Email Marketing for Veterinary and Animal Clinics
Many veterinary clinic owners and managers question whether their clients are online. We declare with absolute certainty –they are! People enter queries related to veterinary clinics on monthly basis. The demand for veterinary services is even higher. If a business still doesn't go online, it loses customers. In this article, you will learn how to advertise veterinary services to get the most out of your veterinary services.
When do people look for veterinary clinics?
Points of care are much less sought than pet symptoms. The situation is about the same as with the "diagnosis" after reading several forums. At first glance, they look expert, they appear on the first lines of the search engine, but they recommend methods of traditional medicine without diagnostics. Such sites contain text written by freelance copywriters, and the portals themselves live off of payment for visits of visitors.
What does an integrated approach to internet marketing involve?
Online promotion needs to be approached in a comprehensive manner by using a set of promotion channels suitable for each specific case. Attention should be paid to content, and also work with reviews should be done. Also, analytics should be checked at least once a week in order to draw conclusions from it, and most importantly –in order to take into account the specifics of the business. You shouldn’t just set up a channel and wait for the sales.
So, taking into account the analysis done and the specifics of the work of veterinary clinics, we have developed a strategy for Internet promotion, which includes very voluminous and long-term tasks.
Step 1. Connect social networks
In parallel with writing the terms of reference for the development of a new clinic website, connectsocial networks as a tool for disseminating information and collecting feedback. Facebook groups can be created, where news, interesting articles, tips are published, and daily communication with subscribers takes place.
These are the points that you definitely need to pay attention to if you are new on social networks:
1. Optimized group and discussion title
The name of the group should not only contain the name of the brand, but also should reflect what the brand does. You can try different options, depending on the search algorithms. By the way, social networks take additional positions in search engines for brand queries and displace "uncontrolled" resources, but more about reputation.
2. Branded design
The group should be visually designed in the style of the existing clinic website. In the "Links" block, the landing pages of the clinic's website should be attached, in the "Contacts" the hotline numbers should be indicated. The group should have a menu with the main sections with links to the site - “Our doctors”, “Ask a question”, “Contacts”, “Frequently asked questions”. Questions should be categorized by animal species. Posts on the wall should be distributed by streams using hashtags.
3. Useful content
You can start by entertaining content to attract users, but as time passes you shouldemphasise on clinic news, new articles on the site, and thematic articles. For example, when tick season begins, you can publish insect repellents, bite recommendations, and other articles.
4. Constant online presence
The maximum activity in the group should be concentrated in the topic “Ask a question to the veterinarian”. To receive an answer to complex questions, people should be able to contact the employee in charge of the clinic - a general practitioner. As a result, people can receive a qualified answer and continue communicating with the subscriber.
5. Working with brand advocates
Any brand that starts to show activity on the Internet immediately gains haters. They are usually more active than those who like you. But everything can be solved. In this case, you can try to build fruitful cooperation with animal protection, charitable organizations and active regular customers of the blade, in order for them to become significant advocates of the brand.
Building a base of email addresses
However hard it may seem building a email address base, there are plenty of options how you can ask for current and potential customers to sign up. Some of them include:
- Requesting for an email when a customer is making an appointment over the phone
- When someone is accessing you website
- When someone is accessing your social media accounts
- At local events
Tips for e-mail marketing for veterinary and animal clinics
Once you have built your base of email addresses, it is important to continue engaging with your customers. Here are some tips on how you can continue to interact with the customers through email:
1. Monitor the results from the emails you have sent
2. Share useful and relevant content
3. Make a plan and start to share emails regularly
4. Add CTA (calls to action)
5. Add images
6. Start sending personalized messages
Marketing plays an important role in the work of veterinary clinics and clinics in the provision of services as well as the decision-making process. Some research has shown that an effective marketing campaign results from a clear vision of the desired outcome, careful planning and thorough implementation of that plan. The wide range of impacts, internal and external, and the types of decisions that need to be made in relation to these impacts need to be understood in order for these clinics to move forward in line with management plans.