The$Marketing$Manifesto$ For$ Canine ... - Four Leg Rehab Inc Marketing... · The$Marketing$Manifesto$ For$ Canine$RehabPractice$ $ WORKBOOK$! $ By$Laurie$Edge?Hughes$ BScPT,$MAnimSt$(Animal$Physiotherapy),$CAFCI,$CCRT$

The Marketing Manifesto For

Canine Rehab Practice

WORKBOOK

By Laurie Edge-Hughes

BScPT, MAnimSt (Animal Physiotherapy), CAFCI, CCRT www.FourLeg.com

2 Copyright Laurie Edge-‐Hughes 2013

Copyright © Four Leg Rehab Inc 2013 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher / author. ISBN: 978-0-9812431-5-3 Published by: Four Leg Rehab Inc PO Box 1581, Cochrane, AB T4C 1B5 Canada www.FourLeg.com


Introduction Marketing is a necessity if you want your canine physiotherapy / rehabilitation

business to thrive and grow. However as professionals in healthcare (human or

veterinary) we have little to no formal training in business and marketing, and

subsequently make poor (if any) marketing choices to help sustain our businesses.

Worse yet, many of us were taught or given the impression that marketing is bad,

slimy, or unprofessional. This mind set hampers the canine rehab professional’s

ability to succeed in business. This paper will highlight marketing mindsets,

marketing strategies, marketing tactics, and fundamentals in marketing messaging.

The marketing mindset

First things first, you have to learn how to market your services if you want to

succeed and grow your business. It’s that simple. Marketing can be done in a very

professional, ‘value added’ kind of way. So, before I start oozing with ideas to share,

I though we had all better get on the same page! Let’s start with the mind-‐shift.

Firstly, what we do day in and day out with our client interactions is a form of

‘selling’. We are selling the client on the fact that we know what we are talking

about. Then we need to sell him/her on our diagnosis and more importantly, our

rehab plan for the animal. We have to sell them on their home exercise program,

and we have to sell them on the fact that they are doing the right thing for their

animal (because let’s face it, many of their friends or family members have said to

them, “You’re taking your dog for therapy?? Seriously??!”) And there is nothing

slimy or underhanded about us, as professionals, ‘selling’ the client on our best

professional judgment. But just be clear within your own mind, that these are ‘sales

conversations’ that you have everyday with the best interest of the patient in mind.

NOW… think about your marketing in the same light.

I have been told by numerous clients, “I didn’t know this clinic existed. Have you

told the vets in the community? Have you done any marketing?” Why yes ma’am, I

have and I do... but it’s not so cut and dry. Calgary is a city of over a million people,


138 off leash areas, 110 local and surrounding area vet clinics, and a ratio of dogs

per household sitting at 0.3/1 as of 2009 data. That’s a lot of dogs, a lot of vets, and

a lot of potential. And if I think about it, wouldn’t it be in the best interest of Calgary

& area dogs, for their owners’ to know that my clinic was available to provide canine

rehab services? Okay… so where I want you to make the mental shift, is to realize &

think, 1) ‘It’s in the best interest of the animal for their owner to know I exist to

provide canine rehab services’ & 2) ‘What can I GIVE in terms of value (information,

offers, legal & ethical incentives) for potential clients to access, to be helpful, and to

start building a relationship with me?

What marketing is and what it is not

Your marketing is NOT your brochures, business cards, clinic sign, logo or even your

website. Those are merely tools. But they are useless if nobody sees them or they

don’t inspire emotion and action.

Strategic marketing is a compilation or series of actions or tactics, and a plan to

attract and interact with potential and current customers. Marketing needs thought,

attention to details, sequencing, and strategy. But first things first, you need to

really know and understand your clients, potential clients, and even your referral

sources, in order to create effective marketing tools. Once you understand your

target market, then you can create the tools. The tools (i.e. your brochure, website,

information packages, etc) all need to be created with the consumer in mind. And

once you create the tools, you need a strategy to disseminate the information and be

‘seen’ within your target market.

Clearly define your target market

In order to create strong meaningful marketing messages and, quite frankly to

service your target market you need to think about and ask ‘’what do owners of

dogs want?” Your first task can be to do an exercise, using just your own brain:


1. Describe your target market:

a. Demographics – age, sex, income

i. From my personal perspective, I think these are the LEAST

important factors in regards to my client base.

b. Specific to owners of old-‐dogs, what do they want for their dog, what

are their desires and attitudes in this regard?

i. They want what’s best for their dog.

ii. They feel that their dog is ‘not just a dog’. He or she is a family

member.

iii. They want their dog to be happy. They want him or her to

have a good quality of life.

c. What are the fears and frustrations of owners of old dogs?

i. They are afraid that their dog is in pain. They don’t want their

dog to suffer.

ii. They are afraid about making end of life decisions.

iii. They want to know if there are options (adjunctive or

alternative) therapies for pain relief – not just medications.

iv. They want a partner in providing healthcare options for their

dog.

v. They want to know what more they can do to help their dog.


Worksheet -‐ Brainstorming

DESCRIBE YOUR TARGET MARKET

Demographics: What do they want? Their desires? Their attitudes & beliefs? What are their fears & frustrations?


Next, you want to step outside of your comfort zone, and actually talk to owners of

old dogs, and others that might refer clients/patients to you. These might be past

clients, current clients, potential referral sources, or others in your target market.

Try to talk to at least 6 people, and write down or record their answers – because

you want to capture their exact words. (Alternately, this could be done by survey –

Survey Monkey or Fluid Surveys are two I have used… but the personal touch might

be better!)

2. Survey your target market

a. Questions for past clients / current clients

i. Why did you decide to do business with me?

ii. How did you first hear about me and/or find me?

iii. Why do you continue to utilize my services?

iv. At what price would you consider my services a great bargain?

v. At what price would you consider it expensive?

b. Questions for dog-‐owners (not already your customers)

i. What are your biggest fears & frustrations related to your dog’s

physical well being?

ii. What is your biggest challenge in this regard?

iii. What is the biggest result you’d like to see?

iv. How much time or money would you be willing to invest to get

this result?

v. What would you like to learn more about regarding canine

physiotherapy / rehab?

vi. What kind of things would I need to say right now that would

spark you to book an appointment?

c. Questions for referral sources

i. What are your biggest fears and frustrations regarding your

patients / clients with geriatric issues?

ii. What problems are these causing in your practice / business?


iii. What is your biggest desire regarding assessment & treatment

of geriatric cases?

iv. What would you like to learn more about regarding canine

physiotherapy / rehab?

v. What would I have to say right now that would spark you to

send a referral?

