SMS Marketing For Veterinarians: Best Practices

#furbaby is a thing, a really big thing. Lurk social media and you’ll see the great lengths people will go to ensure their beloved pets live a fulfilling and comfortable life. With a plethora of bougie pet boutiques available, pet owners expect the same high-quality of service from their veterinarians. As someone with a veterinarian practice, you likely want to find the best way to retain your clients and capture leads. A powerful tool you can use is SMS to effectively communicate with clients, as well as promote your business. Check out a few helpful SMS marketing tips:

Send Appointment Reminders

When a prospect calls or walks into your office to make an appointment, you can ask them to opt-in to your text subscriber list. If they decide to opt-in, you can send your subscriber a text to confirm their appointment and then send a reminder 12-24 hours before the appointment with an option to cancel or reschedule. Those who are subscribed to your text alerts may appreciate a reminder each time they have an appointment if they live busy lives. 

Follow Up With Pet Owners Post-Appointment

Pet owners want to feel valued and as if their pet matters to you. To develop a relationship with clients, and keep their loyalty to your practice, sending personalized text messages can be most rewarding. If a pet has a procedure or is prescribed a new medication, shoot the owner a text a day to a week after the appointment, and check in to see how your patient is reacting to the change. You can also segment clients into lists based off breeds, species, conditions, and more, and send each group general tips on how to maintain good health. 

Allow Clients to Inquire Via SMS

It has become a primal instinct to Internet search symptoms or unusual behavior as soon as we notice them. Most often, panic and assumptions ensue. Reassure clients by offering an open line of communication where clients can ask your office staff questions about their pets’ health during business hours. Although not all questions can be answered with a simple text message, and some circumstances call for emergency help, clients will be grateful that they can get a professional opinion firsthand rather than diagnose their pets through Internet searches. 

Offer Promotions and Mobile Coupons

You can show your clients that you treasure their business by sending them the occasional discount or letting them know about promotions and exclusives before non-subscribers. Many pet owners may skip out on routine checkups and vaccines because they cannot afford all the expenses. Giving clients a discount or occasional freebie can significantly help them and thus influence them to refer you to other pet owners. 

With the ever-growing popularity of mobile use, it is imperative that you use it to your vet practice’s advantage. Use SMS to best engage with your pet-loving clients.