most popular information source by far for pet owners looking for advice on looking after their pet.
The best way to educate your clients is by sharing longer-form articles and social media posts on a wide range of topics, from pet care advice to warning signs of common health conditions. Articles such as these can take some time to write, however, this is one task that is quite easy to outsource.
Engage your community
In today’s digital world, the easiest way to be engaging is by being active online. Sharing regular content on social media, keeping your vet clinic website updated and sending regular newsletters or updates by email are all great ways for connecting with your client community.
Once you’ve established that connection, you can then further strengthen this community by attending pet fairs and events in your area or even holding your own meet-ups in dog parks or at your clinic.
Understand your community
But it can’t all be a one-way street. It’s important that you take the time to understand what your clients want from your vet clinic, and how you can improve the services you provide.
This can be done in a number of ways, including proactively approaching your clients and also undertaking some basic research.
- Keep on top of your reviews – read them, respond and react – whether they are positive or negative
- Read your competitor’s reviews – find out what they are doing well or not so well, and make sure you do these things better (and let your clients know that you are focusing on these things)
- Keep an eye on social media and trending topics
- Have conversations with your clients about what they like/don’t like about the service your clinic provides
- Conduct short surveys – this can be a one-question poll on social media, inclusion in your monthly newsletter, or a targeted yearly email sent out to your client list
Want to learn more?
We know that as a vet clinic owner, you’re flat out looking after your business, staff and patients, and most likely don’t have the time to focus on connecting with your community.
That’s where VetDigital can help. All of the marketing and communication activities we deliver are focused on helping you to connect with your local community of pet owners through information, education and engagement.
Want to know more? Give us a call on 1300 75 75 22 or send us an email.
