A marketing strategy should extend beyond acquiring new clients. A thoughtful approach also helps strengthen existing relationships, reinforce trust, and keep your practice, and their pet's veterinary care, in mind between visits. Today's plethora of digital tools enable this by making it easier than ever to communicate with clients in meaningful, modern ways.

Here are five tech-focused strategies to help you market your practice in a fresh, modern way.

1. Conduct a Veterinary Marketing Health Checkup

Before investing in new campaigns, take a step back to evaluate what is and isn't working with your current veterinary practice marketing strategy. A marketing health check helps you assess efforts across key areas, including website content, email outreach, social media presence, and client feedback.

Start by asking:

• Is your branding consistent across platforms?

• Are you posting regularly and getting engagement?

• Do your emails meet open rate benchmarks?

• Are your clinic hours, services, and contact info accurate online?

• Are you monitoring and responding to client reviews?

Try scoring each category on a simple one-to-five scale to reveal gaps and opportunities. Once identified, you can set targeted goals, such as improving site speed, maintaining a consistent monthly newsletter schedule, or collecting testimonials.

2. Strengthen Your Online Presence

Your website may be a pet owner's first impression of your practice, so make it count. Although hiring a professional can help, you don't need a tech expert to create a site that performs well.

Here's what matters most:

• Mobile-friendly design: More than half of site visitors do so on their mobile phones. Ensure that your layout, buttons, and forms load correctly and function properly on small screens.

• Fast load times: If your site takes more than a few seconds to load, visitors may leave before they even see it. Compress large images and utilize a reliable hosting provider to optimize performance.

• Clear calls to action: Tell clients what to do next (e.g., call today, book now) and provide easy access on every page.

• Accurate information: Regularly review listed contact details, hours, services, and team bios to relay the most up-to-date information.

• Keywords and search engine optimization (SEO): Optimize your website to appear in local search results by including your city or neighborhood in headings and meta descriptions. Include keywords throughout your site to help people find you.

3. Turn Client Reviews into Veterinary Marketing Tools

Word of mouth remains a potent veterinary marketing tool, as does its digital counterpart: online reviews. Positive testimonials reassure potential clients and can boost your visibility on Google.

Encourage happy clients to leave reviews with these strategies:

• Send a follow-up email or text with a review link after visits.

• Ask clients at checkout if they'd like to share their experience.

• Post occasional reminders on social media.

It's essential to respond to every review, whether positive or negative. Thank clients by name, reference their pet, and include other personal touches while maintaining a professional tone. Acknowledge any concerns and continue the conversation offline via phone or email to address negative reviews.

4. Evaluate Data to Adjust Strategy

To understand what resonates with clients in your area, look to your data. Try tracking metrics to estimate performance, including:

• Website traffic and top pages via Google Analytics

• Email open and click-through rates

• Social media engagement

• Appointment bookings tied to campaigns

• Referral sources from "How did you hear about us?" forms

Once you know what performs well, you can do more of it. If dental care emails get the most clicks, consider a seasonal promotion. If clients engage more with behind-the-scenes videos than generic photos, adjust your social media plan accordingly.

5. Streamline with Technology and AI

Marketing can take a back seat when you're short on time and staff. However, today's technology can help lighten the load. AI platforms and automation software can streamline content creation, social media posting, data analysis, and client communication, which enhances efficiency and productivity.

Some examples of helpful platforms and technologies include:

• ChatGPT or Jasper: These generative AI models can help you create social media captions, blog drafts, email templates, or entire veterinary marketing plans in mere minutes.

• Hootsuite or Buffer: Schedule weeks of automated and curated social media posts across platforms.

• Mailchimp or Constant Contact: Create branded email newsletters with drag-and-drop templates and built-in analytics.

• Google Analytics: Track site traffic, bounce rates, and ad conversions without a data science degree.

Additionally, client communication platforms that integrate with your practice management software can help you automate reminders, personalize messages, and maintain smooth communication with minimal manual effort. Remember that technology works best when combined with your team's authentic human voice. Selecting a client communications software that gives you control and visibility over when and how you're interacting with clients will set you and your team up for better, more productive discussions.

Establishing Connections Through Veterinary Marketing

Veterinary practice marketing keeps team members connected to clients and the community. A comprehensive marketing strategy that leverages digital tools and modern software demonstrates that you understand their needs and expectations, and makes it easier for them to be an active partner in their pet's health.

Marketing your practice isn't about flashy ads—it's about meaningful connections. By embracing technology to create convenient, consistent, and client-centered experiences, you can foster lasting loyalty and differentiate your practice.

Source: IDEXX Veterinary Software. 2025. Marketing your veterinary practice: A step-by-step guide to success.