Over the years that Vets4Pets has been successfully launching new practices, we believe we've finely tuned our launch marketing plans. These will be based across a variety of media which are selected to provide the optimum performance for your local market and catchment area. Media could including local radio, door to door leaflet drops, direct mail, local PR, Press advertising and posters. These are combined with targeted offers to bring high levels of footfall into practices as we believe our practices sell themselves once customers meet with our practice staff and veterinary professionals and see the state-of-the-art facilities we offer. It also helps that all of our locations are sited at highly visible locations.

The Marketing Department is split into two; a central marketing function based in Guernsey, and a local marketing team based in Nottingham.

Central Marketing develop the marketing, brand and web strategy, and will develop and run campaigns across all practices. These may include PR campaigns, (to help raise the awareness of Vets4Pets and of important pet wellbeing issues such as pet obesity), national promotion campaigns using media such as TV, radio and outdoor media (e.g. Billboards, bus shelters and phone booths). We also offer partners the opportunity to participate in centralised mailing such as with newsletters, health care updates and reminders, benefitting from economies of scale. The team also work on developing ongoing client loyalty generating initiatives and propositions for clients such as ‘Vac4Life’.

Our Local Marketing team work closely with partners to develop a localised marketing plan tailored to promote their individual practice. We have a suite of campaigns and initiatives we can use to promote individual practices such as, Best Start in Life for puppies or kittens, OAP days, open days, education evenings etc.

In addition, we have the website, which is being continually developed and enhanced and which can be used to promote individual local offers within a practice or to bring a wider audience to the Vets4Pets brand as a whole.

We very much see that it's the local community feel that appeals most to pet owners and so are keen to work with partners to ensure that each campaign is tailored to their local needs.

Marketing budgets are agreed individually with each practice, and plans are tailored accordingly to reflect and meet the needs of the practice life stage. I.e. a brand new start up practice will require a different marketing plan to that of a well established practice with a mature client base. We also work closely with industry suppliers, who provide us with much appreciated support to ensure that we can bask in the halo of any initiatives and promotions they are pursuing. I think it really helps to be one of the bigger players in the industry as we can benefit from a closer relationship with the suppliers and benefit from joint resources.

We believe that as an industry we are facing increasing competition from other industries such as online pharmacies and retailing, as well as from the traditional veterinary practices who increasingly recognise the need to invest in creating and developing their own brand and client propositions. We are therefore continually developing the Vets4Pets brand to ensure that it can hold its own, and in a sustained way, gain new territories to help increase the business potential of the group and our individual practices.

All of our marketing is aimed at ensuring high client retention rates and repeat visits of well pets and not just visits from our clients when they need us because their pets are either injured or sick. We have some exciting and innovative plans to develop in the ‘well pet’ area and I am looking forward to bringing in more partners to broaden the impact of these initiatives.

If you would like to find out more about becoming a Joint Venture Partner with Vets4Pets, get in touch.