One of the things we’d all like to know is: what marketing will work this year?
Unfortunately, as much as we want to travel to the future and see what’s effective, our time machine is broken, so no one can say with absolute certainty what will be popular in the upcoming year. But if we take a look at what’s on the rise now, we can gain a pretty good idea of what might be the biggest trends for 2017. And knowing what’s gaining popularity can be helpful in deciding on what approach to take in your marketing this year.
So without further ado, here’s our predictions for the biggest marketing trends of 2017:
Live streaming
Love it or hate it, live streaming is definitely here to stay and even expanding platforms, with Instagram launching live video this year. If you’re like us, you’ve been a bit hesitant to embrace this trend, but there’s no better time to start than now. Live video can be a great way to show what’s happening in your clinic, introduce your patients as they come in (with permission, of course!), and even host Q&A sessions for curious pet owners. It might seem intimidating at first, but it will give your practice a big boost in views on platforms like Facebook, and it can help you personalize your practice to your followers.
Fast content
Platforms like Snapchat and Instagram are popularizing fast and temporary content. With stories that only last 24 hours, and messages that disappear after 10 seconds, these social networks are making content less permanent – and more fun! Fast content often requires less thought, as it doesn’t have to be ground breaking or even memorable to work. It can give your followers a quick look into every day life at your practice, without requiring a high production value, a lot of effort or even forethought on your part. It’s just about remembering to pull out your phone when something great happens.
Data-based marketing
It’s been around for years, but the data is getting smarter all the time – and marketers are getting smarter along with it. It’s always best to have a strategy that follows the data. When you know what works, you can replicate that to greater success. If you haven’t already, this is the year to familiarize yourself with Google Analytics and social media analytics tools, and start tracking metrics like clicks on CTAs or downloads of content. All these metrics can tell you if your marketing strategy is working or not, which can help you make smarter decisions for the future.
GPS-Based SEO
With mobile searches on the rise, location-based SEO is more important than ever. Which can mean good things for your practice as a local business. Make sure you’re taking all the necessary steps to get your location marked on Google Maps. When search engines know your location, they’re more likely to local searchers to your website – and through your practice doors!
Smarter Content
In some markets, content saturation has made marketers desperate for new and different ways to get their message out there, as they compete with an ever-growing number of voices. We believe that this isn’t the case for the veterinary industry. So many professionals in your field are busy doing what they do best – helping patients – that they don’t have the time to devote to creating content that pet-owners really want to read – informative, smart content about their pets, written by experts. You have the opportunity to fill that void.
Get your team on board with content creation (you can cut down the time commitment required by sharing the workload) and take this opportunity to produce the content that pet owners want to hear, specifically from experts like yourselves. Even better, leverage your expertise into media appearances or guest columns on other websites or your local newspaper that will help educate pet owners and let them know about your practice.. It’s all about getting your expertise and content to work smarter for your practice.Not all of these trends may be the right fit for your practice, but predicting what’s going to be popular in the next year can help you form marketing strategies that work for you. At least, until we get that time machine working!
