When we ask veterinarians and practice managers about some of their biggest pain points, one thing we always hear is staffing. Veterinary staffing has been hard for everyone. Doctors are in short supply, and essential team members like veterinary techs and office managers are sometimes even harder to find. If you are lucky enough to find the perfect fit for your staffing needs, the right kind of marketing can help you retain them, and potentially find more staff in the future. Here are some tips on making sure local pet owners know about, trust, and schedule appointments with your new doctor:

Turn to Your Website and Social Media

Digital platforms make it incredibly easy to share news from your practice, and this is especially true when you have a new employee. Be sure to add the new doctor’s bio to the staff page of your website. Including a photo helps pet owners form a connection with the doctor before meeting, so try to use one if you can. Create a social media post announcing your new team member that talks a little about their experience and their love for animals. 

Host an Event

Plan a “Meet the Doctor” event or an open house at your veterinary practice to give local pet owners the chance to interact with your new doctor. Forming this kind of real-life connection helps people remember you have a new doctor and gain some amount of trust with them. You want the new doc to get plenty of appointments so they can show off their incredible skills, right? This provides a great opportunity to jumpstart appointment bookings.

Lean on Your Email Marketing

If you already have an established list for email marketing, you should take advantage of it to spread the word about your new doctor. Send out a newsletter to your customer base that announces their arrival and gives a little bit of background information about their veterinary story. If possible, include a link that makes it easy to book an appointment with the new doctor from there.

Write Some Blogs

Hiring a new doctor gives you some good content for future blogs. You can create a post about their approach and specialities, and how that helps you expand care in your practice. If this blog gets a lot of traffic, you might want to write one for each of your doctors and post them throughout a few months. 

Use Referral Incentives

Referral incentives (or general promotions) can help you get more appointment bookings through word of mouth. This can be a helpful tactic for getting current clients to book a visit with the new doctor, but it can also help attract new customers. 

Run Some Ads

Pay-per-click (PPC) ads are always a great way to reach more customers. With a few targeted ads, you can book more appointments. This kind of search engine marketing (SEM) is great when you want to spread the word about something new while getting people to book appointments.

Beyond Indigo Pets is ready to be your marketing partner to help you keep your practice at the top of everyone’s minds. From website design to full-service digital marketing, we are here to help you keep your appointment books full. Call (877) 244-9322 to learn more.