Brace yourself—2018 is coming. This New Year, an influx of pet owners resolving to prioritize pet care will embark on an online quest to find the best local veterinary clinic, searching with higher expectations than ever. Is your practice ready?
We’ve compiled an overview of the most important industry trends to watch for 2018, so your practice can get ahead of the competition and better market your business to pet owners online. Here are 6 reasons why, and how to get started now.
Reason #1: The analytics of today can improve your results tomorrow
If you’re waiting for the right time to start planning your year, carpe diem! Reflecting on what worked and what didn’t at your practice in 2017 works best while it’s still fresh.
Take a look at your growth on social media, your website traffic, and of course, the bottom line—you’d be surprised how much you can glean towards improving your online presence for 2018!
Reason #2: Using a trendy, modern web design can help entice new clients
Due to the growing shift toward mobile browsing, 2018 will emphasize the function and fashion of minimalist, irregular grid website layouts. The idea here is to use whitespace to make your content stand out, rather than over-doing imagery—which often takes too long to load.
Reason #3: Keeping your 2018 bold and bright will help outshine the competition
Worried about all that whitespace boring your clients online? That’s where color comes in—keep things interesting next year with bold fonts and bright colors to cut through the noise and make your practice heard by pet owners.
Keep in mind that your veterinary website should remain professional, and above all, readable—so stick with fonts and colors that are clear and clean, with a bit of personality.
Reason #4: Pet owners will expect top-notch mobile accessibility
Mid-2018 brings with it Google’s new “Mobile First Index,” which prioritizes the mobile version of websites higher in search engine results pages. What does this mean for you? Pet owners are most likely to click through to your website via mobile and if that page doesn’t load quickly—they won’t stick around long.
Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) are set to be a top industry trend in 2018, as a coding method you can use to ensure your site loads more quickly on mobile. Not a web designer? No problem! With a WebDVM Website, we do the heavy lifting for you to ensure your website always functions at optimum speed—even on mobile.
Reason #5: Marketing will get even more personal
Let’s face it, nobody likes finding irrelevant content clogging up their newsfeeds or inboxes—and pet owners are no exception.
Using advanced social media analytics in 2018 will help your practice better identify and address specific pet owner needs in your area. We wrote a blog about social media “listening” earlier this year, which you should definitely check out for further direction to get on board with this trend.
Reason #6: Video content will become king
What was the last post on social media that you most enjoyed? Chances are, a viral pet video tops the list—and that’s because video content is exciting, simple, and memorable.
Use that to your advantage in 2018 to reach more clients and keep your loyal customers engaged online. Whether you’re sharing a cute cat video, or a fun how-to clip starring your team, this type of content can be super effective for engagement and client compliance.
As 2017 comes to a close, keep these trends front of mind so you can plan for your practice’s best year yet—both online and at the clinic.
Want to start off 2018 on the right paw? Get a jump start on your practice’s marketing goals with the LifeLearn ECOsystem—book an exam with one of our specialists today to discuss your pain points and find your ideal solution.
