By Stefanie Miller
One of the great things about working in VetMed is that each day differs from the next. I would often tell potential employees during the interviewing process that if you want predictability, this is not the place for you. Which means that adaptability is an essential trait that we all must have to thrive in a veterinary practice. One of the many things we learned during 2020 was how to adapt and pivot during changing times. We also had so many clients and appointments that we didn’t have to or need to think about marketing. It was like drinking from a firehose. Now that time has passed and we are seeing things cool down, I am having a lot more conversations with practices around marketing and the concern about how to get more clients through the door. Many had to turn clients away in droves, and now are panicking that they aren’t filling their appointment slots. Time to adapt again. Luckily, we are here to pivot with you again and have a plethora of resources to support you.
Here are some of the ways we can help:
- Pathway Planning- a treatment plan for your practice to achieve your short and long-term goals. We will help you develop your Marketing Strategy by defining your Target Market, your Three Uniques, and your Promise.
- Marketing Analysis- your coach will develop a unique practice analysis to help you define specific goals for your practice and community, so you can make sure you're reaching the right people with the right message. You’ll also receive an audit of your online presence along with reviews of several local competitors to see how your practice measures up and lay the groundwork for studying your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats so you can optimize your marketing efforts.
- EdQuest CE and Resources- we have hours of RACE approved CE and much more educational content that is relevant and specific to marketing in VetMed. Resources like Marketing Calendars, Understanding Google AdWords, Content Creation, Defining your Brand, all of these and so much more are right there at your fingertips.
- A dedicated Practice Coach- your veterinary path is our passion! Working with a coach will be your key to success. We’ve been in the trenches and know the struggles are real. We will listen to your situation, provide realistic support, and customize goals based on what makes sense for you.
- Vendor Partners- our vendor partners are here to support your practice needs and are experts in their field. Our marketing partners focus on website design and analytics, social media, SEO, video creation, technology, AI solutions, phone support including tracking and training for our teams, and more. Utilize them to take the stress and workload off your team’s plate so that you can focus on patient and client care.
For those of you who didn’t have to think about marketing up to this point, you may have a lot of catch-up to do when it comes to your website, social media pages, branding, technology, reviews, and so on. Do you know who your Target Market is? Do you know if your website is mobile-friendly? When was the last time you looked at your website? Do you have an app and are you utilizing it to its fullest capacity? Do we have a marketing budget? If your anxiety is rising thinking about all the things you have to do and think about, please know, you don’t have to do this alone, this is what we do and why we are here.
We need to emphasize:
- Client experience – online reviews, client loyalty programs, ease, and convenience.
- Online services - like online booking, online pharmacy, texting, and website features.
- Engaging content and education- social media, preventative care education, AI-powered chat tools, and more.
- Financial solutions- spectrum of care, wellness plans, financing options.
- Leverage technology and data- PMS integration, personalized communication platform/app, KPI tracking such as client retention, bonding rates, forward booking rates, visit frequency, referral source, etc.
The marketing landscape is evolving, and we must keep up, ideally stay ahead, of the curve if we want to stand out among the growing competition. It all starts with knowing who you are, where you are, and where you want to go. We will help you get there.
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