Seasonal Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Veterinary Practice
Most veterinary hospitals rely on tried and true marketing strategies to get clients in the door year-round. However, switching up strategies seasonally or quarterly can help keep things fresh. Use holidays, seasonal safety issues, and pet awareness days to guide your marketing efforts. You can also include limited-time promotions.
Seasonal marketing efforts can help engage clients, alleviate slow or busy times throughout the year, and counteract undesirable trends. Seeing too many fleas in the summer? Enact a flea prevention promotion. Is business slow after the holidays? Run a wellness visit promotion to encourage repeat business. Here are a few more ideas to get started.
General seasonal marketing tips
Highlight your practice’s seasonal campaigns across multiple platforms. Social media, blogs, email newsletters, in-clinic signage, and community involvement are sure-fire methods to increase your online visibility and position your practice as the community’s pet care experts.
If you’re new to digital marketing and content creation, ask a savvy Gen Z or millennial team member to champion social media calendars and posts. For blogs, newsletters, and website content, tag a team member with exceptional writing skills who is looking for more or varied responsibilities. To craft promotions, collaborate with your product or equipment representatives for bulk deals, educational materials, or swag you can pass along to clients.
Spring seasonal marketing ideas
Spring is a time of renewal, but also brings parasites and allergies. This season is a great time to focus on parasite prevention, including promotions for savings on preventive products and efforts to educate clients on their impacts. Additionally, April is Pet Heartworm Awareness Month, making it the perfect time to focus on heartworm prevention and mosquito control.
Other ideas for spring marketing topics include:
- Poison awareness — Use Pet Poison Awareness Month in March to highlight poison dangers.
- Wellness care — Offer spring-themed wellness packages focused on parasite control, allergy management, and routine exams.
- Tick awareness — Educate clients on the signs of tick-borne disease and the importance of routine screening.
Summer seasonal marketing ideas
Summer is the season for vacations and picnics—and a variety of pet health dangers related to heat and outdoor activities. Focus marketing campaigns on having safe fun in the sun and use this season to attend pet-related local events to personally promote your services.
Ideas for summer marketing topics include:
- Heat safety — Share tips on avoiding heat-related illnesses and recognizing their signs. You can also promote sales of cooling gear if your clinic sells these products.
- Pet loss prevention — July is Pet Loss Prevention Month, a great time to promote microchipping.
- Activity safety — Highlight health risks around swimming and hiking, provide first aid training or kits, and emphasize the importance of vaccinations for social dogs.
Fall seasonal marketing ideas
Fall is the time when kids return to school and families become busier. Focus this season’s marketing efforts on educating pet owners about providing stability for their pets and recognizing signs of separation anxiety. Your practice can also participate in local fall festivals or traditions.
Ideas for fall marketing topics include:
- Dog adoptions — Use October’s designation as Dog Adoption Month to offer free exams and discounted services for newly adopted pets.
- Cancer awareness — November is Cancer Awareness Month. Use this opportunity to promote routine health screening tests and educate people about common cancer signs and at-risk breeds.
- Fitness — Remind pet families that pets need year-round exercise and activity, even during fall’s busyness. Offer weigh-ins and nutrition consults for overweight pets.
Winter seasonal marketing ideas
Winter brings holiday celebrations, cold weather, and stressed-out pet families. However, pet owners may use this time away from work to dote on and include their pets in holiday activities. Use this time to create holiday-themed promotions, like a “12 Days of Christmas” discount countdown.
Other winter marketing ideas include:
- Dental health — In February, which is National Pet Dental Health Month, offer promotional pricing, toothbrushing demos, and education on the importance of dental care.
- Safety — Create content about seasonal dangers, such as toxic holiday plants, pancreatitis, frostbite, and ice melt products.
- Holiday events — Encourage clients to visit more during the holiday season by holding a “Santa paws” photo event or raising money for charity.
Seasonal marketing helps your hospital stay top-of-mind for clients while promoting pet wellness year-round. Focusing on relevant topics and local events helps establish your hospital as the local pet care authority and makes you a fixture in the community. Switch up your marketing strategy with seasonal campaigns to improve client engagement and grow your practice.
