The Best Way to Market Your Veterinary Website

Content marketing has undeniable significance for small businesses and professionals — veterinary practices very much included. A recent study from the Content Marketing Institute indicates that 86 percent of B2C marketers have incorporated content marketing into their plans for this year.

If your practice doesn’t already take advantage of content marketing or you’re looking to revamp your strategy, here is a refresher on what constitutes content marketing and how you can use it as a tool to promote your veterinary services online.

What is content marketing?

Creating and sharing online material is known as content marketing. The primary distinction between content marketing and other kinds of marketing, like brand marketing or direct response, is that content marketing doesn’t specifically advertise a brand. Instead, it generates interest in a service or product by weaving informative and useful content that has been crafted to highlight your expertise and resolve a problem the reader might be experiencing.

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Content marketing includes website content, blog posts, articles, eBooks, white papers, videos, images, infographics, case studies, social media posts, slide shares and more.

There are a few key elements that make content marketing highly effective in promoting veterinary services, including that it:

• Narrates a story. Telling means selling when it comes to content marketing. Here, you are narrating your practice’s story in an original way without sounding too much like a sales pitch. It should address questions that your target audience has and show them that you and your services are the solution they’ve been searching for.
• Builds up your image as an expert. When people begin to respond positively to your content, trust in your brand increases as well. Soon, they’ll begin to see you as an expert in the veterinary field. They’ll perceive you as a valuable resource and a large number of those viewers may turn into your clients.
• Encourages involvement. Suitable pieces of content that keep readers involved and interested are the primary components of content marketing. If someone comments on your blog post, replies to an emailed question or answers a query posted on Twitter, it is a sign that the prospective customer has decided to get in touch with you. This is the perfect opportunity to nurture the relationship and eventually convert it into a sale.

Here are some ways to use content marketing on your website:

Use content to resolve issues.

Unlike other forms of marketing, content marketing requires a gentler touch. When generating content, give some thought to the kinds of problems that your veterinary services commonly solve and frame your content accordingly. This helps reinforce the impression that you care about your clients and are willing to share useful information and advice for their benefit. The audience will recognize how much useful information they are getting for free and may wonder what else they might gain if they utilized your paid services.

Generate content that can be shared.

Sharing has a major role in content marketing. Come up with interesting, helpful and informative content that your audience will want to share with others. In-depth infographics, instructional videos and well-written articles will encourage your followers or website visitors to share them.

Make sure you include a share button for social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook and ask visitors to share your content with friends. This will expand your marketing messages to a much wider audience.

Ensure the content has value.

People are more likely to share valuable content within their circle than promotional information about your services and products. And remember, there is no rule that says content only needs to be in the form of articles or blog posts. In fact, experts in the field opine that visual content is being shared on social media much more frequently than plain text content. It does not require much effort to come up with a podcast, how-to video, webinar or infographic that highlights your expertise.

By keeping these tips in mind, and frequently posting interactive and regularly updated content, you’ll be well on your way to increasing website traffic and your brand’s engagement.

Naren Arulrajah is president and CEO of Ekwa Marketing, a complete internet marketing company that focuses on SEO, social media, marketing education and the online reputations of veterinarians/practice owners. With a team of 180+ full-time marketers, ekwa.com helps practice owners who know where they want to go, get there by dominating their market and growing their business significantly year after year. If you have questions about marketing your practice online, call 855-598-3320 to speak one-on-one with Naren.