People tend to think about taking their pets to the veterinarian only on "special" occasions. Obviously, if a pet is sick or injured you will receive a call for an appointment. Or in the case of an injury or serious illness, an emergency visit. Vaccinations call for an annual visit but what about other times your clients should be bringing their pets in? For example, do they know about the importance of oral health? How often do clients come in to make a purchase? More visits mean more revenue and more profit. So how do you create more visits?

It's easy to see that clients only come in occasionally – probably because they think about you only occasionally. If they knew more more about what you can provide between "regular" visits and they thought about you more often, you would see clients more often. Common sense, right?

So, how do you get people to think about you? Here are just a few ways you can stay in front of your clients and and create more "touch points."

Some Old School Contacts Still Work
Good old US mail still works to get your message in front of clients. It takes a bit of work but sending out post cards still works. Most vets use post cards as reminders for vaccinations and such. This is a good idea since almost everybody checks their mail daily. But have you considered using post cards and "snail mail" for other promotions? Keeping your name in front of clients (and potential clients!) is the name of the game. A great resource for using the mail is Send-Out-Cards. Everything is automated so you don't have to handle the actual mail. Just input your data online and the printing and mailing will be handled for you. Check them out at https://www.sendoutcards.com/ezcards/

Electronic Media Is A Must

Email
While you need to use regular mail for those people who aren't electronically connected, it is equally as important to use electronic means of touching clients for those who are. Many people prefer to be contacted through email and other electronic media. You get the added benefit of multiple exposures too; if somebody gets a postcard and an email, they are less likely to forget to set an appointment. Remember – you want to stay in front of your clients as much as possible. Do you have your clients email address? You need to start collecting them NOW. Email can be utilized to stay in front of your clients inexpensively and effectively. They will appreciate frequent updates and by sending non-marketing messages to educate, you gain an extra level of credibility in their minds. Plus, this makes it easier to send the occasional marketing message without worrying about over-selling your customers.

Social Media
Do you have a FanPage on Facebook. While it's true that everybody doesn't use Facebook, by ignoring those that do puts you at a disadvantage. Facebook users are CONNECTED. And you need to be connected with them. Use the same approach here that you use with email. Stay in touch to educate, and maybe even entertain. Then the occasional marketing message is well received.

Twitter is similar. Keep in mind the idea is to stay in front of your clients so they are thinking of you. They are more likely to come in for a visit if they think about you. Use some of the software tools available for Twitter to schedule "tweets." Here is one more way to stay in front of clients – and don't forget, potential clients.

Mobile Marketing
The mobile phone is changing the way people interact with each other and with the people they do business with. According to Google, one third of mobile searches are tied to local intent. Yet, only 4,8% of U.S. retailers have a mobile specific website. Mobile devices will pass PCs as the access device of choice by 2013. Like it or not, people will be looking for you (or a competing vet) on their mobile device. Be ready for that touch point by having your web site optimized for mobile devices

Phones provide another way to touch your clients – SMS or what we commonly call texting. Consider that 72 percent of mobile subscribers send or receive 664 texts per month vs. making or receiving only 176 phone calls. Almost 70 million mobile coupons worth $2.4 billion are expected to be redeemed in 2013, up from only 200,000 coupons in 2009. Think you need to be texting your clients? You better believe it! Now, throw this into the mix: according to Facebook’s own research over 40 percent or 200 million of its users access FB via mobile devices and those users are twice as active as non-mobile users. Yes, all this electronic stuff works together to create a real synergy.

What does all this mean? Touch you clients in as many ways as possible. Send mail. Use email. Create a facebook fan page. Optimize your website for mobile. Use mobile texting. OK, maybe that sounds like a lot but it doesn't have to be. Just tackle a little bit at a time and you will find more clients more often in your clinic!

Electronic marketing. Internet marketing. Online promotion. What exactly do all these terms mean and do they really apply to veterinary practices? Well, considering that even print publications (remember the newspaper?) are moving toward electronic publishing perhaps we should take a closer look. While it's hard enough to keep up with continuing education in animal care, keeping up with all the "new media" can be intimidating. But it doesn't have to be.

The basics of any type of promotion boil down to one simple concept. Communication. Think about it. Even the oldest types of advertising involve getting a message across to a target market. The sign that simply says, "Ye Olde Inn" is a comforting message to a weary traveler who is tired and thirsty. Fast forward to the family gathered around the radio, immersed in the adventures of The Lone Ranger. Mom probably bought some Ovaltine at the grocery the next day. Upon closer examination, we see how the early electronic ad was able to reach more people than the simple sign.

Now, take a look at the internet. People are actually searching for goods and services to buy. Yes, even veterinary services. Just like the weary traveler, people are searching for a particular service. Like the radio show of old, the internet reaches a lot of peole. A lot of people. However, now we have the added kicker of search engines. Your target market is looking specifically for you – or at least the best vet in their area. That is you, right?

So the challenge becomes communicating with new clients and existing clients alike – with the help of tools that can reach those people at lightning speed. Your internet presence (and pretty soon your smart phone presence) needs to communicate, sure. But more than that, you need to connect! Even with the cold impersonal nature of bits and bytes, you must use them because your target market now uses electronics to form personal connections. The meteoric rise of Facebook is proof. So, don't just throw a brochure up on the internet. Mix the old with the new and make a connection!

Once upon a time, veterinarians all across the country were enjoying thriving practices based on quality service and word-of-mouth advertising. Every business worth its salt used yellow pages advertising and new customers regularly called or visited. The monthly fees seemed a little steep but it was reasonable considering it didn't really take any work and new clients came in on a regular basis.

Fast forward to the new decade.

People are cutting corners due to pinched wallets. They don't even know where their phone book is. If they need something they look on the internet. Now, more and more people access the internet with their smart phone so they carry the "yellow pages" around with them in their pocket.

What does this mean to top quality veterinarians who need more customers and increased revenue per client?

Use up-to-date marketing methods or get left behind.

In the "old days" a few minutes spent with the phone book rep did the job for the whole year. Now, you're going to have to spend a bit more time but it doesn't have to be a burden.

Here's something you'll want to consider with corresponding suggestions:

— People use the internet to search out all kinds of products and services. —
Simple as it sounds, businesses today absolutely must have a website. But not just any website. Plenty of small businesses (and lots of large businesses as well) have a website that is simply an online brochure. And quite often the site is as conspicuous as a billboard on a deserted dirt road.

— What to do? —
Construct your website with these things in mind…
Google will actually help people find you if you utilize their Google Places feature.
Use basic SEO, that is Search Engine Optimization, to bring more and more visitors to your site.
Capture visitors' contact information so you can keep in touch.
Optimize your site for mobile access.

This may sound like high tech stuff but it doesn't have to be difficult. You can use, what else but the internet, to find information on these topics. Google can be your friend in more ways than one!