The evolving ways to engage with pet owners online
June 2022
A website has always been known as your ‘online shop window’. Nowadays there are even more ways to be visible online, which have equal importance given the rise in popularity of social media. It has become part of our everyday lives and we are now living in a digital world where customers have the expectation of information at their fingertips. We want to ensure that the information which is accessible to your pet owners, is in fact what you want them to know for the best possible outcome for the welfare of their pet.
With so many digital outlets, sometimes it's hard to know where you should be investing your time. Equally, whilst running your business, you cannot be spending your time engaging with pet owners in real time on the numerous avenues we have available to us. There are, however, ways and means to ensure you are being smart with your time and engaging in the right way!
Social Media
Facebook continues to reign as the most popular social networking platform and has over the years, developed into a tool for businesses. Whilst your veterinary practice may only serve a small fraction of the billions of users, you can guarantee that the majority of your client base will use Facebook.
A Facebook page is not only a way to showcase your ‘business’, listing opening hours and contact information, for example, but it is also a vehicle for you to post information that you want your clients to know and see. This could be, for example, short-term changes in opening hours - maybe over a bank holiday weekend, an introduction to a new team member, or education on your Pet Health Care Plan, just to name a few. In addition, your clients are able to engage with you through ‘commenting’ on your posts, or even sending you direct messages, very similar to your email.
It is a fantastic tool, away from your website, to filter and engage with your clients directly, strengthening their bond to your practice and therefore, long term loyalty. Similarly, Instagram being a more visual / photograph led version of Facebook, goes hand-in-hand, where you can schedule your posts to go across both platforms simultaneously, with very similar functionality including messaging, comments, likes and shares. Instagram helps you to reach a different demographic of pet owner to Facebook, and so it’s worth investing time in both. Having a dedicated person in-house, or a qualified external team to monitor or check the platform daily and create that all-important content, will ensure continuity and consistency for your clients.
Website (Blog/SEO)
We all understand the importance of a website. However, if the words on the page fail it, it becomes nothing more than an online directory when its potential to support your business is vast!
When clients or potential clients visit your website, the key is their experience, i.e. their journey through your information. You want to keep them educated and doing all they can to keep their pets happy and healthy with regular, engaging blogs, for example. Adding new content to your site on a regular basis (such as monthly blogs) is great for being found on search engines, too! Blogs can have comments sections, ‘calls to action’, and are perfect for sharing - so, your clients (and other local pet owners) can share helpful information they have read in your blog across their social media profiles - fantastic exposure for your practice and improved animal welfare for pets.
Email Marketing
Finally, email marketing, which often takes the form of monthly practice newsletters with various articles and snippets of information, but could also include longer-term email journeys. Sending a beautifully designed, fully branded newsletter to your mailing list, direct to their inbox, is a fantastic way to engage with your clients and tell them the information that you want them to know. Recipients are able to call you directly from the email, reply to you via email and even ‘click the button’ to find out more via your website. It is a hugely valuable tool to interlink your key messages. Perhaps you want to stay connected with your clients, let them know about your latest blog, update them on practice news, promote your services or even delight your clients with something that may help them, help their pets. Maybe, you want to set up an email journey to help guide new puppy and kitten owners through the first year of their four-legged friend's life. Whatever your objective, email marketing can be a game changer!
With everyone vying for the attention of their target audience, email marketing is a great way to stand out from the crowd, with a defined, targeted, effective and creative campaign. No other strategy compares through its ability to engage your clients with you and your services, and in its ability to harvest detailed data about their journey.
To find out more, drop us an email at hello@breezy-creative.com