The results of your ‘brain-‐storming’ and surveying should allow you to

compile a profile of your ‘ideal client’ (in this case, the owner of an old dog).

Write out what you learned, and highlight the key phrases that were used

(i.e. note the language and phrasing that your target market uses!)

Worksheet -‐ Summarize your survey results

SURVEY YOUR TARGET MARKET

Past clients / Current clients Dog owners (not your clients)


Referral sources Now, define and describe (i.e. write out) how your service addresses their wants

and desires and helps them to overcome their fears and frustrations. YOU need to

be clear about how you will help them with what they WANT! Describe in detail all

that you do, and how it addresses their wants. Next, define and describe (i.e. write

out) what your service will give them that they don’t know about! This is intended

to showcase the ‘value added’ portion of your service. Perhaps it is the journey you

take them on through the rehab process. Perhaps it is your unique point of view.

Perhaps it is the destination or new idea that you provide. Perhaps it is what you

do, and/or your special skills and attributes. (These two descriptors will go

somewhere in your marketing messaging – likely on your website.)

Worksheet – how your services help to address OWNERS’ wants & desires and

overcome fears & frustrations.


Worksheet – what do your services provide that OWNERS don’t know about?

Did you come to realize that within your target market (i.e. Dog-‐owners) that there

are several different sub-‐markets – or ‘niches’ within dog-‐owners? Perhaps you

need to go back to your brainstorming and survey results and categorize them into

sub-‐groups. Here’s a list of common canine rehab subgroups:

• Old dogs

• Post-‐operative dogs

• Obese patients

• Canine athletes

• Working dogs

• Show & breeding dogs

• Neurologic dogs

• Dogs with undiagnosed lameness’s

• Dog’s that need or owners that want alternatives to surgical or medical

management

If you try to create a marketing message that is for everyone, then you’ll attract no

one! Repeat that in your head a time or two, because it’s a very important concept.

So now think about whom you want to attract (which niche)? What do they want?

How do they feel? How does your service help them? (And then also start to think

about where they ‘hang out’, and how you can reach them. We’ll discuss that later.)


Worksheet – Define what you do.

Then put it into a position statement for each niche... (Choose 3 for practice.) It

might help to follow this template:

“I work with __________________________________________________________(kinds of people),

struggling with_____________________________________________________(fears & frustrations),

who feel____________________________________________________________(emotional triggers),

and I help them___________________________________________________________________________.”

(your service, but described in terms of benefit-‐focus for the client)




and I help them___________________________________________________________________________.”





and I help them___________________________________________________________________________.”



Example

I work with owners-‐of-‐old-‐dogs, who love them like family members, struggling

with seeing their dog get old, who feel scared, helpless, and hopeless and I help them

to improve the physical functioning and quality of life of their dog, and empower

them to be a part of that process.

Being clear on what you do and whom you serve will bring you closer to actually

finding a way to acquire more customers in your target market. You cannot see

success in your marketing efforts if you are trying to make your marketing message

be for ‘everyone’ who sees it. It simply will not resonate powerfully enough to make

any one group take action to do business with you, and you won’t sound like an

expert in the field!

Your marketing message

Now don’t get me wrong… you should have a brochure and/or website (it’s just that

they can’t be considered your stand-‐alone marketing plan). However, you do need

to be very conscious about what your website or brochure says. They should be

about the consumer and what they WANT. (That’s the whole point of the exercise

above… learn what they want… learn the language they use… learn about them in as

many ways as you can!)

What and how you say what you do is very important. Most canine rehab practices

simply list off the pieces of equipment they own or services they provide (i.e. Laser,

Ultrasound, Therapeutic Exercise, ROM, Stretching). People don’t know what their

dog needs, or what ‘ROM’ stands for – as an example, and just listing these things

certainly does not convey that you have any expertise over and above the guy down

the street who also just lists what he has and does. From that point forward, the

only thing to compare would be price… and you don’t want price to be the deciding

factor!!


Your marketing message should evoke emotion. It should resonate with the reader

that you really understand them and are able to deliver a service that they WANT!

Your messaging should convey who you are. It should also be useful and engaging.

Utilize the following guidelines when writing out your marketing pieces:

• Write from the “YOU” perspective, not the “I” or “We” perspective. (i.e. Your

dog will receive a thorough physical evaluation to identify any and all issues

affecting his muscles and joints. Your dog will benefit from exercising in our

underwater treadmill – a safe way for geriatric dogs to get a low impact, easy

on the joints, workout. Your therapist will show you ways to manage your

dog at home and what exercises you can do to speed his recovery.)

• Talk about benefits. (i.e. “Pain relief is accomplished by…”, “With the goal of

running at the park in mind, your dog will receive a customized exercise

program and…”, or “Recovery of the canine athlete will be expedited through

our intensive rehab programming that will address and target…”)

• Question & Answer format. Anticipate your customer’s questions and

answer them in your marketing materials.

• Tell a story. People love to read stories. Why did you get involved in canine

rehab? What is your background? Do you have a heart-‐warming case study

you can share?

• Provide useful content. Share articles, videos, tips, and information.

• Can you make a guarantee? (i.e. We guarantee that your pet will be given the

utmost care and attention from our therapy team at each and every visit.)

• Address ‘How you can be a solution to their problem, frustration, or fear.’

• Don’t assume that the public knows what ‘rehab’ is! There is more to ‘rehab’

than the machines and services. Describe what you do, the process, the

journey, and the end goal!

• Build curiosity. (i.e. Don’t you wonder if rehab could help your old dog

function a little easier?)

• Use ‘WHEN’, not ‘IF’. (i.e. When your dog needs knee surgery…) This tactic

makes the reader pay attention, not just gloss over the print.

