The most beautiful and exciting (and sometimes the most frustrating) thing about digital marketing is that it’s always evolving. What worked well yesterday may not garner the same success today. It’s up to business owners to keep up with the latest digital marketing trends and implement the best ones for their business. Yet, as a veterinarian and practice owner, it can be difficult to juggle medicine, administration, and a slew of other duties on top of your digital marketing strategy. At InTouch, we want to make things easier for you, which is why we’ve gathered the top 5 digital marketing trends of 2019 that matter most to vets.
1. Personalization
Personalization doesn’t just mean making things personalized to your practice; it means making them personalized to your audience. The more relevant your content is, the more likely it will resonate with your site’s visitors, your social media followers, and your email list, too. The key is to think about your current clients’ geographic, demographic, and behavioral traits and tailor your content in all media to suit them. To gain insight, start tracking (if you’re not already) conversions from your website (i.e. phone calls, online appointment requests, etc.), as well as engagement with your social media posts and emails to see what works and what doesn’t.
If you’re interested in pulling from a geographic area with potentially different behaviors and demographics, some experimentation is in order. Start with your social media campaigns, trying different types of posts and ads to see what works for this new group. Then, adjust your emails and maybe even some of your website content to suit them.
2. Google My Business
Google My Business is the business profile that pops up on a Google search page when someone searches for your practice, “veterinarians near me,” or something similar. Optimizing your GMB profile with the most accurate information and updated content will boost your search results and help your profile come up before the competition. If you don’t already have a GMB account, set one up today. It is an invaluable tool for local businesses.
3. Video Marketing
Having a custom video on your home page increases engagement and causes potential customers to stay on your site for longer. As prospective clients view your video, they begin to form a relationship with your practice and the staff featured before even meeting you, which drives them closer toward converting into a customer.
If one video can have this great an impact, imagine what a video library can do! If you have the time and resources, creating a series of videos on a variety of topics (answers to clients’ FAQs; sharing proper techniques for home dental care; debunking pet care myths; etc.) can significantly increase client engagement with your site and turn many new visitors into new customers.
4. Social Media Marketing
Having a strong social media presence has never been more important for businesses than it is now. Facebook and Instagram are the top two players, and being active and engaging on those channels can skyrocket your practice to internet stardom. Posting pictures and videos, sharing others’ posts, and engaging with your followers keeps you at the forefront of your current client’s thoughts, so they are bound to return to you time and again. Additionally, with targeted ads, you can reach an even greater audience and garner new followers (aka potential clients).
5. Micro-Moments
Micro-moments are one of the newer fangled trends sweeping across the internet. They involve capturing the mobile user in a “moment,” making them halt in an endless stream of content, and focus, for a split-second, on you. So far, there are four micro-moments as identified by Google:
- I-want-to-know moments: someone is exploring and researching something but is not necessarily ready to purchase.
- I-want-to-go moments: someone is actively looking for a local business or is considering buying something at a nearby store.
- I-want-to-do moments: someone wants advice and guidance in accomplishing a task or trying something new.
- I-want-to-buy moments: someone is ready to purchase and needs help deciding what or how to buy.
By capitalizing on these different moments, whether with a social media post or ad, an email campaign, or web content, your practice can gain your audience’s full-fledged attention and deliver on their immediate needs.
For instance, an I-want-to-do moment could involve someone considering spaying or neutering their new puppy or kitten. As they go to search for options near them, your recent blog post on spays and neuters or your newly optimized webpage pops up. When they eye your page and click on it, you’re creating a moment where they can learn more about the procedure. After gaining useful knowledge, a call to action on your page prompts them to schedule an appointment with you.
Take These Tools, Go Forth, and Grow Your Practice
Now that you know a little bit more about the latest trends to help vets, it’s time to implement them. Start simple, and focus on one trend at a time. Talk to your staff about how you can make one change in the next week or month. Maybe it’s setting up a Google My Business profile, or bolstering your social media presence, or planning a video about how to brush a dog’s teeth. While one step may not sound like much, it can propel your practice in the right direction, setting you on a course for success.
And don’t forget—if you need help implementing any of these digital marketing trends into your practice, get InTouch. We’ll walk you through it.
Reviewed by: Mary B. on Nov. 15, 2019