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Introduction
As the internet constantly evolves it’s having an increasing impact on human lives all over the globe; the web has changed behaviour and some quite dramatic shifts in culture too. The internet is even having a physiological impact, as my chiropractic friend informs me - she treats an increasing number of young people with neck and back problems, the root cause of which are associated with long periods spent hunched over mobile devices; it would appear that a mainstay of modern life is to be ‘connected’ during every waking moment. That’s certainly true if our kids are anything to go by…!
Online figures are staggering and grow by the minute. Almost half the worlds population now has access to the internet with the UK leading the way: 36 million adults - that’s almost 3/4 of the population - access the internet every, single day! So, it’s no surprise that a top priority for many businesses is tapping into the business opportunities that abound online.
To better understand how animal care industries feels about its online activities, we have teamed up with veterinary communications company Companion Consultancy to conduct a comprehensive survey. Of the businesses that took part, 73% were vet practices, so the findings will no doubt be of great interest to the profession.
Our objective was not just to ‘take the temperature’ of the profession but to identify any challenges associated with maintaining and developing an online presence and to find ways of overcoming barriers to participation and greater involvement. Our aim is to help the profession get its fair share of the action when it comes to harnessing the power of the internet.
“With so much happening in the online world and so many opportunities opening up, it can sometimes be difficult to decide where to invest resources. Now’s the time to take a step back and evaluate our online activities to pave the way for progress in the future - something we’re really pleased to be able to kick-start with this survey” Caroline Johnson, Director of Vetpol and Vetmart.
Your website
One of the most encouraging points of the survey is to the degree to which vet practices are clearly embracing the internet; 97% feel that online activities are of value to their business.
When asked which are the most beneficial tools, online banking and the practice website came out top with the website being the more useful to the larger majority of vet practices.
Almost 40% of practices gave the website as 10/10 rating for its benefit.
A higher percentage (83%) graded their website as being ‘very beneficial’ when compared to internet banking (70%)
The importance of the practice website should come as no surprise: It is one of the earlier platforms to become available and increasingly the preliminary port of call for potential and current clients. Whilst word-of-mouth has long been the primary reason for clients choosing a practice, nowadays people follow-up recommendations with a visit to the practice website, where some of the more progressive practices offer online registration.
We also know that word-of-mouth is increasingly taking the form of word-of-mouse - look no further that the pivotal role online reviews play in decision-making, for evidence of that particular change.
Yet therein lies a challenge: With over a trillion unique URL's, it’s no longer enough to just have a website - YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE YOUR WEBSITE IS FOUND.
What this means is that your website has to be more than just a static online brochure; it needs to be a growing, evolving platform at the very core of your online strategy; part of the focus being SEO along with cost-effective ways of actively driving traffic to your website.
With many opportunities available, you need to ensure all their efforts work synergistically meaning an online strategy is required; a strategy that has the practice website at the core of activities and using social media, blogs, unique content and sites like vetmart as feeder platforms that strengthen and support the core. In doing this, practices can ensure they make the most of the increasing opportunities the web presents for engaging with owners and growing business.
Facebook and other social media
88% of practices in our survey now use Facebook as part of their promotional strategy.
24% gave Facebook a 10/10 rating for benefit.
I’m aware of practices who gain the majority of new clients via Facebook.
The fact that 65% of vet practices in our survey rated Facebook 7/10 or higher for usefulness and that the majority are now active on Twitter, LinkedIn and even Google Plus, demonstrates just how popular social media is becoming; use of these platforms represents a step change in practice marketing.
Yet whilst 97% believe their online activities are beneficial for their business, only 26% feel they are using social media successfully. Nearly all cited insufficient time or lack of expertise as the main barriers to greater success.
The survey also asked the question, ‘when it comes to engaging customers online, what works and what doesn’t’…where the use of attention grabbing photo’s came out top, with 22% rating them 10/10. No surprise that businesses appreciate the power of the visual medium, especially when it comes to pictures of cute animals which ‘go viral’ on social media.
Sourcing external content was not as highly rated as one might expect and this is surprising as it has positive consequences with regards to the use of time; lack of time was cited by respondents as one of the main barriers to success.
Self-generation of material can be too inwardly focusing at times while sourcing, integrating and interacting with external content can actually be more engaging AND relieve some of the time burden. It’s clear that a switch to increasing adoption of supplementary externally sourced content offers opportunities for practices.
Online retailing
Customers are now making more than 5.7 million transactions a day using smart phones and internet-enabled technology.
82% of all internet users purchased goods or services online in the UK last year.
The opportunities for internet retail are vast…and continue to grow.
Yet despite this, a very low percentage of respondents rated selling products online as a main objective - with 31% scoring it just 1/10 in importance.
Of those involved in online retailing, 23% rate it as very beneficial. Whether those who rate it as less beneficial do so because of the value of that part of the business or simply due to poor implementation is unclear and warrants further exploration.
Whatever the reasons behind these statistics what is clear is that online retailing is not high on the agenda of the profession, despite the fact that it offers considerable opportunities for vet practices to grow business with and beyond their current client base.
Many hold the belief that independent practices are unable to compete with the larger online pharmacies, yet the St Francis Group Price Tracker demonstrates that with the majority of veterinary products being sold online today, this is simply not the case. If this is an opportunity you are interested in developing then speak to your local SFG Manager for more information on the subject.
Summary
The full version of the white paper on attitudes to online activities in the veterinary profession will be available later in the year; the numbers and comments make for some very interesting reading. Meantime, if you’d like to find out more, a summary of the paper will be available soon - please contact caroline@vetmart.net for a copy or leave a comment at the bottom of this article.
We hope both this article and the White Paper summary will give you some useful insights and perhaps a few pointers as to how best to boost your online presence and make more of the manifold opportunities presented by the internet - opportunities to interact, engage, build your brand and grow your business.
The internet is where owners are; it’s where vets need to be too.
Footnote: If you're a veterinary supplier reading this, there is a company version of the white paper available too. For a free copy contact Companion Consultancy.
