The #1 Reason Veterinary Marketing Fails (And How to Avoid It)
Veterinary industry professionals put their hearts and souls into pet care, but many practices struggle with the business side of the practice, including marketing. If your professional veterinary website, social media presence, and promotional efforts haven’t led to the expected growth or client retention, what’s missing?
The top reason veterinary marketing fails is a lack of strategy. Without it, your hospital’s disjointed efforts won’t attract potential clients or get the results you were hoping for. Here, we discuss how to avoid this common pitfall and turn your marketing efforts into growth and prosperity.
Setting veterinary marketing goals
You can’t start your marketing journey without defining clear goals and objectives. Consider areas of the business you’d like to improve, such as the number of client visits or average client transactions, then develop smaller-scale goals to help you get there. Try using the SMART goal technique:
- Specific — Create clear, defined goals closer to baby steps than broad leaps.
- Measurable — Choose goals with easily measured endpoints.
- Achievable — Set goals that are realistic, given your current circumstances.
- Relevant — Establish goals that are relevant to the hospital’s broader success.
- Time-bound — Put a time limit on your goal.
Defining SMART goals creates a roadmap to achieve a larger goal, such as expanded digital marketing, better client communication, or more word-of-mouth referrals.
Assigning veterinary marketing tasks
After establishing marketing goals, determine who will handle execution. Depending on the size and resources of your veterinary clinic, you may choose to manage marketing internally, outsource it to professionals, or use a combination of resources.
Many practice owners prefer to keep some marketing responsibilities in-house. Ask team members who want more responsibility and have interests in social media, blog writing, or web design to assist, but keep it voluntary. Everyday tasks that your team can handle include:
- Managing social media accounts to engage with pet owners
- Updating the veterinary website with blog posts about pet care
- Promoting referrals and managing feedback
- Crafting and sending email newsletters
Many veterinary teams are understaffed and too busy to handle more complex marketing tasks, such as long-term planning or analytics. Hiring an outside agency or individual with veterinary marketing experience can save time and improve your marketing campaign's functionality. Consider outsourcing if:
- You want to improve SEO and search engine rankings
- You need to overhaul your website design
- Your team can’t post on social media consistently
- You want to get the most out of paid advertising
Assigning tasks strategically can help you optimize marketing efforts while keeping your focus on veterinary healthcare and patient care.
Using veterinary marketing tools
Consistency is the key to effective veterinary marketing, but the right tools are necessary. Look for systems that integrate directly or communicate easily with your veterinary practice management software. Tools to consider include:
- Google My Business ensures accurate contact information and improves local search engine rankings.
- Canva helps create visually appealing graphics for social media and newsletters.
- Hootsuite schedules and automates social media posts.
- Mailchimp manages email campaigns and automated follow-ups for new clients and existing clients.
- Google Analytics tracks website metrics, such as visitor behavior and conversions.
A marketing calendar keeps your marketing initiatives on track by planning for promotions, content, and marketing campaigns. You can use a professional service to help you create a marketing calendar or employ an open-source AI tool (e.g., ChatGPT) to help you. Consider including:
- Seasonal pet care tips
- National awareness days
- Preventive care or wellness plan promotions
- Blogs and social media posts
- Community events
Measuring veterinary marketing success
A marketing strategy isn’t complete without a means to measure results and adjust future plans. Track metrics using veterinary practice management software or secondary marketing platforms that provide actionable reports. Some metrics to consider include:
- Website traffic
- Social media engagement
- New clients
- Client retention
- Referrals
- Email open rates
- Email click rates
Crafting a veterinary marketing strategy is about building relationships and positioning your veterinary business as a trusted source of pet care and pet health information. Maintaining consistent marketing efforts can help your team connect with clients in new ways and help you grow a financially stable, thriving practice.
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