Your ideal client. The marketing avatar. Your demographic niche. These are all different ways to get at the same idea in veterinary social media marketing -- your audience. These are the people you’re trying to reach with all of your marketing efforts. The ones who could very well translate into office visits, dental exams, and more for your clinic. You likely have subsets of client types, each with their own demographics and background, and each group will need their own style of targeting to match. Let’s dive into the basics of knowing your audience.
Geographic Location
For a services-based industry like veterinary medicine, your audience will be heavily tied to your geographic location. While you may have occasional visitors with a pet-related emergency on vacation, the bulk of your business comes from those who live, work and play within a few miles of your clinic. Your ideal radius will vary depending on a few factors, such as how many other veterinarians are located in your area and how willing the people in your geographic location are to drive longer distances. As a rule of thumb, the higher the density of options available, the less far your potential customers may be willing to travel for your services.
If you’re a mobile vet, your veterinary social media marketing audience radius can be much broader, but the same principles will still apply. You’ll need to identify what your ‘home base’ is and determine how far you’re willing to realistically travel for clients. Plus, you don’t have to worry about your influence with clients dropping off the farther out you get in your clientele radius, as these are all equivalent in-home experiences for all locations (as long as you charge the same fee for travel).
Veterinary Needs
This can be a little tricky, especially as you may end up working with clients to expand the types of services they consider appropriate for their furry friends. If you’re newer to an area, it make take a while to see what kinds of veterinary services you should be focusing on with your veterinary social media marketing efforts. A lower-income part of town might be in need of low cost spay & neuter clinics, while a more affluent neighborhood could really love alternative therapies, like animal acupuncture. You likely want to hook your clients with what they know they need, and discuss appropriate regular care from there.
Keep in mind that spending on specialized services, such as diagnostic testing and surgeries, is up in the US. Don’t be afraid to advertise your more advanced procedures, as some pet owners may simply not be aware of their options. If you offer any services that set you apart, like exotic animal care, make sure you’re highlighting those differences. There are 40 million bird, reptile and pocket pet owners across the country, making them a great niche target.
Type of Content
The type of content that appeals to your audience on social media will depend heavily on their demographics. Younger crowds may find certain forms of humor than an older population, or vice versa. More importantly, you’ll need to be sensitive to what they might find offensive. One misstep has a larger impact than a hundred posts with positive engagement. If you do decide to post something controversial, be sure it’s something you’re willing to stand by.
There’s no easy answer to the question of what to post, it’s all a trial and error process. We’ve seen identical content play out great with one client’s audience and lukewarm with another. Each and every business has to carefully fine-tune their postings to engage their viewers in a positive and productive way.
For more information on veterinary social media marketing visit our website or contact us today at www.vetmarketingpro.com.