How to market wellness exams to veterinary clients

Wellness exams are important for keeping pet health journeys on course, but making that known to every pet parent is a difficult challenge. More than a simple lack of knowledge, your clients want to be informed about their pets’ health needs and feel empowered when it comes to making a decision, rather than being pushed to take action. This makes genuine care and convenient communication that much more important for your veterinary clinic.

We’re going over some key strategies you can use to set realistic expectations for the pet owners at your practice, helping to avoid confusion and—most importantly—prevent delayed pet care. We’ll show you how you can educate your clients about the importance of wellness exams to prove that you’re a partner they can count on for long-term care, not just a service for sale.

1. Speak with empathy, always

When a client doesn’t take their pet in for regular checkups, it’s not that they’re a bad pet parent. Oftentimes, a pet owner may not be able to afford routine pet care, and choose not to spend more money maintaining their pet’s health than they’re able to. Whatever their concern may be, it’s important for them to know that you understand where they’re coming from.

Amidst your busy clinic routine, it can be easy to forget that your clients have a different list of priorities and concerns. Try to tap into your client’s mindset and validate their feelings by leading the conversation from a place of empathy. Emphasize how wellness exams can actually save pet owners more money in the long run by detecting and treating health concerns early on; make sure they know that the longer a condition or disease goes unaddressed, the more expensive supportive care and treatment plans can cost. To really paint the picture, try offering a few hypothetical examples to your clients, like: if a cat is urinating more frequently and is excessively thirsty, but the pet owner does not take them in for care as soon as they should, it could lead to a late diagnosis of kidney disease or hyperthyroidism—conditions that could have been caught and more easily treated earlier on.

2. Explain the purpose of the wellness exam

Sometimes a pet owner’s hesitancy to schedule wellness exams comes down to uncertainty. You can calm your clients’ concerns if you make the purpose of routine pet care super clear, like by comparing it to an annual visit with a primary care physician. You can explain that, just like people, pets need annual checkups not only to maintain and improve their health, but also to prevent existing or developing health conditions from turning into something more extreme. This comparison helps put the importance of wellness exams into perspective, which most people will understand and appreciate.

Aside from explaining the purpose, you can ease the minds of pet owners when you set clear expectations. Talk to clients about what their pets’ exam will be like, such as what you do and what you’re looking for when you’re checking out a pet’s external health (ears, eyes, nose, mouth, genitalia, mobility, skin, and coat condition) versus their more internal health (lungs, heart, digestive tract, and mental well-being). Wellness exams also offer clients a chance to share insights about things you typically can’t pick up on in the clinic, like at-home behaviors, stress levels, sociability, and more.

3. Point out the pros for their pets

There are of course way more benefits to wellness exams than there are drawbacks, but not every pet parent thinks this way. That’s why it’s important to highlight the advantages of routine pet care, like how regularly bringing a pet into your clinic can make them more comfortable over time. Most pets are extremely nervous in veterinary settings, but a well-adjusted pet is more relaxed and therefore easier to assess and treat.

Remind your clients that when pets are stressed, they go into defense mode and tend to hide any signs of illness. This could cause you to miss something critical during your exam, so ensuring pets are relaxed and comfortable is key for a thorough checkup. Let pet owners know that getting their pets socialized and used to the clinic environment will lead to less traumatic experiences, and create a better veterinary visit for everyone involved.

4. Keep clients at ease with education

Instead of giving you an immediate answer, sometimes pet owners just need time to think things over before making a decision about their pet’s health. To help ease their mind and keep them as informed as possible, you can offer your clients free educational materials that they can take home with them while they decide. These materials could cover important topics like the specific details of the exam, why the particular exam is beneficial for their pet’s health, and the associated costs. You can even consider throwing in a promotion that incentivizes them to set up an appointment, like an early-bird special or a holiday discount on a wellness exam.

5. Communicate clearly and conveniently

Technology plays a big role in encouraging pet owners to book wellness exams. Specifically, veterinary client communication software can provide your practice with the tools you need to conveniently keep pet owners connected with your clinic and informed about their pets’ health needs. Sending out health service reminders, for example, is a great way to encourage your audience to bring their pets in for care. This type of software allows you to create custom messages and filter them based on pet age, breed, vaccination history, and more so pet owners can better relate to your message, and be convinced to schedule a wellness exam. Plus, these alerts go directly to the pet owner through email, text, a mobile app push notification, or even by mail to easily reach them wherever they are. Once they book a visit, you can also use these messages to remind pet owners about their appointments, which will reduce no-shows and keep pet care on track.

