Is your veterinary practice growth stagnant, or worse, falling? Do you need to figure out how to attract new clients ASAP? Have you invested a lot of time and money in “some marketing stuff” but now you’re not seeing the flow of new clients coming in the door that you thought you would?

Either way, we’ll guide you through the steps to figure out a marketing strategy that will attract the new pet owners you’re looking for.

#1 - Start by evaluating

What makes your veterinary practice different than the one down the street? Before you can successfully market to anyone, you need to know WHY they would want to choose you over a similar veterinary practice in the area.

Knowing your unique value proposition is the first step in developing a solid marketing strategy for your veterinary practice.

Think outside of your clinical expertise and veterinary terminology. Obviously, your level of experience is important, but the truth of the matter is, that’s not going to be what actually gets potential pet owners to schedule an appointment with you.

Here’s some ideas to get you brainstorming:

• Do you offer an extremely close family-centered atmosphere?

• Easy communication with the office?

What does your veterinary practice offer that differentiates you from every other practice in your area? Get creative and think outside the box.

#2 - Identify your target audience

What kind of pet owners are you looking to attract?

What neighborhoods and areas of town do your potential clients live in? What do they do for a living, and what is their family situation? Long-term client, or one off client?

If you have multiple target audience segments, that’s perfectly ok! There is no right or wrong answer to who your target audience is. As long as enough people exist within your target audience to sustain your desired practice growth, you can make it work!

#3 - Craft your message

Think about your unique value proposition (UVP) and your target audience.

What UVPs will resonate best with each audience segment? Craft a message and a call-to-action for each, ensuring your marketing message is relevant and interesting to your target audience.

For instance, you wouldn’t want to focus on how family-friendly your practice is for unmarried, young professionals. You’d want to focus on how convenient your hours are. If you’re targeting high-income households, your messaging doesn’t need to focus on how convenient your in-office payment plans are. Instead, you’d focus on the upscale features, like complimentary wine for pet owners while their pet is taken care of.

#4 - Choose your channels wisely

With your target audience in mind, do some research and brainstorming on advertising channels. More than likely, different platforms and methods will work better on one audience than another, so you’ll need to spread out your efforts. Consider digital advertising like Facebook ads and Google AdWords, as well as traditional methods like direct mail.

Additionally, don’t forget about free or low-cost channels like implementing a good client referral program, a review generation system, participating in local community groups on social media and partnering with other local businesses.

#5 - Make it easy for potential clients to convert

As you begin investing time and effort into your veterinary marketing plan, make sure you’re making the most of every opportunity by enabling real-time online scheduling. That way, when pet owners find your practice through your amazing marketing efforts, they’ll be able to book an appointment instantly, 24/7.

In doing so, you’ll convert more clients and increase the ROI of your marketing by removing the need to call your veterinary practice during office hours.

Chckup is the best provider of real-time online scheduling specifically for veterinary practices. Schedule your FREE demo today and see how our platform works to close the loop on your marketing efforts and grow your practice!