• Use pictures and be eye-‐catching and clever.


Strategy versus Tactic

When most people think about marketing, they think about tactics: Ads in

newspapers, Facebook accounts, brochures and business cards, etc. These are

simply tools, but they are not long-‐term strategies that can be built upon to grow a

business. In order to grow a business, you need to think about strategy.

Just to give you an example, let’s say there was a Zombie apocalypse (my sons have

read books on this, so we’ll be ready), and you want to protect your home from a

zombie invasion. You could purchase a shotgun, and simply fire a round into the

bushes whenever you hear Zombie-‐like moaning in that direction. That would be

one tactic, but it surely wouldn’t be a long-‐term strategy to protect your home! A

strategy would require more thought, and have a few more ‘parts’ involved. A

strategy could be to erect an impassible fence all around your property, perhaps

inclusive with a moat. Then you might want one region that has some kind of

Zombie-‐attractant features (i.e. flashing lights, recorded music, Zombie treats, etc)

where all the Zombies would go, and from where you could be set up to succinctly

destroy them as they went into your trap. That would be a strategy!

Strategic theories can include the concepts of ‘relationship marketing’, ‘hub

marketing’, ‘article marketing’, ‘direct marketing’, ‘word of mouth marketing’,

‘newsletter marketing’, and ‘purple cow-‐strategies’, to name a few. We can look at

each different concept briefly, as a theory that you can utilize to construct your

marketing plan. Your goal will be to focus on one or two of these strategies,

implement it (them), systematize (if possible), and then add another strategy as

needed.


1. Relationship marketing: In this kind of marketing, you want to create a

relationship with your target market (existing and potential). The best way

to do this, is to let the clients get to know you, and give them something that

they want! What free thing / information / tool could you give to the owner

of an old dog that could help them right now? Maybe a video on how to

massage your own dog; Maybe a video or article on basic stretches for an

older dog; Maybe some exercise alternatives or tips put together in a

document (but call it something catchy – like ‘The Old Dog Exercise

Manifesto’); Maybe an ‘owner-‐friendly’ e-‐book you wrote on old-‐dog health

problems every owner should know about; Maybe a power-‐point

presentation video (i.e. a webinar) on any old dog topic you feel competent

enough to teach on.

Now, it is not as simple as just giving away some information. You want to

get something in return. That something is their e-‐mail or contact

information. That is how you are going to start your relationship. An e-‐mail

capture ‘button/icon’ embedded into your website will work nicely to

prompt an exchange of information for an e-‐mail contact. (See

www.FourLeg.com for an example… and sign up for educational e-‐blasts

from me!!) E-‐mail capture (and e-‐blast) capabilities can be done through

different web-‐companies. Check out www.aweber.com,

www.constantcontact.com, or www.mailchimp.com. Watch their tutorials to

learn how to apply their tools. Essentially, you will create an e-‐mail capture

‘button or icon’ to imbed on your website. You will have described what you

are offering (for free) in exchange for their e-‐mail. People will fill in their e-‐

mail address, get a welcome e-‐mail from you (likely a confirmation that they

really did input their own e-‐mail), and then be directed to a page where you

have put the document or video. But now you have their e-‐mail… given to

you willingly… and you can continue to respectfully provide information,

tips, guidelines, clinic updates, announcement for talks or seminars or blog

updates, etc on a regular basis (i.e. once a week is the suggestion).


Remember, you want to provide useful information, not just a sales pitch,

with your communications.

Worksheet – Brainstorming

What information or thing(s) could I ‘give away’ in exchange for an e-‐mail address?

2. ‘Hub’ marketing is similar to relationship marketing, only now you are

forming relationships with others in the ‘dog community’. It’s also known as

‘networking’. The goal is to either 1) get to be known by the ‘Hubs’ (i.e.

important, well-‐connected people / businesses) in your area, or 2) become

the ‘Hub’ in your area. Your first task is to list all of the dog-‐related

businesses / industries in your area. Here’s a sample list:

• Vet clinics • Groomers • Breeders • Dog-‐sport competitors • Kennels • Doggy-‐daycares • Trainers • Dog-‐rescue organizations • Dog-‐walkers • Pet stores • Pet food distributors • Service-‐dog groups • Dog photographers • Dog bakeries


• Dog parks • Dog massage therapists, chiropractors, acupuncturists, swim-‐

therapists, etc • Animal communicators • SPCA / Humane society • Online dog blogs, pod-‐casts, chat groups, breed clubs • Facebook dog-‐related pages / groups • Dog events / meet ups • Dog-‐related TV or radio shows • Dog-‐related newsletters / magazines

Worksheet – List KEY dog businesses in your area


Now that you have a list of other dog businesses in your area, you can now

set out to meet them. You don’t want to simply just send your information

package; you want to meet them! Ideally, if you send an information

package, you would want to follow up with a phone call to see if the

information was received, to see if the other party has any questions, and/or

to schedule a time to meet for a quick cup of coffee to see if there is a way

that you could help promote THEIR business to your customers, and to find

out more about what they do. Yes, THEIR business! You want to establish a

sense of reciprocity – you will do something for them, which will hopefully

make them want to do something for you in return (i.e. refer customers).

One great way to become a ‘hub’ in your dog community is to host an event.

You can invite select dog-‐related businesses to an event where everyone a)

learns about each other’s business (e.g. think ‘speed dating’ for businesses),

b) learns about marketing or business strategies from a guest speaker (e.g.

someone you invite, or speakers within your group talking about what they

know, or even a book review / course review), or c) come together to discuss

business-‐related problems issues (e.g. creation of a Mastermind group).

Worksheet – Goal setting for meeting ‘hubs’ Who will you attempt to meet this month? Who will you send information out to this month?


3. Article marketing is simply another way of getting your message out to the

public. With this method of marketing, you write articles and provide them

to different sources looking for articles. There are article database

‘warehouses’ that you could submit articles to (e.g.

www.submityourarticle.com). Alternately, you could contact authors of

blogs to see if they might be interested in a ‘guest blog’ on a given topic.

