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Marketing Strategy For Animal HospitalPremium Member
Posted By: tmacb on 1/26/2005 4:49 PM (CST) 250 Points
My animal hospital client (one of the largest general practice/emergency referral clinics in Canada) has never had a marketing strategy before and we are just about to begin developing one. We have done some very good work in terms of laying a strategic foundation - establishing a strong brand, articulating a unique value proposition, clarifying key messages, etc. Our next goal is to map out a 12-month marketing plan aimed at the general public and referring veterinarians. There are rather strict regulations on vet marketing in Canada, which adds a challenge. We would like to be able to research best practices for marketing in this space and have found precious little. Does anyone have any experience in this space, ideas to share?

Posted by: OlivierT* Accepted Answer
1/26/2005 6:23 PM (CST)
I can only speak about my specialty: Permission-based Email Marketing Strategy - This should be an important part of your marketing strategy. It is extremely efficient and affordable.

I don't know enough about the Vet marketing regulations in Canada. Regulations for B2C marketing (Referring Vets) may be far lighter. You should not have problems to build one-to-one personalized email campaigns, such as information emails, e-newsletters, a once a year e-survey ("How are we doing?"), and some regular e-greetings (such as "Happy Canada Day, [Contact’s First Name], from [Clinic Name]”).

Usually B2C regulations are far stricter. A “how is your cat Sarah doing?” from a Vet clinic may not be a smart idea and it may be illegal. However, a personalized permission-based on a non-commercial e-newsletter, (“tips & hints for your house pet in good shape!”) should be OK. Get the pet owner to sign for the clinic’s e-newsletter on the clinic’s Web site. Prepare monthly various e-newsletters (“Cat Health Monthly”, “Dog Health Monthly”, etc.) with useful tips, information, and warnings (i.e. rabies warning in a Canadian county). When pet owners subscribe online, they won’t have any issue in giving their pet’s type and name. That will allow the clinic to automate personalized e-newsletter, including pet name. Believe me, this is far easier and less expensive you may think, with the right tools. We are talking cents for personalized email newsletters…

If you are interested in working in this direction, I would love to talk to you. I think I can give a lot of free advises. Our company partners with companies like yours to address such needs. See my profile and send me an email.
 
Posted by: mbarber Accepted Answer
1/26/2005 8:39 PM (CST)
Gidday tmacbeth.

There's a couple of clues in your email - first do you want ideas that will work for you or do you just want ideas from within your industry?

Second, what are some of the restrictions you talk about?

So if you are targeting referring Vets, what restrictions exist about what you can say, do or how you can entice them to become a better referrer? If there aren't any I'm sure we could come up with a truckload of ideas for you.

Now as to the general public, some good ideas have already been provided to you by Olivier. You could go further - is there a national pet day? If not you could start one, gain corporate sponsorship to help fund it and then do your PR campaign through the media to raise awareness. That would mean you'd share branding rights with sponsors but you control the process to ensure the Hospital name stays front and centre.

You could run an 'open day' every two months targeting a different animal or different pet need - make them free to the public and have them last for no more than a couple of hours - get vets nearby to come along and share their knowledge for free. That lets them build awareness and you at the same time and links you strongly to the community.
 
Posted by: thinkmor Accepted Answer
1/27/2005 6:12 AM (CST)
Hi Tmacbeth

Do you have anything similar to UK's Animal Hospital TV programme in Canada which was hosted by Rolf Harris - from Mbarber's neck of the woods?

It was and still is a huge attraction for the general public and the Vet surgeries used in the programmes (one/two in every week) have been setup for life.

You may not have the advantages there but it maybe project for someone to build on the huge affection people have with their pets and this is one strategy focus I would go deeper into.

You could always do a Video diary (that you can also play within your hospital) and send it in to one of the Children's or Wild Life programmes for inclusion. This needs a little research but has been done successfully before.

What are the restrictions you mention?

Affiliating with Pet Insurance plans could be another channel you could investigate. These would jointly target both pet owners and vets and shortcut you targeting lists and get to pet owners directly.

Educating people (using on/offline channels) on how pets can stimulate and benefit ill or people with disabilities is another possibility where you can dominate a space in the minds of segments of your customers.

You could also produce "paw" sized leaflets and online docs that provide general health and care for different types of pets. Positioning yourselves as THE resource for pet care could be another option depending on your strategy and positioning.