Some veterinary client communication software, like a veterinary-specific mobile app, offer the option for pet owners to request appointments right from their devices. This makes it easy for clients to schedule wellness exams whenever they’d like to, without having to make a call to your busy clinic. You can even use a veterinary mobile app to keep pet parents in the know by instantly sharing educational content—like articles, videos, infographics—that showcases the benefits of preventative care.

Better yet, you can encourage pet owners to continue booking your services and maintain their pets’ health journeys through a loyalty program. This is a great way to incentivize clients to choose your clinic for pet care by offering them rewards or discounts for completed wellness exams. You can also get accurate analytics and detailed reporting to track how your promotions are performing, helping you optimize your efforts by identifying areas that need improving.

6. Make the most of your veterinary website

Your veterinary website is a powerful tool to use for promoting wellness exams to your clients, and is an efficient way to keep them informed about the importance of routine pet care. Using a customizable website platform, you can create a dedicated wellness exam page that clearly explains what the exam is, its benefits, and which pets it’s for. Add in an FAQ section that addresses common questions and concerns, which can build trust with your clients while also guiding them to use your website when they have a common question (rather than calling you). Always include a strong call-to-action button so they can quickly book your services, no matter which page they’re on. Enhance your site with educational content to encourage preventative care even more and to create a sense of community, such as blog posts about pet health, client reviews to build credibility, engaging videos that demonstrate wellness exam procedures, and visually appealing infographics that persuade clients to take action.

Content aside, you can make it extremely easy for pet owners to set up a wellness exam at your clinic by providing them with online appointment booking software. This lets clients skip the phone call and schedule your services whenever, wherever, and with any device on their own time—not yours. You can send automatic reminders through email, text, and more to easily keep the wellness exams they’ve booked top of mind, helping health journeys stay intact without no-shows and last-minute cancellations.

7. Invest in digital marketing for your veterinary clinic

Your website is a force of its own, but customizing your entire online presence is even more powerful for promoting wellness exams to pet parents. Through the efficiency of veterinary digital marketing, veterinary clinics can spread the word about preventative pet care while receiving actionable data about their online marketing reach.

One of the most effective marketing strategies is search engine optimization (SEO), which involves optimizing your website with relevant keywords such as wellness exam, pet checkup, or preventive care to land more pet owners on your website. You can also use local SEO to attract more clients in your specific area. One way to enhance your SEO efforts and establish your clinic as a trusted source for pet care is by regularly publishing informative blog posts about wellness exams. Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising also complements SEO by allowing you to create targeted ads that show up whenever a pet owner searches for veterinary services in your area. These ads can direct users to specific pages to book a wellness appointment at your clinic, increasing the likelihood of conversions.

Social media marketing is another powerful tool that lets you directly engage with pet owners by sharing educational content, pet photos, and behind-the-scenes looks of your clinic. Boost your social engagement by putting on contests and holding giveaways to attract new followers, and use paid social media ads to target specific types of pet owners. Guiding users to your blog or video content can help educate clients on the significance of preventative care, and ultimately remind them to book an appointment with you. Last but not least, be sure to encourage online reviews so pet owners can share their experiences at your clinic with others, which will help you get more loyal pet owners to your practice while strengthening your existing relationships.

Happy pets make happy parents! 🐾

At the end of the day, pet parents just want to see their pets happy and thriving. As the veterinary expert yourself, the pressure is often on you to make that happen. While sometimes the day-to-day gets overwhelming, remember to always lead with empathy and keep things human when speaking with clients. Be thoughtful when explaining the purpose and importance of wellness exams, and highlight the benefits through educational content. Use veterinary client communication software to clearly and conveniently keep pet owners informed, and get in-depth digital marketing to turn distant online visitors into loyal clients.

Not everyone knows about the importance of routine pet care, but you can use these tips and tools to encourage more pet parents to be proactive in their pets’ health journeys. Don’t delay your way toward a better veterinary experience for you, your clients, and the pets you care for—get started now by sharing these educational handouts the next time a client walks into your clinic!