Being that blog-‐creation takes work, some of them just might take you up on

it. Are there local papers or newsletters in your community that might be

looking for contributions, or perhaps a dog magazine? Are any other

businesses providing newsletters to their customer base? This could go

hand-‐in-‐hand with your ‘Hub-‐marketing’ strategies. Firstly, start writing. Go

back to your surveys to see what information your target market said they

wanted, and then create it! Be sure to write in simple ‘lay-‐person’ language.

The rule of thumb is to write for the grade 8 level of comprehension, and be

sure to explain any technical terms.

Worksheet – Brainstorming What topics could I write articles about? Where could I submit them?


4. YouTube marketing. Did you know that the number-‐two search engine

(behind Google) is YouTube? So why not create some videos to capitalize on

that fact?

Now YouTube doesn’t care about how fancy your videos are. It cares about

content; and how it measures content is by number of views, number of likes,

number of shares, number of incoming links, number of subscribers, number

of playlists, and number of comments (among some other things). So the

goal with this kind of marketing is to get your videos watched!

Firstly, you need to create videos. This doesn’t have to be hard. In fact, short

videos (approximately 5 minutes in length) are optimal. That way people are

less likely to lose focus. What should you film? Go back to your market

research to recall what your customers want. Perhaps a short video on ‘what

to expect at your first appointment’, or ‘how to manage your post-‐operative

dog in the first 24 – 48 hours after surgery’, maybe ‘where and how to

massage an arthritic dog.’ The ideas are endless, and of course, you have

your market research to help you know what to create.

Filming can be done with your computer, an iphone, a camera, or filming a

powerpoint lecture using camtasia, iShowU or other apps / software readily

available and downloaded online. Editing software is often already on your

computer or easily purchased… but remember the market (and YouTube) is

fairly forgiving, so long as you have good content!

Once you’ve created your YouTube channel and uploaded your videos, you

want to optimize them. Use a long title with as many keywords as possible.

Use a long description (with plenty of keywords), and select oodles of

keyword tags as well! Then drive traffic: link to the videos from your

website, blog, Facebook, twitter, e-‐blasts, newsletters, etc. Comment on


various chat groups and forums – and after you have established credibility,

then post about your own YouTube video. Ask people to watch, like,

comment, and share the video. Soon traffic will grow, and your business will

become more and more visible!

Worksheet – List the types of problems you help your clients with and/or topics

your target market(s) indicated they wanted to learn more about.

(Then go back through and highlight the ones that can be turned into videos)

Worksheet – List dogs, clients, or staff members that would be good candidates to

film


5. Direct marketing is a way of sending something directly out to the public.

Essentially it’s a ‘cold-‐call’. To make things a bit more targeted, you could try

to obtain addresses of dog-‐owners (perhaps your ‘Hubs’ would share

customer mailing addresses, or you could purchase a mailing list). The

subsequent goal is to create a piece of marketing information to mail that is

‘eye-‐catching’ enough to get read, saved, and utilized. Alternately, if you are

going to provide something of interest that the clients of one of your ‘referral

sources’ (e.g. the Hubs), then you could create a series of e-‐mails that your

Hubs could e-‐mail out to their list. The features of a ‘direct mail marketing’

piece are going to be the same as what would be suggested for a paid

advertisement (i.e. in the newspaper, in a dog-‐show catalogue, etc). The

features for inclusion in direct marketing campaigns are as follows:

• A bold headline, claim or caption. In fact, the more ‘over-‐the-‐top’ the

better!

• An offer! Just telling potential customers about your service and that

you exist is boring, uninspired, and will not get the kind of interaction

and action you want. So, what can you offer? -‐ A special, a promotion,

a discount, a seminar, a video, a special report, etc. Within this

category, be sure to describe the unique benefits or results that your

offer / service provides. Quite simply, for direct marketing, you have

to have an offer (i.e. a valid reason to contact consumers.)

• Tell a little bit about you and your story. Don’t just list what your

service is… tell the consumer about the unique features your service

provides, what it will do for them, and why YOU are different.

• Give a reason for them to act now (e.g. a limited time offer or

deadline)!

• Give clear instruction (e.g. what do you want them to do? Call now, go

to your website, stop by, etc).

• Provide a clear guarantee (e.g. money back, satisfaction guaranteed,

etc).


• You might also want to include a bonus (e.g. a special gift, a report, a

discount, a sample product, etc).

• Testimonials may help to make you look more credible.

• Have a way to track and measure your marketing efforts (e.g. bring in

a coupon, click on an e-‐mail tracking link, have your receptionist ask

‘how did you hear about this special?’ and record the answer.

• Multi-‐step sequences (i.e. plan on sending out more than one

marketing piece. In other words, have a series of follow-‐ups.)

• Have a P.S. that recaps your message.

Good direct marketing should attract and engage your target market and

repel those not in your target market. Again, if you try to market to attract

EVERYONE, then your marketing will not attract any ONE of them! Then

stick with your campaign over a series of ‘customer touches’ and analyze

your efforts. (What can be done differently? Was your message clear and

targeted enough? Did you have a compelling offer?)

Worksheet – Thinking out the components of my advertising / direct marketing Bold headline

My offer

My unique features

Reason to ‘act now’

Clear instruction

My guarantee

Bonus?

Testimonial?

How will I ‘track’?

Multi-‐step sequence?

My P.S.


6. Many entrepreneurs think that ‘Word of Mouth Marketing’ is dependent

upon good service and hopefulness that your happy customers will talk

about you. Sometimes that’s true. However, you can also drive word of

mouth marketing in order to make a bigger impact.

Why would you focus on getting referrals from existing clients? 1) It’s the

cheapest and most effective way to market your business, 2) prospects

already trust you if a friend sent them to you, 3) people like giving referrals -‐

it makes them look good, 4) prospects require less ‘selling’ when they come

from a referral source, 5) referred customers make better clients. The people

that you may wish to target to ask for referrals would be past or current

clients, centres of influence (e.g. Hubs), and your personal network (e.g.

family & friends).

How do you do this? You want to make it as simple as possible for your

happy customers to refer to you. Firstly, you want to identify the ideal clients

within your practice. These are the kind of customers you want more of.