If you can connect both 'hearts and minds' of your customers you will be building a brand that will be hard to compete with.

Hope this helps.


Zahid Adil
 
Posted by: bobhogg Accepted Answer
1/27/2005 6:13 AM (CST)
tmacbeth...

Not my specialist area, I must admit, but my daughter is currently studying veterinary medicine in the UK and she pointed me to a couple of websites that specialise in web marketing for vets in the UK:

http://www.vetsite.info/

http://www.vetclick.com/practice-website/

I don't know how relevant they are to the Canadian situation, but you might find them of interest.

Good luck,
Bob
 
Posted by: thinkmor Accepted Answer
1/27/2005 6:20 AM (CST)
Hi Tmacbeth

Forgot to post this link for "Do it Yourself" Email campaigns which can be done easily via the web and at low cost:

http://www.constantcontact.com

Hope this helps.


Zahid Adil
 
Posted by: tmacb Author Response
1/27/2005 10:20 AM (CST)
Wow, what a great response. Thank you Mbarber for the Pet Day PR campaign idea. This is definitely something I will follow up on because they have great corporate contacts who could help make this work. Oliver - the email campaign is a great idea. I would like to connect and get more info on the legal side as I am not familiar with all the legalities. Zahid, I love the idea of the video diary. They actually have a monitor in their waiting room which is always playing corporate commercials instead of promoting the practice! And Bob, thanks for the web links, I will check them out and see what I can find.
Thank you everyone, this has been really helpful!
Theresa
 
Posted by: SRyan ;] Member Response
1/27/2005 10:12 PM (CST)
Hmmm.... permission based email marketing for an animal hospital...

I just don't know if there are enough cats and dogs on the Web for that strategy to really pay off! Mice? Sure, but...

- Shelley ;]
 
Posted by: Billd724 Accepted Answer
1/31/2005 1:35 AM (CST)
I've had the pleasure of working with several Veterinary practices and would ask why you're seeking to attract 'new' clients rather than 'up-sell' and 'cross-sell' the existing clients of this practice?

In my experience, there are so many missed opportunities for additional revenues in the existing clientbase that seeking to attract 'new' prospects when "there's gold in them thar files" just flies in the face of reason.

One thing I've found quite helpful is to set up a promotional calendar based on all the service capabilities of the practice and then use that to target communications -- educational more than promotional -- to those clients who can best appreciate, value and respond to the practice capabilities.

For example, dogs and cats over 7 years old are technically 'geriatric' and additional blood work is indicated to identify and forestall a host of complications that can be so easily avoided and so costly if they are not.

A timely mailing (or, as Olivier rightly suggests!) a permissioned email, sent just prior to the next routine visit can stimulate a discussion between the client and doctor about this kind of service.

Or, take a common procedure -- e.g. dental prophy (cleaning) which is extremely important and often not discussed, delivered and, therefore, not healthy for the pet or profitable for the practice. Cleanings are one of the 'up-sell' / 'cross-sell' opportunities that is really a good profit-center and one of the best investments a client can make in keeping their pets healthy, too. Win-Win all around. But, often not done because docs don't talk about it and clients don't ask.

Remember that clients are ignorant and docs aren't comfortable selling! Thus, facilitating communication and awareness with clients is almost an ethical requirement to fulfill the professional's obligation to the patients and their clients.

I have other ideas for you -- feel free to contact me if you like.

You might also check out Veterinary Economics: http://www.vetmedpub.com/ve/.

In the US, this is THE monthly practice publication and chock-full of great ideas on Veterinary practice development and staff management. I've subscribed to it now for some years and find it's ideas are so transferrable to other kinds of professional practices and service firms that it's been one of the best investments I've made in my business.

Good luck with that Canadian client of yours . . . Veterinary medicine is a noble calling -- get the word out and the pets in . . . to the clinic! ;-)

Bill
 
Posted by: tmacb Author Response
2/1/2005 12:57 PM (CST)
Bill,
Thank you so much for your response regarding marketing to current clients. You have really just crystallized what should be a major theme of this marketing strategy. Not only is your idea really sound, it works well in the context of the cvo marketing restrictions I described, which don't apply to current clients of the practice. You obviously have a wealth of experience in this arena and I would love to take you up on your offer of a chat. I'm not very familiar with this web site yet, so am unsure where to find your contact info - can you send it to me?
Thanks again for your time and expertise!
Theresa
 


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