| Christmas VS Clinic day |
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Need a unique marketing tool? Then read on. Do you love sending out the yearly Christmas card? Then you’re in luck as Sambo sell Christmas cards with a special message inside from the practice, BUT if you want to try something different why not send out a card at a different time of the year? Why would we do that you ask? Because in my opinion, you’ll get a better return for your money. Marketing is about getting the practice noticed; make sure you keep this in mind when constructing a marketing campaign. Most practices send out Christmas cards but when was the last time you asked yourself why you are doing this? Is it because everyone sends out Christmas cards and you just do it ritually? Is sending out a Christmas card helping to improve your practice? At best, your card probably got strung up next to the 30 other cards received from businesses or friends. What makes your Christmas card stand out from the others and how do you measure its success? I mean, you are probably spending over $200 of precious practice profits on this card campaign so you must have some idea of measuring its return? Sadly, most practices probably don’t. In December, your clients are flooded with Christmas cards so it’s hard to stand out from the crowd at this time of year. Sending out Christmas cards can be costly and in my opinion isn’t the best way to be spending marketing dollars. So what else can you do? Put your thinking caps on, get creative and ask for opinions from your staff at your next meeting. Heres an idea of mine you might like to try and to get things rolling. Marianne’s tip: Pick a date exclusive to your practice and call it something like ‘Pause for Paws day’. I’ll pick August 23 as it’s my daughters birthday and I’m not going to forget this date (lets hope not!). Approximately one week prior to August 23 every year, send out cards to your best clients introducing this special day and asking them to pamper their pet on this one day of the year to thank them for their unconditional love and friendship. To get them into the practice offer some discounted pamper packs (which I would have already got some special treats and other items from my favourite rep or/and wholesaler). Also included would be some vouchers to encourage them to use your additional services like grooming, the weight loss clinic or hydrobathing on a Saturday. Every client who purchases a pamper pack will go into the draw to win a years worth of pet maintenance including a 12 month supply of flea control, heartworm prevention and vaccination and health check (of course I would have been given these off my favourite rep). Are you also beginning to see the importance of having a rock solid business relationship with your chosen reps? In appreciation for all of these free items I would include their logo or product on my cards to ensure they got value for their money/gifts also. Remember to be successful in business it has to work both ways. Here is a sample card I whipped up. Get the staff involved on ways you can decorate the practice and make it a huge part of your year. Get creative! Go one step further and donate the $5 from each pamper pack to your chosen animal charity. Get the local newspapers involved and get some free publicity! Now which campaign will get the most notice? The trusty Christmas card or Pause for Paws day? We can design the whole campaign for you including the postcard and posters for you to hang in the practice. Look after these posters and put them up each year to celebrate the day. A great way to get clients back in the door don’t you think?
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