There is one question we like to ask whenever evaluating a channel - is our customer at point of purchase?
A customer is at point of purchase if they are about to buy. This usually means they are either searching for a product or standing in a store. These are the best people to market to because they need your product/service right now.
Let's look at some of the channels local veterinarians or groomers can choose from to attract new customers.
Social Media
Social media is a powerful marketing tool. Big chains like PetSmart or Petco pour money into gaining likes and then pour more money into "activating" those likes (this means getting those likes to buy products). This makes a lot of sense for a retail business selling products that customers buy weekly or monthly. Their customers are always close to point of purchase so social media can tip them into purchasing.
This doesn't make as much sense for a veterinarian or groomer. Your customers are most likely not at point of purchase. More importantly if you spend money on social media ads then you are getting in front of people who may have pets but are not actively looking for your service.
Our advice - don't ignore social media but don't spend money here either.
SEO
SEO stands for search engine optimization. In plain terms, SEO makes your website work better for search engines. People are searching for your services and you want your website to come up at the top of the list when they do. Because there are many people competing for those top slots you can spend money to try and win one of them.
The key thing to understand is that it takes a longer time to climb the search results, there is no guarantee that you will rank at the top, and you are up against all of the bigger guys in your area as well. We look at SEO in the same way we look at a blog - this is something that should come with your website.
Our advice - don't do this yourself, don't spend a lot of money on this, but make sure your website provider has SEO built into your website.
Search Advertising
Search advertising has many names: SEM, PPC, pay-per-click, Google Ads, Adwords. It all means the same thing - your ad sits alongside the search results displayed to a prospective client. A bell should have just gone off for you. Done correctly, this form of advertising targets clients closest to point of purchase. More importantly, it only targets customers close to point of purchase. Every client who clicks or calls from the ad is looking specifically for veterinary services or grooming services. And you can get even more selective and only get clients looking for spay or neuter or full grooms.
The money you spend on search will be the most efficient, trackable channel and will immediately deliver you customers if done properly. One note: not all clinics will benefit from digital marketing and so we don't offer these types of solutions. We have tested many of them in the past and are happy to give you a free assessment of whether it makes sense for you to pursue.
Our advice - spend your money here but only if you can acquire a client for less than $100. Click here to learn more from one of our experts.