Stronger client retention starts with the PetDesk app—learn more during our live event! Register now >

Stronger client retention starts with the PetDesk app—learn more during our live event! Register now >

Stronger client retention starts with the PetDesk app—learn more during our live event! Register now >

Veterinary Marketing Guide

Ditch the sales pitch, 6 tips for compassionate veterinary marketing

As a veterinary professional, you’re not a salesperson—which means, despite the need to drive and secure revenue, the idea of “upselling” to pet parents may oftentimes feel uncomfortable. The truth is that suggesting a nail trim or dental check isn’t about sales; it’s about providing complete care.

By genuinely offering more of your services to your clients, you’re educating pet owners, building trust, and naturally boosting your clinic’s income and long-term success. This veterinary marketing guide offers six practical, no-pressure ways to increase revenue per appointment—all while sticking to your clinic’s core mission of providing excellent pet care.

Veterinary Marketing Tips

Tip #1

Switch your approach to identifying needs, not selling

Tip #1

Switch your approach to identifying needs, not selling

Tip #2

Know the value of in-person interactions

Tip #2

Know the value of in-person interactions

Tip #3

Use online veterinary marketing that works 24/7

Tip #3

Use online veterinary marketing that works 24/7

Tip #4

Leverage veterinary reminders & follow-ups

Tip #4

Leverage veterinary reminders & follow-ups

Tip #5

Explain the benefits of veterinary loyalty programs

Tip #5

Explain the benefits of veterinary loyalty programs

Tip #6

Maintain consistent team training

Tip #6

Maintain consistent team training

Tip #1

Switch your approach to identifying needs, not selling

Every appointment is a chance to identify and solve problems pet parents may not even
recognize. By thinking of each visit as a comprehensive care experience—rather than just
another service—you’ll be able to strengthen client relationships, keep pets healthy, and
support your clinic’s bottom line. 

During the appointment, it’s important to look out for signs of:

Overdue grooming:

For example, nails that are so long they make it hard for the pet to walk and cause pain.

Oral health issues:

Lots of tartar build-up that, if not taken care of, could lead to gum disease and tooth loss.

Age-related difficulties:

This may present as an older cat having trouble moving around, which could mean arthritis that can be managed.

Here are some ways you can genuinely
spot care needs for pet parents:

“I noticed Daisy’s nails are getting long, which can cause discomfort over time.
We do offer nail trims here if you’d like for us to take care of Daisy’s while you’re in.”

“Max’s has some tartar build-up on his teeth. We offer dental cleaning if you’d

like me to give you more information about it.”

Tip #2

Know the value of in-person interactions

Every time a client comes in, it’s a chance to help pet parents give their pets the best care. This is especially true when they’re already at your clinic for a checkup or to pick up food.

Speaking with pet parents face-to-face lets your team answer questions, alleviate any concerns, and offer personalized pet care advice. By improving these interactions, vet teams can make clients happier, encourage treatment follow-through, and ultimately provide even better pet care. Plus, a good experience means happy pet parents will spread the word and bring you new clients!

Here’s how to make client interactions more personalized and productive:

1.
When checking in at the front desk

Be ready: Give pet parents a warm welcome and proactively ask about any overdue services, like vaccines or flea and heartworm meds.

Mention deals: Point out any current specials (like Dental Month discounts). Clearly explain the perks, and encourage them to book necessary appointments right away.

2.
In the exam room

Look for clues: Pay attention to signs that may indicate the pet needs additional vet care or follow-up visits, such as their coat, weight, teeth, and how they move.

Support lifestyles: If it’s a new puppy or kitten, for example, you can use the appointment to chat about training classes, microchipping, and spay/neuter options available through your clinic.

3.
At checkout or booking the next appointment

Forward book: While checking out, actively schedule future checkups, booster shots, or ongoing services. Suggest any pet health plans or veterinary loyalty programs your clinic offers.

Schedule appointments: If clients aren’t ready to book their next visit, offer them the option to schedule appointments online, and send out reminders to keep their pets’ health needs top of mind.

4.
During grooming or boarding

Suggest more services: Recommend scheduling a checkup or getting vaccinations while the pet is already at the clinic. This is a great time to promote flea and allergy treatments, routine wellness exams, and more.

Highlight the ease: Explain how convenient it is to combine multiple services in one visit. Show them how bundling vet and grooming services, for instance, saves time and reduces stress for both pets and pet parents.

Suggested talking points

“We usually recommend a weight check-in for older pets every 6 months—may
I add that to your next visit?”

“You’re picking up food today—do you need any dental chews or
flea treatment while you’re here?”

