Marketing is essential for any business, including veterinary practices. Some veterinary practices have a negative view of marketing. This negative view stems from a misunderstanding of what constitutes marketing. Marketing in veterinary medicine is education. Customers have needs for veterinary services. If they don't know what you do, where you do it, when you do it, or the importance of what you do, then how will they know to ask you to help them when their need arises. The adage, 'an educated customer is a good customer' is true. Therefore, educate your customers and you will be successful at marketing your practice.
Many veterinarians think that marketing is used to attact new customers. While that is true, the greatest opportunities to grow your practice are with educating your customers about what you do and what services apply to them. If they know the risks associated with their animals, they are more likely to take action with using your services to be more certain that they can avoid the negative circumstances of an otherwise preventable condition.
In the process of providing quality education to your customers, you are also building valuable relationships. Those relationships yield greater customer loyalty and help to remove barriers, both perceived and real, that impede customers' use of your services.
Remember, marketing is education. Educate your customers!
