Opening a business in the veterinary field requires an incredible background in the industry and a variety of specialized knowledge centered around animal health. It does not require a degree in marketing. Despite this, leaders in veterinary businesses still find themselves responsible for promoting their new enterprise to get it off the ground. Marketing serves as a catalyst between a great idea and the people who will pay for it, and an effective strategy can drive financial success. In her book, Spin Sucks: Communication and Reputation Management in the Digital Age, Gini Dietrich identifies four kinds of marketing materials: paid, earned, shared, and owned, and lays them out in an acronym and strategic framework known as the PESO Model.1 Integrating all four into a marketing plan is a surefire way to build brand awareness and generate qualified leads. 1) Paid: Invest in success Traditional advertising is often the first image that comes to mind when people think of marketing. While every ad is unique, there are a few components that form the essential building blocks: Images Copy Brand Call to action (CTA) Images and copy are self-explanatory. These are the elements that make the ad look good and sound good, respectively. Companies often want to put as much information as they can into an ad, listing all the benefits of their business and including images of each service they offer. However, an ad that focuses on one or two key messages is more impactful. Think of an ad like a movie trailer. It reveals the stronger selling points without giving the entire plot away, thus encouraging the audience to seek out more information and ultimately watch the movie. Ads that effectively compose and lay out the four key elements are engagingand build positive impressions. Photo courtesy Lepoidevin Marketing A service or product’s brand is another key component of an ad. It acts like a signature, informing the audience who or what is marketing the product or service. The easiest and most used element of a brand is a logo, but other choices, such as using the same fonts and colors, can reinforce recognizability. Whatever a business does to implement a brand, consistency is key. If ads can easily be associated with each other and in frequency across multiple forms of media, viewers build on their positive impression of the brand and are more likely to move forward with the business. How they move forward is determined by the final key element of an ad, the call to action (CTA). “Call now,” “Click here,” and “Contact us today” are all common examples of a CTA. This lays out a clear next step for people to follow, depending on the purpose of the ad. In addition to the specific action, details are also important to include. If the goal is to promote a clinic open house or other event, the ad should list the time, date, location, and any necessary registration information. If it is spreading awareness about a special offer, it should provide a phone number and/or email address people can use to take advantage of the offer. There is no shortage of options for where paid ads can be placed, including: Print and digital publications Broadcast networks Billboards Promoted social media posts Email marketing Trade show programs Some businesses utilize one medium, others use them all and more. Regardless, the best fit for an ad is the medium that best aligns with the target audience. 2) Earned: Get your name out there In addition to being bought, media placements can be earned through public relations (PR). PR content is nearly always non-promotional in nature, focusing more on informing important audiences than selling to them. While the definition of “earned” media is arguably the broadest of the four, much of it can be sorted into two primary categories: company news and thought leadership. Company news is what most people think of when they hear the term “public relations.” These are the stories published in press releases and sent out to make headlines across various media channels. Brands often get caught up thinking that if a story is not going to be front-page news, it should not be sent to the press. However, most media outlets offer space on more than just the front page, giving brands numerous opportunities to garner positive attention. PR coverage can be leveraged for new hires, promotions, the addition of advanced technology to a clinic, recognitions, mergers and acquisitions, partnerships, and more. Thought leadership utilizes a company’s unique expertise to share useful insight with the target audience. Appearing on a TV news program to educate owners about pet safety, interviewing on a podcast about new technology in the veterinary industry, or even authoring an article about marketing tips for veterinarians are all examples of thought leadership PR. Unlike paid advertising, which explicitly touts the brand or its benefits, this method earns the audience’s trust as a qualified, informed source they can turn to with future needs. 3) Shared: Are you #trending? The most modern of the four, shared media offers veterinary clinics and other industry companies the opportunity to connect and converse with their audiences. Each social channel has its unique features that make it ideal for sharing different types of content with different audiences. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X, formerly known as Twitter, are the most widely used social channels for companies that sell directly to a consumer audience. The tone of these sites is more familiar and friendly, and posts showcase more of the brand’s personality. Audience age is a prime differentiator between these platforms. Facebook tends to cater to an older audience, while X, Instagram, and TikTok hit increasingly younger demographics. Along with the differences in audiences, the content for these platforms is generally published in different formats. Facebook and X place more emphasis on copy, while Instagram leans heavily on images and TikTok on video. The tone, content, and goal of each post should be matched to the platform. LinkedIn is widely used for companies that sell directly to other businesses, such as diagnostic equipment manufacturers that market to veterinary clinics. Content on this platform is more educational and informative, with the expectation that the audience will be more knowledgeable and engaged. While employee birthdays might make great Facebook and Instagram posts, industry knowledge such as “10 Ways to Reduce Pet Anxiety at the Vet” and other thought leadership content is better suited for LinkedIn. Changing the way the content is packaged to fit different social media platforms does not mean you have to change your key messages. Photo courtesy Lepoidevin Marketing More is not always better on social media. While a regular posting cadence is important, higher content volume is not the only way to drive engagement. As the name would imply, social media is all about personal connections, and posts about people tend to do better than stagnant product shots. Clinics can also share open houses, new programs, and additional actionable items to promote events and campaigns. Tagging other accounts, when relevant, and encouraging followers to “comment below,” along with other interactions, can also boost performance. In addition, brands should be participating in the exact engagement they are looking to grow. Likes, comments, and shares from a company’s social page can help improve its presence on a platform and drive positive results. 4) Owned: It’s all yours The other three kinds of media rely on outside parties or platforms to complete the publication process. Owned media is completely controlled by the brand. In the veterinary industry, many businesses utilize their physical space to spread marketing messaging, such as flyers in a clinic or signage in a storefront. Newsletters sent out to current and prospective customers by mail or email are another, more direct example that offers businesses full control over messaging. However, the most influential owned media for most businesses is their website. In today’s digital age, the importance of an effective website cannot be overstated. According to a PR Newswire report, 76 percent of consumers look at online presence before physically visiting a business.2 If a veterinary business only has the capacity for one marketing push, it should be creating and maintaining a solid online presence. Websites should be visually enticing and easy for users to navigate to find what they need. Regular updates for any changes to the business are important to make sure information is not out of date. Many sites offer a contact form as an easy way for prospective pet parent clients or customers to connect with the business. If utilized, these should be regularly monitored to ensure messages are answered promptly. Veterinary businesses with more marketing capabilities can take website upkeep a step further with keywords. These are the terms customers enter into search engines to find products and services. When someone types in what they are looking for, proper keyword preparation matches the words on the site to the words used in the search and brings the site to the top of the results list. Selecting keywords specific to the audience is critical. Using just the word “veterinary” when building a site for an oncology clinic in Boston will generate a lot of traffic, but much of it will be people looking for other specialties or geographic areas. The keywords “veterinary oncology in Boston” will reach fewer people, but it will reach the right people. Implementing these website strategies, as well as the tips laid out in other sections, is a great start in boosting traffic and creating more leads. However, truly cashing in on the PESO model requires an integrated approach that blends all four kinds of media along with other content that does not fit perfectly into just one bucket. Whether staff go at it alone or bring in an agency for support, there is no question strategic marketing is a complex, involved, multifaceted, and worthwhile endeavor. Katie Robertson is an account manager for LePoidevin Marketing, a full-service marketing agency focused on the veterinary market. She can be reached at katie@lepoidevinmarketing.com. References Dietrich, Gini. (2014). Spin sucks: communication and reputation management in the digital age. Indianapolis, Ind.:Que. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/76-of-consumers-look-at-online-presence-before-physically-visiting-a-business-301272462.html