LIVE DIGITAL EVENT RECORDING

Proven Tips & Tools to Boost Client Retention & Loyalty

Nearly 1 in 3 pet parents are on the verge of switching vets due to the delivery of service not meeting expectations. Watch this live event recording to learn how to stay ahead of the competition—with industry insights from PetDesk’s Mary Schwartz, CVT

and Amanda Edwards, Practice Manager at Animal Care of Greenville.

Watch Now

Watch Now

Tip #3

Use online veterinary marketing that works 24/7

A great way to attract potential clients to your practice is through content creation. A sure-fire content strategy can help you effortlessly grow your clinic, and it all starts with a strong veterinary online presence. Use your website as well as social media, Google, and email to make it easy and convenient for pet parents to book routine appointments, get quick answers, and stay in touch with your team, even when you’re closed.

Keep your website fresh and informative

  • Make sure your seasonal content and promotions (like “Book now for Dental Health Month!”) stand out with eye-catching banners or pop-ups.

  • Consider publishing blogs, videos, and educational content to your website, and emailing monthly newsletters, tutorial videos, and more to keep your clients in the know—all of which PetDesk can easily help you with. Adjust your content strategy through important measurement tools such as your click-through rates, conversion rates, A/B test results, and others.

  • Website maintenance and responsiveness is imperative for both new client acquisition and client retention. For busy pet parents, mobile website optimization is what can make or break their loyalty—a slow and rigid mobile experience can easily deter them from booking services or returning to your practice altogether. Having mobile-friendly online appointment booking and ensuring each website page is running up-to-speed without error will help to drive and support client retention.

  • Clearly lay out your services with creative visuals and upfront pricing. Also consider including team photos and bios to give prospective clients a glimpse of your clinic’s culture and professionalism. To save time, partner with external marketing resources that provide you with a mix of marketing tools and veterinary marketing analytics, without you having to do a thing. You’ll have a direct view of website analytics and key performance indicators to maintain an effective content strategy, giving you the ultimate return on investment.

  • Take the hassle out of after-hours appointments and cut down on admin work by using a real-time booking system (e.g. PetDesk Direct Booking).

  • Use PetDesk as your internal marketing resource by allowing us to track online reviews and help turn negative experiences into positive outcomes.

Keep your website fresh and informative

  • Make sure your seasonal content and promotions (like “Book now for Dental Health Month!”) stand out with eye-catching banners or pop-ups.

  • Consider publishing blogs, videos, and educational content to your website, and emailing monthly newsletters, tutorial videos, and more to keep your clients in the know—all of which PetDesk can easily help you with. Adjust your content strategy through important measurement tools such as your click-through rates, conversion rates, A/B test results, and others.

  • Website maintenance and responsiveness is imperative for both new client acquisition and client retention. For busy pet parents, mobile website optimization is what can make or break their loyalty—a slow and rigid mobile experience can easily deter them from booking services or returning to your practice altogether. Having mobile-friendly online appointment booking and ensuring each website page is running up-to-speed without error will help to drive and support client retention.

  • Clearly lay out your services with creative visuals and upfront pricing. Also consider including team photos and bios to give prospective clients a glimpse of your clinic’s culture and professionalism. To save time, partner with external marketing resources that provide you with a mix of marketing tools and veterinary marketing analytics, without you having to do a thing. You’ll have a direct view of website analytics and key performance indicators to maintain an effective content strategy, giving you the ultimate return on investment.

  • Take the hassle out of after-hours appointments and cut down on admin work by using a real-time booking system (e.g. PetDesk Direct Booking).

  • Use PetDesk as your internal marketing resource by allowing us to track online reviews and help turn negative experiences into positive outcomes.

Stay active on social media

  • Regularly connect with your community by showing photos of the patients you support, such as before-and-after photos of a pet receiving a teeth cleaning. Be sure to also give your team well-deserved shout-outs on your website and social media—which you can easily do for your vet techs with this free Veterinary Technician Content Pack!

  • Create interactive posts and storytelling content (e.g. webinars) to increase your online engagement with pet parents on Facebook, Instagram, and X. Use social media insights to adjust your online content strategy as you go. You could even consider investing time into influencer research and outreach, and boosting your audience interaction by partnering with known figures in the veterinary community.

  • Include your direct booking link in all of your branded posts to encourage pet parents to schedule routine appointments while they’re scrolling on social media.

Stay active on social media

  • Regularly connect with your community by showing photos of the patients you support, such as before-and-after photos of a pet receiving a teeth cleaning. Be sure to also give your team well-deserved shout-outs on your website and social media—which you can easily do for your vet techs with this free Veterinary Technician Content Pack!

  • Create interactive posts and storytelling content (e.g. webinars) to increase your online engagement with pet parents on Facebook, Instagram, and X. Use social media insights to adjust your online content strategy as you go. You could even consider investing time into influencer research and outreach, and boosting your audience interaction by partnering with known figures in the veterinary community.

