Marketing
How to market your practice
Remember the work we did earlier about USPs? This will be useful now in deciding how to market your practice. As an independent practice you may also want to consider this in the light of corporate competitors – what do you offer that is different?
Marketing is the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably.
Click on any of the sections below to find out more information or use the arrow on the right hand side to move through the pages.The 7 Ps
Logo and branding
Practice websites
Marketing communications and PR
Launching your practice
Legal aspects of marketing
Marketing is really just about sharing your passion.
Products / Services: How can we develop our services? And which products might we sell?
Prices / Fees:How do our fees fit with the way we are marketing ourselves?
Place: How does the location influence our approach? Also, are there new ways to access our services (such as telemedicine)?
Promotion:How are we intending to promote our services? This could be by a variety of methods – email marketing, advertisements, social media, public relations, SEO, leaflet drops, posters, events, etc.
Physical Evidence: What message do our premises send? If we are positioning ourselves as the friendly vets but greet the client with a plethora of stern warning notices on where to park or how to behave, is this consistent with our marketing message? If we operate out of a cottage-style building, does that communicate cutting-edge clinical excellence? Leaflets, posters and even the practice website can all form part of the physical evidence that acts as cues for our target audience.
Processes: Are there internal processes that act as barriers or enablers for delivering great customer experiences?
People: Who are the people who deliver the service, and do they have attitudes, knowledge and skills consistent with how you position in the market?
When it comes to marketing, practices tackle this in a variety of ways.
Ad hoc, non-specialist in-house marketingWhile this may seem affordable, the return on investment may be low and the marketing budget may be spent in a less-than-optimal way due to lack of specific marketing skills.
Marketing specialists in-house:This can be a great option as it gives you a strong brand custodian. However, the practice needs to be of a size to justify a full or part-time marketing manager as an overhead. It can be limited to one person’s skill set, leaving potential gaps.
Marketing agencyA marketing agency can bring both dedicated resources and specialist skills – this latter is especially important in digital. It is likely that the return on investment will be optimised and a consistent approach will be taken for steady growth.
A brand that captures your mind gains behavior. A brand that captures your heart gains commitment.
The first part of the branding process is to think about how you want your practice to be perceived and what you want to be known for. You need to understand your target market, your practice’s selling points, and how these fit in the context of your practice’s local area.
Your logo needs to express your practice’s identity, quality and core values: are you a farm or companion animal practice? Is your practice traditional or looking to adopt more modern, approachable branding that caters to ‘pet parents’? Do you have a specific story or background you want to get across to clients?
It’s also worth taking a look at the competition in the local area and how your practice can stand out. Is there a need for a practice that seems more approachable and friendly? Or one that can provide lower-cost care? Or even a ‘gold-standard’ type practice able to offer more advanced procedures? Think about whether you can capitalise on any gaps in the local market.
Once you’ve got a good idea of your practice’s goals, values and identity, you’ll need to start on your branding – and your logo is the first thing to focus on.
If you think of a logo, what do you picture? We’re surrounded by memorable logos on a daily basis, and though the good ones don’t blend in, they do have a lot in common.
They stand outLogos should be unique and memorable, not fade into a blur of similar ones. Try not to refer to other practice’s logos when designing your own – or at least not until after coming up with some ideas. It’s easy to imitate what’s already out there.
They’re professionalIt’s easy to skimp on branding, imagining that what clients really care about is the quality of care. While it’s true that’s what they’re looking for, your branding is how you show pet owners what you offer. An amateurish logo can really hold your practice back, so it’s worth working with an experienced designer.
They’re clear and simpleComplex pictures and intricate logos don’t tend to perform well. Just think of how the big brands have progressively simplified their logos to keep up-to-date: messy, overly busy logos don’t effectively attract potential clients.A simple, clear logo is also easier to scale, so you can keep your branding consistent by using the same logo on materials ranging from your practice sign to your prescriptions.
They use eye-catching colour palettesMost brands opt for bright or high-contrast colour palettes alongside simple, clear designs to attract attention and stick in people’s minds. Veterinary practices commonly use colours like green and blue to suggest dependability and caring qualities, whereas a colour like red can appear more negative in a medical context. Your logo may also be printed in black and white in some contexts, so you should check it still looks good.
As part of your branding efforts, it can be helpful to work with a marketing professional and graphic designer to help define your brand identity and go through the branding process, including designing some logo options.
Your branding isn’t just your logo, however. There are a few other things to consider:
Colour palette – ideally, your practice should have a clear colour palette that remains consistent throughout, from paint colours to staff uniforms and badges. But remember to keep it practical – you don’t want uniforms that show every mark.
Typography – pick fonts that are clear and modern, and use them consistently! Make sure your client communications match with the rest of your branding.
