Balloons and Brochures: Remove the Gimmicks and Create a Lasting First Impression Louise S. Dunn Snowgoose Veterinary Management Consulting 1955 Indian Wells Trails Pfafftown, NC 27404 336-945-0208 snogoose@infionline.net www.snowgoosevet.com Description: How many of you are now using Facebook, Four Square, Twitter and Pinterest? How many of you are mailing reminder postcards and giving gifts to welcome new clients? How many of you question the return on your investment of time and money on these marketing strategies and client perception? Trying to make your practice stand out in a crowd of other businesses can be frustrating and expensive. In this session, we want to talk about where you have been and where you want to go with your practice image and just what you need to market to get there. Learning Objectives: Identify which marketing techniques are working for your practice Effectively utilize metrics to make adjustments to your marketing efforts and track the changes Discuss ways to achieve that coveted experience that will keep clients talking about your practice MARKETING 101 In and of itself, marketing is a relationship with your clients. Many of us in the veterinary industry see marketing as a way to educate the clients, build an awareness of the services our business has to offer and to drive client visits to our practice to take care of
a medical or health issue for their pet. Yet many of us scan the veterinary environment, see a lot of different marketing examples, and question if it is cutting-edge marketing. We look at other industries and their marketing tactics and question if it is good for us to use. A marketing strategy is about your practice and the strategic plan, and this then guides the marketing plan (pricing strategies, advertising and promotions, products and services). When developing a marketing plan, an ethical marketing strategy would involve asking yourself some questions: What is the outcome wanted for this marketing plan? What behavior needs changed from an unsafe behavior to a safe behavior? Will this marketing plan increase client visits? What brand image is being projected by this marketing plan? Are there any deceptive or misleading statements in this marketing plan? Is there a fair balance between the needs of the client and the needs of the business? Outcomes Will your marketing plan address any "needs" you identified during your strategic planning process? Will your marketing plan impact your strategic plan for the practice? You must know your practice and you must have a clear strategic plan for the practice then you will know what you want to market. Behavior changes The recent Bayer study gives every practice some ideas regarding their strengths/weaknesses, and what areas need attention. One of the issues identified by the study was the poor response of cat owners to scheduling regular wellness visits. Do you want to use marketing to change that behavior in your own clients? Client visits Marketing is about relationships. Are you responding to client needs with your marketing? Many clients no longer "shop" for a service or price; instead, they are looking for an "experience." Will your marketing target this? Branding This can mean different things to different people. To some, it is a logo or a symbol. To others, it is an emotional connection. Branding is about understanding the
needs of your clients. Your clients have an emotional experience when they do business with you. What will your marketing plan end up branding your practice with? Deceptive or misleading statements Do any of you, when advertising, intentionally leave information out or give false information? Probably not, but I would venture to say you have been accused of it at one time or another by an angry client. Transparency is important in ethical marketing to avoid the perception of deception. Remember, the client's perception is their reality. Balance Sure, we can increase revenue by "selling" something. However, are you addressing the needs of the patients and of the clients too? It can be a fine line between "selling" and "recommending medical services or products." Marketing can easily get out of control costing you money and targeting the wrong goals. Your marketing must be responsible to a community of pet owners, a community of team members as well as to your business goals. Marketing is everything you and your team does. First, identify the needs of the people in your Circle of Care and then expand your circle to include your community. This goes back to conducting a SWOT analysis and doing some strategic planning. What may be part of a marketing strategy for your vet school buddy in Indiana may not hold true for you in Florida. When looking at needs, see where you have an opportunity to make lives better, to educate owners, to raise awareness of health concerns and how your practice can address those concerns, and how you can create goodwill in the community. Next, identify your external and internal marketing options. Assess the impact of Yellow page ads, websites, printed brochures, bulletin boards and educational material. Do not forget to assess exam room communications, telephone conversations, postings on-line and word-of-mouth. Marketing is more than paying for an ad to run in the local paper. Awareness drives compliance. Map out a 12-month marketing plan based on the strategic goals for the practice. Then involve the team. Tell the team about the marketing map and the outcomes you want to achieve.