These are the customers you are going to target to ask for referrals from!

How? You are going to talk to them and tell them that you are engaging in a

referral-‐marketing strategy, and have identified them as an ideal client, and

that you would like to have more clients just like them! Then ask, ‘Would you

be comfortable referring me to any of your dog-‐owning friends?’ If the

answer is yes, then you can provide them with a one-‐page referral template

for their use. Inclusions for the one-‐page referral template:

• Headline: How to refer others to ‘your business name here’.

• Explain why you value referrals and why you have provided this

template (i.e. we want to make the referral process easier for you).

• Tell them how to spot your ideal client (i.e. client description –

focusing on emotional factors – hopes, dreams, desires, fears,

frustrations, etc.


• Provide the wording for how to communicate what you do. It should

be one line, with easy language… go back to your ‘position statement’

you created above.

• Explain how your client referral process works (e.g. what will happen

when they call. Do you offer a discount or bonus for the referred

client? Do you offer an incentive to the referring customer? Both of

these are optional… they are just something to think about. Perhaps a

simple thank you note with a small gift would be in order, a donation

to charity, a referral ‘buck’, etc)

• You could provide a couple of testimonials. E.g. what others are

saying about ‘your business’.

• Thank them.

If engaged in active solicitation of ‘word of mouth’ referrals, you want to

ensure that you have a way to track the referrals. Either at reception, on

your intake form, or by providing a ‘gift certificate’ that is given to the new

customer by the referral source, or some other tracking method.

Worksheet – Identifying your VIP clients My VIP clients: Worksheet – Draft your referral template Headline


Why you value referrals

Ideal client descriptive

How to describe what you do

How the referral process works

Testimonial?

Thank them

7. Newsletter marketing is exactly as it sounds – you are creating a newsletter

to provide good information, engage with your audience, and promote your

clinic or service. First things first, you need to decide who your newsletter is

for? Vets? Dog-‐owners? Others in the animal industry? Naturally, the


content in each would be very different. The language you use would be

different. The delivery could very well be different.

For vets, you would want to use more sophisticated language (i.e. medical

terms). You could highlight recent relevant research (human or animal), you

could describe your rehab approach for treatment of various common canine

conditions, or you could provide a simple tip for ‘in-‐house’ therapy & advice

(e.g. joint compressions for every post-‐op joint surgery). It might also be

advisable to provide a hard copy for vets – to share in the lunchroom for

example.

For dog-‐owners, you want your language to be simple and easily understood.

Some simple well-‐being tips, explanations of research studies, or exercise

suggestions could make up the content. However, it is likely that you will

want your newsletter to reach more people than the number of vets in your

area, so this target market is better reached with an E-‐zine / E-‐newsletter.

This can be accomplished using your auto-‐responder service (e.g. Aweber,

Constant Contact, or Mail Chimp), or adding a page to your website to house

downloadable newsletters.

The formula for what to include in a newsletter is 80% content or

engagement, and 20% sales pitch. Content means information and articles.

People like short, easy to read articles. Bulleted or numbered items work

well (e.g. top 5 strategies for…). Engagement pertains to story telling.

Stories can be about the clinic, about staff, or a case study. They tend to be

personal and help to build a relationship with your audience. The ‘sales

pitch’ would pertain to the promotion of a product, new service, new

offering, etc.

The other formula is that you want 60% content and 40% engagement, fun,

or ‘fluff’. I’ve also heard it the other way around however – 40 – 60. So be


sure to use pictures, cartoons, captions, saying, quotes, etc to round out your

newsletter.

Content should be relevant, timely, action focused, and do-‐able right away.

Some ideas for content can include upcoming events, a feature article, public

information, resources, a personal note, social media links, ‘about you’,

promotion (20%), and how to share the newsletter. Yes, ask them to share it!

The more people that see your newsletter the better! To get ideas for

content, go online and find the most common complaints of dog-‐owners,

answer most commonly asked questions, flip through a book and use

different headings to write an article on. But even better, is to find out what

your audience wants.

Worksheet – Brainstorming content Ideas for newsletter themes Target – Vets

Target – Dog-‐owners

Target – Dog-‐industry

8. Social media marketing can be daunting if you let it, but doesn’t have to be.

Essentially, we are talking about Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Linked-‐in, or

Google+ to name a few. This is just another way of connecting with your

clients or potential clients.


Things to know:

What to post? The same rules apply to social media as to newsletter

marketing: 80-‐20 content/engagement: promotion. In order to get good

interesting content to re-‐post, you want to sign up, like, or follow as many

dog-‐related, vet-‐related, animal cartoon-‐related sites / pages. Take pictures

and videos of your patients to use. Give clinic, or staff updates and news (e.g.

new paint job in the conference room, speaking engagements, patient

successes, new baby, etc.).

When to post? For ideal customer exposure, you’d want to post a few times a

week (different days, different times of day), or daily even. This could be

rather daunting, unless you put one or two staff members in charge of your

social media postings. Ideally, you could utilize the same posting on each

social media site. It has been rumoured that the postings of Facebook’s

business pages only reach about 20% of their audience, which leads to the

next question…

Should I accept ‘friend’ requests from clients on my personal account? Well,

so long as you’re smart, that could be okay. Just remember, you are always in

the public eye. Don’t post anything you wouldn’t want a client, your mother,

or your kids to see! You could then also repost some of your clinic/business

posts on your personal page in order to get greater guaranteed exposure.

What about Facebook ads? They can be economical IF you really narrow to

whom your ads are seen by. Read all of the Facebook tutorials to learn more

about how!

Worksheet – What social medial avenues do I feel comfortable pursuing and which

do I want to learn more about?

Facebook Twitter

Pinterest Google +


Linked-‐In Other?

9. Contests, Surveys, Questions & Answers as part of an engagement strategy

can be use to boost your marketing efforts. Contests could include the

following:

• Biggest loser (weight loss contest)

• Halloween costume contest (pictures)

• Christmas baking contest (clients bake for YOU, and you / the clinic

judges the baking!)

