Think veterinary apps are exclusive to daytime-only practices? Think again!
One hospital that has been making tremendous strides with their app for the last three years is Lafayette Veterinary Care Center. Located in Lafayette, Louisiana, this hospital stands out for what they have been able to accomplish in three short years. They immediately hit the ground running with their app, and haven’t looked back since.
Multiple services? Multiple ways for clients to earn stamps!
Lafayette is a large practice with 11 doctors. Open 24/7, they are a one-stop shop, offering boarding, grooming, training, and doggie daycare. Not only can their clients use the app for their routine veterinary needs, they also accrue stamps for resort services and merchandise! Amber Geesey, the marketing director for the hospital, says that clients love “earning money for spending money!”
According to our 2019 Loyalty Program Study, a typical veterinary practice that uses the Vet2Pet client engagement platform enjoys an average of $100,000 in revenue lift in the first year. Lafayette blew that away, with a lift of $620,000 their first year, and they have been continuing to crush it year after year.
Ongoing marketing keeps your app’s capabilities front-and-center
More than 52% of Lafayette’s clients have installed their app. Amber partially credits their ongoing marketing strategies for the app’s continued success. Some of the strategies that seem to engage their clients include:
- Displaying signage throughout the clinic, including a large banner in the lobby that mentions the benefits of the app and the rewards of the loyalty program
- Allowing clients to gain rewards for veterinary and pet resort visits
- Marketing on Facebook and Instagram
- Highlighting the app in their hospital brochure, which is distributed with every puppy and kitten pack
- Training the client service representatives to consistently ask clients during checkout if they have the app
Make it easy, and they will use it
“The app makes it really easy for clients,” Amber says. Lafayette will also have a real-time booking link embedded into their app, which will allow clients to view available appointments and book them directly into their practice management software. Lafayette’s clients like to use the app to see their reminders and to find information. To get a “snapshot” (pun intended) of how much Lafayette’s clients engage with their app: They had more than 100 selfie submissions in just 30 days! And, 73% of their app users are using the loyalty stamps.
Think big!
If you are not a typical daytime practice, or if you are a practice with a one-stop-shop model for your clients, think big when it comes to your app. Apply your loyalty program across all your services to maximize your app reach and the loyalty benefit to your clients. Use a consistent marketing message, and realize that personal suggestion by staff members is your greatest marketing tool. Make using your app easy — for both staff and clients — and your app will be a hit!
“The loyalty program really drives the app initially, and when people get in there and realize there are so many more capabilities, they start using it!”
