The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we socialize with each other and businesses. The veterinary business and many other healthcare industries thrive on creating connections between the business and their clients. Nowadays, veterinary hospitals are focusing more on technology, creating socially-distanced rules at the clinic, and relying less on face-to-face communication and more on technology to communicate. It’s human nature to lose connections with clients, and that’s why it’s important to start humanizing your online presence to connect with your clients.
1. If clients are no longer allowed into exam rooms, bring the exam rooms to them!
Using a screenshare app like FaceTime, Zoom, or Skype is complicated and adds time to the exam, but it will be a nice treat for a pet parent feeling anxiety from not being able to be in the exam room with their pet. If set up properly in the beginning, you could even make this part of your curbside drop-off automation!
READ NOW: Automate the Curbside Check-In Process on Your Veterinary Website
If this is too much to set up, think about incorporating a photo or video into each exam that is sent to the client, letting them know that everything is going smoothly in the exam room. It will ease their anxiety and let them know how much you care about their pet and the bond they share.
2. Build and customize a fun team page on your website!
Turnover happens in all businesses and the veterinary industry is no stranger to it, but having an up-to-date and interactive team page on your website can help clients feel at ease. Here’s an idea: when a pet is being dropped off curbside, be sure to let the client know who they will be seeing that day and how to learn more about them from their smartphone.
“We’re excited to see Chewy for his appointment! Today, he will be seeing Dr. Lewis and Arianna! To learn more about them, be sure to visit our team page here: https://huntingtonpet.com/team/”
READ MORE: Why Leaving Veterinary Team Members off Your Website Hurts
Use this as a team-building exercise. We can have cute photos, photos of pets, fun facts, and more to bring your team page to life! If you can dream it, we can build it!
3. Start creating content in the hospital!
Veterinary hospitals around the world trust WhiskerCloud’s social media team to create awesome content for them, but that doesn’t mean you cannot participate, too! Shoot behind-the-scenes videos, doctor Q&A sessions, or something as simple as sharing patient photos are a great way to increase engagement on your website and social media pages. In fact, you can create a page on your website where clients can upload photos of their pets to add directly to your website.
READ MORE: Case Study: Your Veterinary Website Should Have a Photo Gallery
The point is people love their pets and the people that take care of them. Giving your clients a peek behind the curtains may be the best way to stay connected when they cannot come in to see you in person.
4. Create a video of your COVID-19 protocols!
Every smartphone in today’s world has a video camera good enough to shoot videos to share on social media or your website. If you’ve got special protocols for your clients in place at the hospital, sharing a video showing them what to do when they arrive could be a great way to curb any confusion when they arrive. On your website or via your reminder system, be sure to share the video after an appointment is booked. Need some inspiration?
Our friends at Prairie Animal Hospital created an amazing curbside video, and you can watch it here.
Growing your veterinary practice is about building relationships with clients. When circumstances such as a pandemic get in the way, we need to get creative to keep that connection going strong. Whether you need a landing page, a photo gallery, a website pop-up, custom graphics, or a video intro, we’ll be here to make sure your new content looks and functions beautifully and leads to more conversions on your website!
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