Planning for Seasonality in Veterinary Medicine

The reality of seasonal revenue in veterinary practices

Year-round growth is more than just a buzzword—it’s a vital compass guiding practices to stability. Highs and lows punctuate the year, each period demanding its own strategic approach. The following data comes from a semi-recent AVMA study¹:

• First Quarter: 27.9%
• Second Quarter: 28.6%
• Third Quarter: 24.9%
• Fourth Quarter: 18.5%

The disparities between quarters aren’t mere data points; they’re narratives of behavior patterns, client preferences, and market dynamics. They echo the need for practices to be fluid, adaptive, and, most of all, proactive. This is where PetDesk can help you plan for dips in revenue during the always-hectic holiday season.

Proactive planning: PetDesk’s comprehensive guide

1. Digital marketing: a modern necessity

Today’s pet owners are tech-savvy. They research, compare, and make choices online based on websites, reviews, and overall service offerings. Ensuring a dominant online presence is no longer optional—it’s essential.

• Search engine optimization (SEO): Beyond visibility, it’s about creating trust and authority in the online realm. PetDesk can create you a custom veterinary website that comes with strong SEO, guiding pet owners to your website (and ultimately to book your services) when they Google things like Veterinarian near me.
• Google pay-per-click (PPC) advertising: A strategic tool that helps practices be precisely where they need to be at the right time. Google Ads are not something that should just be turned off-and-on; Petdesk regularly optimizes your Google advertising efforts to ensure you’re in the mix for new local business as Banfield, VCA, and telecare companies clog the top of Google search engine rankings with big budgets and broad keywords.

2. Social media: building bridges

Social media isn’t just a platform; it’s a conversation. Veterinary practices must listen, engage, and converse, fostering a community beyond the clinic’s walls. PetDesk Marketing can equip your clinic with a strong social media presence, a modern necessity for the success and growth of your veterinary hospital. Did you know that 95% of businesses worldwide use Facebook, and 1.6 billion people are connected to small businesses on the platform? Your clients want to communicate with you on social media, so don’t miss out on this marketing opportunity!

• Engagement: It’s about cultivating relationships and fostering trust. Sharing updates from the clinic and connecting with pet owners will ensure they return often because your content educates and reminds them of their pets’ needs.
• Promotions: Opportunities to showcase value and build client loyalty through special offers are essential for veterinary businesses. The difference between 100% booked out and 75% booked out could be a special offer and strong health service reminders. It’s that simple.

3. Expanding services: anticipating needs

Each pet owner’s journey is unique. By diversifying services, your veterinary practice can ensure it is equipped to address every twist and turn of this journey.

• Add-on services: More than revenue streams, they’re about holistic care. Consider additional ways to bring in business and, most importantly, care for your clients and patients. This includes boarding, grooming, holistic offerings, behavioral services, and retail items such as food and treats.
• Telehealth: Marrying convenience with quality, the future is already here. Plenty of technology is available to help you extend services beyond your brick-and-mortar open hours and can drive revenue for your clinic.

Advanced strategies: staying one step ahead of seasonality in veterinary medicine

Preparation meets opportunity. Veterinary practices must consistently sharpen their strategic edge, ensuring they’re not just reacting but leading the charge. PetDesk is here to help you in every step of the journey.

1. Anticipate and prepare

The best defense is a good offense. Forward-thinking practices stay ahead by continually projecting and planning, turning potential threats into opportunities.

• Plan ahead: It’s not just about resources; it’s about direction and vision. Ensure you keep in contact with clients by utilizing tools like automatic reminders to keep health journeys on track and reduce no-shows, loyalty programs to incentivize pet parents to book and follow through with their appointments, and mass messaging to encourage inactive clients to book your services
• Know your numbers: How often do you look at your clinic’s profit and loss? You should know the numbers behind these five categories monthly: revenue, payroll, cost of goods (COG), facility costs, and administrative costs.

2. Entice and retain

Every client interaction is an opportunity to provide value, learn, and solidify relationships. Like all businesses, using special offers to get new clients in the door for you to delight with compassionate care could drive big numbers for your business.

• Offer discounts or promotions: It’s about inviting new engagements and reducing barriers for new clients looking for a veterinarian. 50% off a first exam or free nail trims for checking in on Yelp or Facebook could be a great way to get millennial pet parents in the door, ready to find their pet’s forever doctor.
• Loyalty programs are a MUST: More points and goodies mean you’ll see your patients more often. Successful loyalty programs can increase per-client spend by over 35%!

3. Forge beneficial alliances

In the interconnected world of business, synergies can amplify impact. By forging the right alliances with local pet businesses, practices can tap into new client bases and offer enhanced value.

• Partner with other pet businesses: Shared values, shared growth. Find local groomers, boarding, or pet shelters to connect with for special offers that can do both ways. 20% off spay and neuter for all rescued pets from a shelter at the veterinarian, and $50 off the admin fee of a new adoption if the veterinarian refers you. In this case, pet parents can win both ways.
• Partner with other non-pet businesses: Here’s something that almost no veterinarians are doing (that we’ve heard about): partner with non-pet businesses in the area that make sense for you. Real estate agents with clients moving to a new city can recommend your services, and pet-friendly companies can also recommend your business if you can form a relationship with them. Something to consider!

4. Lean on technological advancements

Technology isn’t just a tool; it’s a catalyst. Technology plays a pivotal role in shaping a practice’s seasonal strategy by streamlining operations, enhancing client experiences, and ensuring timely interventions.

• Website, marketing, and SEO: Every business on Earth needs a user-friendly website, strong SEO, and local marketing to help them stand out from the crowd. PetDesk Marketing offers everything you need to help you scale your business over time.
• Connect with clients with an app: Empower pet owners to stay in touch and self-serve throughout their pets’ health journeys by using the PetDesk App. With core features including our 5-star rated mobile app, automated reminder and confirmations, two-way texting, mass messaging, digital payments, and more, there’s something for every clinic to become less stressful and more successful.
• Make it easy to book appointments 24/7: PetDesk Booking is our real-time online booking platform that allows clients to book appointments anytime, anywhere from your website or social media. Compatible with over 30 practice information management systems (PIMS), this platform helps you reduce phone calls and no-shows.
• Do more than answer the phone: PetDesk Phones integrates into your PIMS screen and helps you identify new and current clients with helpful and actionable information at every call. Take an opportunity to impress pet owners and make your staff become more productive than ever.

Is your veterinary business ready for seasonality trends?

The rhythm of veterinary medicine, dictated by seasonality, offers practices an opportunity to innovate, adapt, and excel. With PetDesk’s expertise and tools, practices can chart these seasonal waters and set sail toward consistent growth and prosperity. Preparing for seasonality isn’t about bracing for impact; it’s about choreographing a dance with the seasons, ensuring every step, twist, and turn is a stride toward success.

You’re already running behind if you aren’t thinking about the next quarter today. If you’re a current PetDesk customer looking for advice, reach out to your customer success manager directly and they’ll be happy to help!

¹ American Veterinary Medical Association. “Practices busier than ever, except for one time of year.” AVMA.org/javma-news/2017-03-15/practices-busier-ever-except-one-time-year