Volume 1, Issue 1

Each issue of Veterinary Marketing Tips provides suggestions for reaching out to clients and prospects with marketing and communications strategies and tactics. Please feel free to email us at Lindaw@lwmarketworks.com if you have questions or would like to find out more about our marketing services. – Linda Wasche/LW Marketworks, inc.

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Have a topic you’d like us to cover?
We’d love to hear from you. Please email us with marketing topics that you’d like to see in future issues of Veterinary Marketing Tips. Also send us your marketing questions. We will try to answer as many as we can in future issues. Please email us at: Lindaw@
LWmarketworks.com.

TIP: The most effective marketing does much more than simply talk about your veterinary services to your clients. INSTEAD, it provides VALUE to clients because it is useful information. Going “in the back door” in this fashion does much more to build credibility and trust for your hospital than simply reminding clients about how wonderful you are. It also increases the chance that your information will get attention in the first place.

HOW: There are numerous ways to add VALUE to marketing efforts. For example, help clients:

• More quickly spot illness or injury in their pets.

• Save money in the long run on veterinary services.

• Avoid common pet emergencies.

• Make good dietary choices to promote long-term pet health.

IDEA: Instead of the usual reminders to come in for a check-up, create a SERIES of emails/mailers with HELPFUL TIPS for pet owners. These can be combined with appointment reminders, statements or other standard mailings. Make CONTENT interesting so that clients will hold on to the information. Tie into seasonal issues and topics where possible, such as:

• Thanksgiving & Christmas / decoration hazards, safe toys, avoiding table food

• Winter / cold weather precautions, keeping pets safe from frostbite

• Valentine’s Day / keeping pets away from chocolate

• Spring / Easter hazards, protecting pets against insects and other pests

• Summer / traveling or camping with pets, handling vacation emergencies, July 4 safety

• Halloween / safe costumes for pets, keeping treats away from pets

• Add your own!

Why you should consider email:
If you are not using it already, consider email instead of “snail-mail.” It will save a lot of money on both printing and postage. Other advantages of email over traditional mail include:

• Email has the ability to generate additional exposure for your hospital on the Internet by:

  • Recipients who may forward to others.

  • Being referenced in networking sites such as LinkedIn.

  • Turning up as content in on-line newsletters or blogs.

• Email provides an easy way to link back to your hospital’s website.

• Email can be saved on the recipient’s hard drive for future reference.

• Email can be printed out (at no cost to you!) and posted on a client's refrigerator, bulletin board or other message center.

MORE IDEAS: Post similar information to your website and/or distribute it to pet owners when they visit. This type of information also makes great content for news releases to send to your local media. More on news releases and generating local publicity in another issue!

Veterinary Marketing Tips is published by LW Marketworks, inc. Copyright © 2010
2222 Pontiac Drive, Sylvan Lake, MI 48320
248-253-0300 / LWmarketworks.com