MARKETING ASSESSMENTS, TOOLS & METRICS With so many marketing options available, consider just a few of these and create a scorecard to keep track of their impact on current clients and attracting new clients. Net Promoter Score The ultimate question to ask (according to Fred Reichheld) is, "On a scale of 1 10, how likely are you to refer our practice to someone else?" Based on the answer, you can start to track how many promoters you have (those answering 9 10) versus detractors (1 6). Knowing your NPS can give you direction regarding ways to market your practice and reward your promoters. Identify clients who bring in new clients (your promoters). Those who are referring you aren't necessarily those who spend the most money or visit the most often, however, as an article in the Harvard Business Review (Oct 2007) article states, targeting those clients who make referrals may be worth a portion of your advertising budget. Target marketing to this group will show a greater ROI from your marketing dollars than just general marketing to no one specific. You can further assess strengths and weaknesses of your practice by surveying your promoters and detractors for more information. Data Mine Use your practice management software to data mine for information such as overdue or missing reminders, or to see opportunities to connect with those clients whose pets are senior pets, overweight, or diagnosed with a long-term condition such as renal disease or diabetes. Follow the numbers and see how compliance changes once you start connecting with clients. Target marketing to a specific niche is always a better use of dollars than mass mailing a general advertisement. The Quick Question The Quick Question is a single question that provides useful information for decision making by practice management. Simply ask 60 clients the question and record the
response. (e.g., "How did you pick our hospital?" or, "Which of these phone books do you use?"). Geo Mapping Consider the maps many pharmaceutical companies deliver to a veterinary practice that maps out positive cases of Heartworm disease, or the Dept. of Agriculture's Rabies cases - now create geo maps for your particular area by mapping conditions diagnosed in your practice. The concept that certain diseases tend to occur in certain locations and those locations can influence health has been utilized in human and animal medicine over the years. You can now use this as a marketing tool. You can combine this information with a public service announcement or article for the local paper. Perhaps placing the map on your website along with an education piece on preventive medicine to inform your clients and guide them in making decisions about the medical care their pets need. Track responses via your practice management software. HOW TO ACHIEVE AN "EXPERIENCE" There is no single great idea to give to you. It really is about your unique culture, your practice and your clients. It is about positioning your practice (the doctors and the team) as the experts and people your clients can easily turn to for answers. Here are some ideas to consider when mapping out your marketing plan, some of these may appeal to you while others just aren't your style: Press release or feature story (rather than just placing an ad) Participating in community special events Using email such as Constant Contact to send information to clients Producing a newsletter (don't forget to include hints or teasers for topics in the next newsletter) Sending welcome letters, nice to meet you letters, or thank you notes Offer free workshops or classes for your clients
Utilize National monthly observances to attract client attention (National Dental Month is not the only one available, even National Ice Cream Month can be a marketing tool to connect with clients) Create online videos to inform and educate Know your clients and Reward your clients Designate Pet Ambassadors team members who speak at local businesses or events regarding pet health The purpose of any of your marketing efforts is to engage your clients on an emotional level. According to Robin Brogdon of Blue Prints Veterinary Marketing Group in Huntington Beach, California, research shows that approximately 70% of the purchase decision is made for emotional, not economic reasons, especially when buying services. A client that is simply "satisfied" does not necessarily mean that they are a loyal client who will promote your practice to others; rather, it is the client who experiences a memorable event that will be a loyal promoter. There is a lot at stake when it comes to marketing your practice more than just your budget. Your reputation, the profession, trust and loyalty are just some of the factors at stake when you market your practice. Marketing is not about writing an ad, it is about you and your team connecting with clients on an emotional level. Summary In today's vast realm of communication venues, your competition is anyone your client compares you to. Your client service representatives may very well be being compared to CSRs at Disney World. Maybe a client is comparing your way of delivering service to Nordstrom. Perhaps your bedside manner is being judged in comparison to someone's dentist. Marketing your practice does not mean merely winning the game of being compared to other veterinarians. To achieve an excellent client "experience" you are in competition with many other businesses and the prize is earning client loyalty, trust and willingness to pay for your services.