Visits to veterinary hospitals have spiked amid the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly among pets owned by those struggling financially. Most animal hospitals have seen their businesses increase three-fold in the last 18 months, while veterinary doctors and staff remain increasingly overwhelmed in dealing with the volume of pet patients.

While tensions may run hot, every animal hospital owner should realize the importance of engaging with their customers and communicating with potential new future customers, even if they’re not seeking to increase their current patient appointments.

Customer Engagement Continues to Build Loyalty for The Future

Overworked veterinary technicians and veterinary assistants take on more burden than ever, often spending long hours at the clinic, making it even more important that they receive recognition for doing so much.

Veterinary staff should be encouraged to communicate with pet owners through their social media pages. According to the VET Marketing Agency’s Founder and CEO, DJ Vallauri, veterinary hospitals should encourage veterinary staff to “pick a social network and be active on that particular platform and sharing your practice’s story. Content marketing is what will push veterinary hospitals forward even beyond the pandemic.”

Animal hospitals are finding that veterinary staff who are active with communicating veterinary content through social channels, can significantly “smooth-over” stress levels when pet parents visit the office with their furry family members.

Recent reports show from March 2020 to August 2021, veterinary-related search terms have increased by 20% on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.

“I’ve seen veterinary clinics spend only a few dollars per month promoting their veterinary practice with paid social media ads and gaining traction with new potential future customers,” added Mr. Vallauri. “By spending as little as $100 a month, animal hospitals can build a stronger social media presence and most importantly, customer engagement and loyalty.”

Veterinary Marketing Social Media Ideas that Work

• connect veterinary staff to social media profiles, pages, and platforms.

• encourage veterinary staff to take pictures of cute pets during their day in the animal hospital, then share these images through social media. Be sure to obtain advanced permission to do so from the pet owner.

• ask veterinary staff to upload a video tutorial sharing advice on how to groom a pet, cat or dog. Encourage veterinary staff to share these veterinary videos on their own social media pages, and encourage fans of the veterinary practice to visit Facebook pages and “like” and comment on veterinary videos.

• have veterinary technicians take a photograph of the veterinary office’s new patient exam room or specialist equipment that was just installed or updated, then upload this image with a veterinary review or a veterinary testimonial from a pet owner.

• veterinary staff should be encouraged to share veterinary news and veterinary industry updates with their social media audiences. Veterinary hospital owners can encourage veterinary staff to add these hashtags to their posts: #veterinarian, #animalhospital, #veterinaryclinic, and veterinary practice hashtags.

• veterinary staff should be encouraged to participate in veterinary Facebook groups or veterinary Pinterest groups, adding their veterinary perspective to the veterinary discussion.

About the VET Marketing Agency

The VET Marketing Agency is the premier provider of digital marketing and social media engagement services to the veterinary animal hospital industry. Services include veterinary website design and development, veterinary search engine optimization, veterinary paid advertising programs, social media marketing, and engagement services for animal hospitals, and 24/7 reputation management services for veterinarians.

Headquartered in New Jersey, the VET Marketing Agency offers full-service, cost-effective digital solutions to ensure its veterinary customers remain competitive and, on the marketing cutting edge. The VET Marketing Agency is a certified Google Partner and a member of the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association (VHMA) and the Independent Veterinary Practitioners Association (IVPA).

Contact us to find out more about the VET Marketing Agency, visit VETMarketingAgency.com or call (800) 609-7657 ext. 700.