• Best rehab success story, heart warming story, funny story

• Best question

• Longest nose, shortest nose, longest tail, shortest tail, longest ears,

shortest legs, best trick, biggest paws, smallest paws… etc

Surveys can both engage the customer but also provide you with great

information about your clients (what they do, what they want, who they are,

etc). Some examples:

• What would you like to learn more about?

• Exercise regimes

• Biggest concerns

• Demographics

You can either send a physical survey (snail mail), or an e-‐mail survey (hit

reply to reply), or send them to an online survey. Survey Monkey works well

for this, or Fluid Surveys is another tool.

Answering questions is a great way to relate with your customers. Ask for

their questions and answer them online on your blog, and e-‐blast, or

newsletter. But you may need to have a few prepared Q & A’s to get the ball

rolling!


Important to think about, is how will you disseminate your survey and/or in

what forum will you ‘publish’ your question & answer column?

Worksheet – Critical evaluation & Brainstorming

What contests could I realistically engage in this year?

For this (or these) contest(s), what are the timelines to consider? (i.e. Pre-‐announcement, announcement of contest & rules, & length of contest / deadline) What prizes might I award?

What questions would my customers / referral sources like answered?

How will I ‘get in front of’ my target audience? (i.e. How will I disseminate the survey? Where will I publish my questions & answers?)

10. Gratitude marketing revolves around the simple principle of saying thank

you to your referral sources and your customers. In order to make your

thank you more interesting or more meaningful, accompany your thank you

with a small gift. The gift does not have to be expensive or large, but it

should be interesting, useful, or meaningful (e.g. a scratch & win ticket, a


coffee gift card, or a framed picture of their dog). The card should be hand

written and personal or witty. Don’t be afraid to get creative with this

strategy.

Worksheet – Brainstorming Gift / Thank you ideas Qualification of recipients? (i.e. who gets a gift or a thank you?)

11. Written communication strategy. Basically, all of your communications to

your referring veterinarians should be considered marketing. Be sure they

convey the image and message you want. Your referral requests should be

clear, accurate, and concise. Your initial assessment report should not

contain any jargon or acronyms (and if it does, then define them), and be as

complete as possible, explaining both what you found as well as mentioning

areas where you did not have any significant findings. Your follow up reports

or discharge reports should be the same in terms of language and highlight

treatment dates or number of treatments, therapies administered, home

program advice, current findings, and plan.

Worksheet – Critical analysis

• How am I delivering (or will I deliver) my reports and referral communications?

• Is there anywhere I need to improve? • Is there a way to stream-‐line or systematize my communications? • Review my communications – are they clear to someone without rehab /


physio training?

12. Expert marketing. In this style of marketing, you want to portray a level of

expertise to your target market. You may do this be producing useful content

in your blog and/or online articles. You may also want to consider doing or

hosting lectures / talks on various canine health-‐related subjects. Your goal

is to find and provide the information yourself or to source it and re-‐

broadcast it. You might also consider interviewing experts and/or invite

expert to contribute to your communications. The information can be shared

via a) a newsletter or e-‐blast, b) a blog, c) a talk / symposium / seminar, d)

anything you can use your imagination towards!! Simply providing useful

information that is not readily available in your area / target market will put

you in the domain of ‘expert’. To excel in this area, you must think: “What

information can I provide?”

Worksheet – Brainstorming

What information can I provide or ‘source out’?

13. Visibility marketing. Are you visible to the dog-‐owning public? Where can

they interact with you outside of your clinic or your service provision? The

thought with this marketing strategy is to get out and get seen! So going to

dog shows, dog-‐sporting competitions, or pet-‐expos might be a good option


to engage in. Having a booth at these events, or simply showing up to

support your clients & patients will ensure that you are ‘talked about’! Giving

talks, seminars, and workshops could also increase your visibility.

Sponsorship and/or advertising are other avenues to enhance visibility (but

don’t forget the components of a good advertisement – see the ‘direct

marketing’ section).

You need to figure out where you want to be seen? (i.e. Which dog shows or

sporting events will you attend? Which clubs will you contact?) How will

you get seen? (i.e. Booths? Lecture? Meet & greet?) If you want to have a

booth – what ‘visuals’ will you have on display and what do you need to have

created? What marketing materials will you need to have in place? (i.e.

business cards, brochures, special limited-‐time offers?) Who might you

contact to discuss your visibility options or learn more about who and where

you are best to place your efforts?

Worksheet – Brainstorming Places or groups in which to be visible

Items required or actions to take

14. ‘Purple cow strategy’ simply means that in order to stand out from the

crowd, you need to be different and do things differently than your other

competitors. Seth Godin, marketing guru, describes in his book Purple Cow,

that if you drive the countryside and see field after field of cows, you may

stop noticing them. They’re no longer unique or interesting. However if you


drove past a field with a purple cow, well then you’d take notice!! So, quite

simply, you want to be the purple cow! You want to stand out from the

crowd. You want to be the one thought of as creative, innovative, new, up to

date, and a leader in your field! The best place to get new marketing ideas

(tactics or strategies) is from outside of your own industry. Look at how

chiropractors market, your local grocery stores, the busiest restaurant in

town, or Nike, Apple, Ikea, etc. What marketing strategies have caught your

attention (and which ones have left you cold?). The bottom line is that

boring is invisible. Don’t be boring!!

Worksheet – Brainstorming & Critical analysis What are others doing in my industry or area? How am I different? How can I be different? Whose marketing strategies & tactics do I admire?

The sales funnel and your container

Essentially, the last two parts you need to think about are, ‘How will your potential

customers find you?’ And ‘Where do they go once they find you?’


1) The Sales Funnel (e.g. Tactics): What can you do to draw in your potential

customers (i.e. the ‘to do’ side of any of the strategies listed above)?

• Public speaking

• Writing

• Trade fairs / booths at shows

• Social media

• Search engine optimization (key words on your website)

• Referrals

• Network events

• Volunteering

• Virtual presentations / webinars

• Online videos or audios

• Posters

• Brochures or cards (with an offer or call to action)

• Hosting (an event or party)

• Advertising

• Direct mail

• E-‐mail marketing

• Coffee with persons of influence (e.g. Hubs)

• Donations / demonstrations

• Newsletter

• Changing content on your website

• Blog

• Provide referral pads / notes / handouts

These things are part of what is called your sales funnel. They are ways that

your potential customers can see your business, experience your business,

and be drawn into doing business with you. You implement these tactics

within your bigger picture marketing strategy.

