9 Sales Promotion Ideas for Your Veterinary Clinic

You might not think that promotions are a big deal for your veterinary clinic, but when your client base is getting low and stagnant, you will have to do something to drum up new business. You can always outsource your sales outreach to reach your clients. There is a lot that you can gain from employing some promotional marketing efforts. Plus, you don’t have to do a lot of work to make a big impact if you know what you’re doing. 

Here are nine creative ideas and valuable tips to ensure that your veterinary clinic gets all the promotion that it deserves. 

1. Offer new client/patient specials 

This is a great way to get people to give your clinic a try. Choosing a vet is hard, and it can get expensive to take care of pets. Therefore, if you can offer some kind of special or incentive for your new clients, you may see more of them coming through the doors. It doesn’t have to be anything big—even a free nail trim with their visit can go a long way. Just find a way to make them feel special for choosing you in the first place. 

2. Set up a referral program 

If people like the care their pets receive, they will rave about it. If they have a bad experience, the accused party had better just pack it in and choose a new career or location. Referrals and word of mouth are still some of your most valuable assets. Now, you can even use the Internet to help you set up referral programs and offer incentives to your clients for their sharing. You should make sure that your referral program gives a reward to both the referrer and the person being referred so that everyone wins. 

3. Offer incentives for reviews 

In the same way you can incentivize referrals, you can create a program or incentive offer for testimonials and reviews. Perhaps you’ll give people a 10% discount on their annual visit, or you’ll offer a free bath and grooming with their visit (if you offer those services). It’s about giving people a reason to talk about your clinic. After all, if someone is trying to pick a vet, they’re going to listen to reviews much more than the clinic itself. 

4. Create YouTube videos showcasing your practice

People love YouTube. What better way to show off your veterinary clinic than to share videos? You can do intro videos for your employees, show different services offered, and even offer educational videos of different procedures, provided that you have the permission of your clients if their pets are involved. There are so many ways you can use YouTube, but it’s great for creating that personal relationship and giving people peace of mind. 

5. Use social media to build relationships

Social media isn’t just where you put up a page and walk away. You have to create profiles and personas and interact with your audience. Take the time to utilize social media to connect with people on that personal level. Pet owners love to know that their vet is just a regular person and that they’ve got the best interests of their pets at heart. Social media is a great way to reassure that and promote your services at the same time. 

6. Hand out welcome packages with gifts and coupons

You can also create welcome packages for new clients that include various gifts, coupons, etc. If you choose gifts, make sure that you include something for the pet and their human companion. If it’s coupons, consider offering discounts on vaccines, grooming, dental cleanings, or other routine care that they’ll need anyway. Maybe you’ll want to give them a small gift card to the pet store so they can treat their pet—get creative and see what happens. 

7. Optimize your online presence 

The majority of people searching for services like veterinary clinics are probably doing so from a mobile device. People like having access to information on the go. You need to ensure that you have a well-designed, easy-to-navigate website that’s mobile-friendly and optimized for search engines. 

That probably sounds like a tall order all at once. However, if you design for mobile-first, you’ll find that the rest generally falls into place. Make sure that your website, social media profiles, and business listings are all optimized. 

8. Start a blog to become a thought leader

In the veterinary industry, becoming a thought leader is a great way to promote your own clinic and veterinary services. Your clients will see you as an authority in the industry and your peers will respect your professional expertise. Of course, you need to set up your blog carefully and think about the content that you are going to post. You can take one of two angles: post from a professional standpoint, sharing news and educational information, or, post from a personal standpoint, sharing personal anecdotes, knowledge, etc. In either case, it’s about being seen as an authority. 

9. Partner with a team like Smith.ai to handle the leads and more

With all the new leads you’ll be getting, you will want to have systems in place like a 24/7 answering service and someone to handle lead intake, scheduling, and more. The dedicated virtual receptionists at Smith.ai can ensure that you don’t miss any new leads that come your way. Plus, we can even help with the outreach campaigns to get the word out in the first place, letting you get back to business. 

We not only make outbound calls for lead generation, but we can also send emails, texts, and make calls for follow-up and other purposes. And it all comes with a custom strategy to manage every last detail, so let us know how we can help you. 

Schedule your consultation to find out what the 24/7 team at Smith.ai can do for your vet clinic’s promotional marketing and more. You can also find us at hello@smith.ai or (650) 727-6484.