Your story – your branding isn’t just your signage, it’s about who you are as a practice. Consider writing (or hiring a writer to produce) a brief article for potential clients, detailing who you are, what background and experience you have, and why you’ve chosen to open your own practice. This can be published on your website and used as part of your initial marketing strategy.
Cohesive branding not only helps to get clients through the door, but also helps to build trust and gives the impression of a well-organised, well-run practice. Great branding from the outset can start you off on the right track, building awareness of your practice and boosting client loyalty.
Your website is the window of your business. Keep it fresh, keep it exciting.
Use a template e.g. WixThis can lack flexibility and needs some design experience to look professional. Wix is thought not to perform very well on search engine optimisation (SEO) meaning it may not rank well and you could miss out on new clients.
Agency-designed websiteMost sites are based on WordPress which has a huge variety of plug-ins which allow a great degree of flexibility when it comes to functionality.
Custom builds using other platforms can be both expensive and may require the agency to update your website for you. WordPress sites usually have an easy-to-use content management system (CMS) that allows you to make your own updates quickly and easily without waiting (and paying for) a third party.
You can also expect to pay for:
Domain name purchase and annual renewal
Hosting of your website
Support packages: prompt assistance if your website has issues. Often these are rolled into hosting packages.
You may elect to pay for an SEO package. Many activities can affect SEO, including:
Site issues: most sites should be built well enough without requiring a lot of SEO work once complete.
Social media and backlinks: the more activity online in relation to your site, the higher it ranks.
Content: regular updates and articles, especially high-quality articles on frequently searched topics can help increase the authority of your site. Content can be optimised when it is loaded into the site and should be written in a way that allows this to be done relatively easily. As veterinary content is so specific be sure to use a specialist agency for this.
You may also choose to set up Google Ads / Pay-per-click campaigns to drive traffic to your website.
E-commerce is also relatively easy to add if you want to make that part of your retail strategy. Packages like WooCommerce can be added to WordPress sites and can be integrated with a variety of payment gateways such as Paypal or Stripe. Other options include Shopify (an out-of-the-box option that has low set-up fees but higher fees ongoing). Custom builds using e-commerce-specific applications like Adobe Commerce are expensive and probably not justified for most practices processing lower volumes of transactions.
The best marketing doesn’t feel like marketing.
A staggering 92 percent of the UK population now own a smartphone (Statista, 2022), and 77.9 percent of the UK population are active social media users. There’s no better way to raise your practice profile than to speak to your client base on social media.
Facebook and Instagram remain popular platforms among pet owners and TikTok continues to grow, with video content particularly popular at the moment. And no matter that your practice has not yet opened its doors. People love behind-the-scenes footage. So, tell them about you, your vision for the practice and the services you will be offering. Updates on the building work and projected opening dates go down well too.
As the opening date nears, you can start to build interest. How about mini competitions with a voucher for a free consultation? Cutest cat, happiest dog, or best wildlife photo? Encourage likes, shares and maximum engagement.
Use the local media to raise your practice profile too. Regional press are invested in creating a thriving local economy and love a local ‘good news’ story.
Location is a key consideration when pet owners are selecting their veterinary practice, so building a strong community presence through the local media makes sense. Being featured in the media gives you credibility and positions you as the go-to local authority on all matters related to pets.Cultivating good relationships with local journalists by sharing positive stories can also benefit you and your practice in the longer term. If you are on the receiving end of unfavourable press in the future, journalists are much more likely to present a fair and balanced perspective if they have already established a positive rapport with you and your practice.
Don't underestimate the power of a well-planned and executed leaflet drop campaign to raise interest and enquiries from locals.
The lines of communication are open, so how are you going to make the best use of them? A practice open day giving owners the opportunity to see behind the scenes is a good choice. Why not plan it for the weekend prior to a Monday launch. You can fully focus on welcoming clients without having to worry about on-call duties or Saturday consults.
Marketing’s job is never done. It’s about perpetual motion. We must continue to innovate every day.
The building project is finished, the surgical suite is kitted out with the latest gadgets and you are getting ready to open your doors to the pet-owning public. As soon as you are ready to take on queries and pet registrations it is time to think about your pre-launch marketing.
The aim of pre-launch marketing is to warm up your audience and create a buzz around your practice.
A period of six to eight weeks of ‘pre-launching’ is the perfect amount of time to make potential clients aware of your practice and convince them to check it out, without the feeling of the opening being too far away for people to be interested. By the end of pre-launch, hopefully, you will have created a population of pet owners who are eagerly anticipating the grand opening and ready to register their pets when the big day arrives.
6-8 week prelaunch plan:Week 1 Create your practice’s social platforms and an eye-catching leaflet that can be delivered across the local area.