Worksheet – Analysis What marketing TACTICS do you currently engage in?


What TACTICS can you add? What marketing STRATEGIES do you currently engage in? What STRATEGIES can you realistically implement? Note: Simply implementing a strategy and adding a few additional well-‐thought-‐out

tactics can make a significant impact on your bottom line! You don’t have to utilize

ALL of the strategies or tactics. In fact, you should realistically pick just a couple,

implement them, analyze their impact, refine them, systematize them and then add

something new. Inaction will be the biggest threat to your business success!

2) Your container is your business or anywhere that your clients go to as a

reflection of your business. It could be your physical business, but can also

be represented by your website. For example, you decide to do a talk to a

local agility club. You provide great, useful content (make sure your talks are

useful… not just rambling on about what you can do, but rather about what

owners can do…). But now what? You want to retain all of those ‘leads’ (i.e.

potential customers) with the hopes that they will do business with you in

the future. So perhaps you give them all a card with a link to some additional

free video training on your website (i.e. a bonus, that they can access after

providing an e-‐mail via an imbedded e-‐mail capture system), or the card has

a limited time offer (i.e. discount on services, free bag of dog-‐treats, free


underwater treadmill session, etc). You can be creative here… a real purple

cow! Just make sure that your ‘container’ is ready for them… that you are

ready to provide the service; that you have thought about the kind of service

your customers are looking for (e.g. old dog exercise classes, one-‐on-‐on

therapy, underwater treadmill training, massage class, etc); that you have

your tracking systems in place to know how they came to find you; that the

service you offer is of the highest quality you can provide; that the business

side of your business is professional and stream-‐lined; that your website is

set up to be dynamic, informative and interactive; etc.

Then take a good hard look at your business itself. How are referrals

requested or processed? How are calls handled? Do you have an answer

sheet to frequently asked questions? Does your receptionist have scripts to

follow? How are people greeted in your business (on the phone and in

person)? Are clients made to feel like their dog is your favourite? Are clients

made to feel like you remember them and are genuinely happy to see them?

What is the physical appearance of your facility (or staff, or car, or

equipment, etc)? How are customers processed after their appointment? Do

they clearly know what you would like from them (i.e. follow up appointment

needs, home program expectations)? How is paper work handled? Do you

have systems to deal with your paper work & communications? Are you

‘easy to do business with’? Can you identify lost clients? Do you have a

system to reactivate them? Are you making ‘care calls’? What happens at

discharge?

Worksheet – Analysis

Analyze your container (business &/or website). What’s working and what needs improvement?

Working Needs improvement


Your Brand

Your brand is more than just your logo. It’s about you, and how ‘you’ appear to the

outside world. So only one point of branding is your logo. You may also want to

consider your choice of colours and fonts for all of your written communications.

Do they reflect you / your business’ personality? Now think about the ‘tone’ of your

written communication –Does it have personality? – Is it in a friendly conversational

tone? Does your website convey your personality, thoughts, & values? What do you

stand for? Who are you? Think about these things and see if there is a way to inject

your ‘honest’ personality into what you do!

Customer Service, Client Retention & Quality Communications

Definitions


Customer Service: assistance and other resources that a company provides to the

people who buy or use its products or services.

Client Retention: the ability and power to keep, maintain, or hold onto a client in a

business relationship.

Communication: the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information

by speech, writing, or signs.

Why?

Every business is reliant upon the people within it – not only for it to run smoothly

by the completion of daily tasks, but also by the energy and dedication to quality

service that emanates from each member of the team.

Sometimes customer service and great communication comes easily or naturally,

but other times it does not. Many factors can play into this – time, stress,

distractions, or not having been taught key elements of service and communication.

Three Critical Points for Every Communication

These points come from a leadership training series that I am taking. I must give

credit to Brendon Burchard of High Performance Academy for these three items /

ideas.

1. Connect: When someone comes in… zero in on them to connect. Stop what

you are doing.

a. Be present. Not distracted

b. Show enthusiastic interest (in THEM – their interests, {their dog},

their passions, their family, etc)

c. Compassion. Actually care about what they say

2. Uplift: Think ‘how can I enhance or uplift their energy, mood, or spirit?


a. Energy: Be the most energetic person in every situation (it doesn’t

have to be over the top… just not like ‘Eeyore’ from Winnie the Pooh!

b. Focus: Switch THEIR focus to something more positive or ‘future

oriented’.

c. Utilize fun and humour.

3. Praise: Leave the interaction uplifted, but also praise the person. Honour the

other person.

a. Broaden your compliments to encompass a period of time. “Your hair

always looks so good.”

b. Acknowledge people’s strengths, and remember they need to

continually hear it. Acknowledge & praise someone’s personal power!

c. Give appreciation and say it often.

Perhaps these ideas sound cheesy or un-‐genuine… but I promise you, if you make an

effort to SAY to people the (positive) things in your head, it will make a difference!!

It’s not a gimmick, it’s simply making a conscious effort to relate and make other

people feel good. And in return, you’ll feel happier too!

Communication Tips

So, it’s a well-‐known fact in my clinic that I am very hard to schedule an

appointment with, I rarely take new clients, and my schedule is almost always full! I

can’t get rid of clients (not that I want to)! So, I started to write out and formalize

what it is that I consciously (or subconsciously) do to create lasting bonds with my

clients that can sometimes span over decades! It’s not all about the skills – in fact, I

think only a small part is about skill. I came to realize that there are very specific

things I do, say, and ask that I think have contributed to a cult-‐like following of

clients.

1. Get to know the clients


a. Start with neutral questions about their dog

a. Did you get him as a puppy?

b. Do you have any other pets at home?

c. Have you always owned dogs, or is he your first?

b. Compliment the dog or the dog breed

• Ohh, we see a lot of Rotties here – we’re pretty Rottie-‐friendly!

• What great coloring. I love his hair!

• This is a perfect size of dog!

• Wow, she’s just so attached to you!

