Click, Send, Engage: Preventive Care Email Templates That Motivate Pet Owners
Text-based communications such as email and text messaging are powerful, convenient, and affordable methods for engaging veterinary clients and reinforcing the value and importance of preventive care. But, email marketing is more than drafting a few reminders and clicking "send." Use these tips and examples to ensure that clients not only receive your message but are also motivated to pursue wellness care for their pets.
Digital Marketing Do's and Don'ts
Digital communications are a great way to build and maintain strong client relationships. Stick to these best practices to ensure your veterinary preventive care message is inspiring and actionable.
Client in Command: Use Preferences and Opt-Ins for Better Success
Honor your client's communication preferences by asking how they'd like to receive veterinary updates and information. When clients can choose how to opt in, they're more likely to respond favorably to your emails or texts, open them, and take the recommended action. Save your client's preferences in their electronic record and update them annually.
Stay in Touch, but Not Too Much
Educational messaging has enormous potential, but clients will tune out—or turn off—too-frequent emails. Informational materials can be shared monthly, while service reminders may be sent according to the pet's medical history (i.e., every 6 to 12 months).
Get Personal With Customized Language
Generic messaging generates generic results. Use your practice management software to ensure each message is personalized with the patient's name, species, and, if relevant, the date of their last wellness exam and testing. Ensure communications records are synced so you can see the other communications that clients have received and provide consistent information and language.
Inspire Action, Not Panic
While pain points can effectively spur action, inappropriately grim messaging can feel like fear-mongering, so ensure your message stays upbeat. Focus on how maintaining the pet's wellness care enhances health, well-being, and longevity, rather than how a lack of care can lead to undiagnosed illness, disease, and pain.
Grab and Hold Attention With Short, Scannable Text
Stale subject lines and text blocks are a quick "delete" for most modern consumers. Engage your audience with short, smart sentences, lists, and bulleted information. For more detailed information, include links to relevant blog posts or service pages on your website.
Acknowledge Your Client's Love for Their Pet
Everyone responds to recognition, so go ahead and recognize your client's efforts as if they've already taken action and scheduled an appointment, rather than sending a passive invitation to contact your clinic. Some communication platforms today even enable personalized appointment confirmations. Such messaging aligns with your client's self-perception (i.e., "I am a good pet owner."), and their response will more likely be consistent with their self-image.
Open Their Eyes With Diagnostic Screening Data
Sometimes it takes seeing real numbers to get people to act. Try including some statistics in your email messaging. For example, in a recent study conducted by IDEXX, messaging on how diagnostic screening could uncover potential issues in 40% of dogs and 60% of cats resonnated most among pet owners. Insert that into your email template and see if more wellness exams are scheduled.
Turning Words Into Action: Templates
Need inspiration? The following template can help you send a warm, friendly, and effective message about the importance of wellness care.
Email Example
Subject: BREAKING: The Secret to [Sophie's] Health
We're here for [Sophie's] every need—even when [she] doesn't look like [she] needs us at all.
Routine preventive care exams and diagnostic screening are essential for preserving your pet's health and well-being.
Every year brings new changes and challenges for [Sophie]—including some you can't see. [Annual/biannual] wellness visits ensure:
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An established baseline: Knowing [Sophie's] "normal" helps us diagnose future changes sooner and with greater accuracy.
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Protection against infectious diseases: Customized vaccine schedules and parasite prevention plans ensure robust immunity and a strong defense.
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Early detection and intervention: Wellness testing and exams screen your pet for hidden illnesses and parasites, allowing for better outcomes—essentially more snuggles and fewer struggles.
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Expert guidance for optimal quality of life: From nutrition and weight loss to behavior and graceful aging, our knowledgeable team has the information that helps pets live their best lives.
Your commitment to [Sophie's] well-being is evident in everything you do—including your dedication to [her] veterinary care.
According to our records, [Sophie's] next preventive care visit is [due on (date)/overdue]. Contact us to ensure [her] continued health and happiness!
Digital communications effectively drive home the value and significance of preventive care. A well-crafted, engaging, and personalized message to your clients ensures today's busy pet owners keep preventive care's intention and importance top of mind.