Week 2-3Create a few core posts that go out first across the platforms introducing the brand, its values and mission, plus opening dates and any other key information.
Week 3-4Once you have established your social platforms, consider launching social ads in the local area to start building your buzz.
Week 4 onwardsBy now your audience should be slowly starting to build. Use your social platforms to direct pet owners to your email sign-up. If you have enough content, consider a weekly email, or save emails for important updates.
It is a good idea to have a think about the launch day itself, and specifically, whether you are planning a ‘hard’ or ‘soft’ launch.
Hard launchA more formal or ‘hard’ launch might include an open day before officially opening your doors. Are there any local celebrities that you could invite to officially declare you open for business, and are you going to invite journalists to the event? Goody bags (complete with the practice logo) are usually popular, alongside guided tours, games for children, and even a mini dog show with small prizes for the winners. To make the open day a success, you will need to publicise the event. An eye-catching banner outside the practice and ads in the local press with the launch date and any special offers are good for attracting interest.
Soft launchIf time is short in the lead-up to the opening, a softer launch with an open day once you are properly up and running may suit you better. Whichever you choose, when it comes to launch and beyond, it is important to keep the momentum up on your social platforms. Remember to have social posts and email newsletters ready to go on the day, as well as in the run-up. In the weeks that follow you are likely to have plenty of material to create engaging posts:
Behind-the-scenes footage
Competitions - owner-generated content is often a great way to generate interest, sharing cute photos of their pets for example
Staff profiles - share a fun story, or information about their pet. This makes staff seem more relatable and helps to create a connection
Out of your comfort zone? Or just prefer to focus on the patients? There are marketing agencies who can handle this for you and design a tailor-made marketing plan for your practice launch.
In the successful organization, no detail is too small to escape close attention.
The ASA is responsible for overseeing and enforcing fair advertising practices in the UK. If you’re planning to launch an advertising campaign for your new practice, it’s worth consulting their UK Code of Non-Broadcast Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct Marketing.
The RCVS Code of Conduct also provides some guidance on advertising and publicity.
There are a few key points from both the ASA and RCVS to keep in mind when planning advertisements and promotional materials:
Avoid making claims of superiority over competitors, or disparaging fellow veterinary professionals.
Avoid bringing the profession into disrepute.
Adverts should not contain claims or superlative descriptions (e.g. the best veterinary practice in the country) that aren’t backed by evidence.
Adverts should not be misleading.
You should not claim expertise or specialism without evidence.
The VMD enforces strict rules regarding the advertising and sale of veterinary medicines, so it’s important to be careful when marketing these products.
The UK government website explains the regulations regarding advertising of veterinary medicines; however, the National Office of Animal Health (NOAH) has produced a more comprehensive Code of Practice which can help you to determine best practice. Importantly, these rules apply not just to specific advertisements but to a wide range of promotional materials, including client leaflets and displays.
Of particular note, veterinary practices are not permitted to advertise branded POM-V and POM-VPS products to clients. Promotional materials may, however, name active ingredients. The VMD also strongly discourages the use of the word ‘safe’ in any promotional material regarding medications, as it implies other licensed medicines may be considered unsafe.
In general, it’s best to stick to providing more general educational information to clients and leave product-specific advice for treatment discussions with a veterinary professional.
GDPR is an EU regulation that has been retained in the UK and sits alongside the Data Protection Act 2018. It applies to all businesses that process individuals’ personal data. You’ve probably heard of GDPR before, but you may not know exactly how it applies in veterinary practices and how you will need to address data protection in your new practice:Consent for data collection - clients must be specifically informed of the purpose of any data that’s collected, and their explicit consent must be obtained (ie they must opt-in, rather than just be given the choice to opt-out). This consent can be withdrawn at any time. You will also need to provide privacy notices to clients detailing how their data will be used, who it will be shared with and how long it will be retained.
Data security - you are expected to have secure storage and strong passwords to keep clients’ sensitive information protected. Ensure all employees are trained in data protection protocols.Client rights - all clients have the right to see, correct or delete their data.Data breach reporting - you will need to report any data breach to the authorities within 72 hours and contact clients if it’s serious.Consider keeping a data register - creating a written record of how data is processed in your practice and how your processes abide by the GDPR and DPA can help to prove compliance. It should show the flow of data from the moment it’s recorded to the moment it’s deleted.Marketing - data protection means that you cannot use client information for marketing purposes without their explicit consent. Make sure you’re clearly asking for marketing permissions when you take clients’ details.
It may be worth seeking expert advice to ensure you are fulfilling all the requirements of the GDPR / DPA. You will also need to review this at intervals, to ensure you remain compliant.