  • Include your direct booking link in all of your branded posts to encourage pet parents to schedule routine appointments while they’re scrolling on social media.

Grow with Google pay-per-click (PPC) ads

  • Paid advertising gets your clinic’s name out. Use personalized Google ads that help you easily find new clients and grow your business (without growing your workload).

  • Track the success of your marketing campaigns using real-time data and Google analytics, allowing you to stay at the top of Google searches with confidence.

Grow with Google pay-per-click (PPC) ads

  • Paid advertising gets your clinic’s name out. Use personalized Google ads that help you easily find new clients and grow your business (without growing your workload).

  • Track the success of your marketing campaigns using real-time data and Google analytics, allowing you to stay at the top of Google searches with confidence.

Engage pet parents with targeted emails

  • Implement a content production schedule to maintain your client engagement. Create email campaigns that go directly to your clients’ inboxes (e.g. weekly promotions, pet wellness tips), with links to book appointments online.

  • Target pet parent segments with relevant care reminders, such as suggesting neutering services to those with puppies or offering wellness exams for senior pets.

Engage pet parents with targeted emails

  • Implement a content production schedule to maintain your client engagement. Create email campaigns that go directly to your clients’ inboxes (e.g. weekly promotions, pet wellness tips), with links to book appointments online.

  • Target pet parent segments with relevant care reminders, such as suggesting neutering services to those with puppies or offering wellness exams for senior pets.

Tip #4

Leverage veterinary reminders & follow-ups

Keeping in touch with clients is key for making sure they show up for appointments and stay involved throughout their pets’ health journeys. Having an automatic veterinary reminder system and sending timely follow-ups are great ways to boost client compliance and secure future bookings—helping to keep appointments on track, pets healthy, and your business growing.

During the appointment, it’s important to look out for signs of:

Automated email and SMS alerts:

Send pet parents a quick text or email about routine vet services (e.g. vaccinations, flea treatments, teeth cleanings). Personalized messaging can help reinforce client trust in your practice, too.

Prompt follow-ups for no-shows

If a client doesn’t show up for their appointment, an immediate phone call shows you care. When a call’s not possible, send a friendly reminder email with a link to reschedule.

Post-appointment reminders:

Set up automated follow-up reminders that make it easy for clients to book their next visit. This builds trust and keeps your clinic as their top choice for pet care.

Suggested email example:

Subject Line: Daisy’s dental check is due 🐾


Hi [Client’s Name],


Heads-up: Daisy is due for her yearly dental check! Regular checks can help keep Daisy comfortable and prevent any costly issues in the future.


You can directly book your next visit here: [PetDesk Booking link]


We’ll see you soon!

[Clinic Name]

“Digital convenience is key for client retention:
87% of pet parents feel it’s important to get reminders for

appointments and vaccinations, but 42% do not receive any.”

Data pulled from PetDesk’s 2025 Pet Parent Research Report.

Tip #5

Explain the benefits of veterinary loyalty programs

Custom veterinary loyalty programs help ensure pets receive the right health care at the right time, which promotes early detection and prevents illness. With in-clinic infographics and online promotions, your team can more easily communicate the benefits and cost savings of these plans.

A clear and consistent explanation of your points program will help to:

Boost client retention and revenue by encouraging repeat visits from your most loyal pet parents.

Promote bundled services for clients to opt into (such as a comprehensive package for flea and worming treatments, consultations, and vaccinations in a single visit).

Increase client lifetime value by creating a personalized and supportive experience for each pet parent.

Clients on wellness plans spend 58% more annually,

and have a 67% increase in visits after purchasing a plan!

Data pulled from an American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) report

Tip #6

Maintain consistent team training

Ditching the sales pitch is a team effort. You can train staff on how to spot opportunities for additional care, which will help to support clinic revenue without the pressure. Whether for receptionists, nurses, techs, or doctors, having the right training and protocols in place will enhance the staff and client experience and create a more productive veterinary environment.

Proactively remind clients about add-on services before, during, and after the consultation.

Use the appointment as a chance to schedule future visits and recommend products tailored to each pet’s needs.

Identify medical or lifestyle needs before, during, and after consultations.

Use check-in and checkout to offer additional care or advice, such as vaccinations, nail trims, parasite treatment, and scheduling their next appointment.

Reinforce messaging through informative handouts, or while the pet is being discharged from the practice.

Create employee recognition programs to show appreciation for staff who take the extra step in providing the best service to clients and patients.

BONUS TIP: Download our veterinary marketing resources!

The Ultimate Veterinary Marketing Guide to Spotting Upsell Opportunities
Veterinary Marketing Implementation Checklist

See the power of
PetDesk for yourself for free

Get a demo

Take an online tour

See the power of PetDesk for yourself for free

Get a demo

Take an online tour

See the power of PetDesk for yourself for free

Get a demo

Take an online tour