• Laugh while saying, “oh my goodness, she’s such a terrier! So full of

spunk!”

You can see how you can change even a negative into a positive in regards

to discussing a dog’s personality or traits.

c. Neutral questions and conversation starters

• Ask about a recent or upcoming holiday: i.e. Do you have to cook a big

Thanksgiving dinner? Did you get many kids out trick or treating? Do

you have any summer holidays planned?

• Ask about their weekend (past or upcoming): i.e. Do you have any

plans for the weekend? Did you have a good weekend?

• Discuss the weather

• Discuss traffic

• Ask if they are originally from the city and/or where ‘home’ is for

them

• Compliment or comment on clothing, style, etc: i.e. That’s a great

sweater! I love your shoes (earrings, bag, car, nails…)

• And only IF it comes up, and/or you have warmed the new client up

sufficiently, then ask about what they do. And with whatever they say,

YOU find something either great about that job or admire the

dedication / determination / long hours / etc it take to do that job….


Or ask questions about it: i.e. Do you find it hard being on your feet all

day? In that kind of work, do you have many unhappy people you

have to deal with – or are they mostly glad that they found your

service? Wow, what kind of training did you go through to do that?

Trust me on this; EVERYONE is interesting somehow… you just have to figure

out how THIS person is interesting!!

2. Specific to the Therapists

a. Ensure that you fully explain your diagnosis, treatment, and PLAN. Be

very clear.

• Present options (i.e. for frequency of treatments… ‘good, better,

best’ format… or reverse of that.)

• Communicate your plan both in words and in your written home

program

b. Inspire the client and praise them for their efforts (i.e. You’re doing a

great job with him!)

c. Point out successes. (i.e. Look at how he’s moving that leg this week –

he wasn’t doing that before!)

d. Instill a sense of confidence. (i.e. It’s okay, we’ll help you through this.

Don’t hesitate to call if you have any questions!)

3. Specific to the Assistants

a. Explain to the client what you are seeing (i.e. in the underwater

treadmill)

b. Explain why you are changing things (i.e. increasing or decreasing the

speed of the treadmill)

c. As above: Inspire the clients or praise them. Point out successes /

progression. Instill confidence.

4. Specific to the Front Desk


a. Greeting of clients

• Ensure that everyone is greeted, welcomed, smiled or waved at (if

on the phone).

b. After the appointment

• How did that go?

c. Ask, (or already know) “Do you have another appointment?”

d. Upsell

• Is there anything else you need today?

• Do you need any supplements?

e. Is there an opportunity to Connect, Uplift, or Praise?

Client Retention Tips

Attention to detail, a feeling of ‘ownership’ of the case (i.e. to see the case through),

and going the extra mile are all critical to client retention. At the end of the day,

your clients should all LOVE you for what you do (even the grumpy ones!)

1. Specific to Therapists

a. Attention to detail

• For all new assessments, conduct a full body evaluation

• For all ‘maintenance patients’, conduct a full body evaluation

• Utilize the objective measurements form & do objective

measurement testing

• Get the dog to like you too!

b. If the dog was sent to the UWT service or for therapy provided by the

assistant, then:

• Maintain a sense of ownership. Keep track of them. Know when

you want them back to you & communicate this with both the

client and the assistant.

• Your goal should be to graduate them from UWT to

neuromuscular rehab / more advanced exercise therapies

c. Neuromuscular rehab (advanced exercise therapy):


• Find something new to try each time. Each week should have a

‘challenge’.

d. The goal of discharge

• We want to see a case through to discharge, with a plan for

periodic maintenance & check-‐ups.

e. Written communication

• All written communication should be clear, fully filled out, no

abbreviations (especially in communication going back to a

referring vet) and include a home program.

2. Specific to the Assistants


• Ask about the dog & watch the dog.

• Converse with the client.

• Ensure all areas within your domain are clean.

• Ensure attention to detail on paperwork, communication, or front

desk duties.

b. Communication back to the therapists: It is imperative that when

there is a change in the animal’s function, when the owner voices

concerns, when the dog has improved to the point that the current

therapy is not challenging enough, or if he/she is not progressing, or

when the owner thinks the dog is ‘pretty-‐much back to normal’ or

conversely, not progressing, that the assistants immediately share this

information with the therapist and get the dog into a therapist

appointment.

3. Specific to the Front Desk


• Greet the clients coming & say goodbye to those going.

• Pay attention to cleanliness in the waiting area (and bathroom).


• Be regimented and routine about taking payment, and scheduling

appointments. Clients in front of you take priority over an

incoming phone call.

• Be studied on the Frequently Asked Questions for the clinic.

• Know the products sold in order to answer questions.

• Ensure a smooth acquisition of referrals (and documentation).

o Attention to detail in paper work – correct names, dates,

spelling etc. Reprint something instead of scratching it out.

Conclusion

Now, you should be ready to strengthen, grow, and expand your canine rehab

business. And while the strategies and information above, can apply to any

business, and any target market within any one business, do be sure to be as specific

as you can to attract one target market at a time. There are multiple directions that

you could go with your marketing efforts, but you only have to pick one or two, to

make a difference in your business. Remember, you can have several strategies and

sales funnels to attract different target markets…but your messaging needs to be

specific for each one! Just implement one or two new strategies and watch your

business grow! Happy marketing!


References: Elevate Business Training – www.alibrown.com/elevateyourbusiness Marketing for Hippies – Tad Hargrave – www.marketingforhippies.com Viewpoint: Seth Godin The New Marketing. In Business - The Ultimate Resource. Basic Books – A Member of Perseus Books Group ISBN: 978-‐0-‐465-‐00830-‐8, pages 71-‐72, 2006. GKIC Insiders Circle – www.dankennedy.com Total Product Blueprint – Brendon Burchard – www.totalproductblueprint.com Experts Academy – Brendon Burchard – www.expertsacademy.com Prosperous Physical Therapy – Erika Trimble – www.prosperousphysicaltherapy.com Private Practice Division of the CPA – www.cpaprivatepractice.ca


NOTES / IDEAS:


NOTES / IDEAS:


Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to provide accurate, relevant information to the readers of this document. As with any business endeavour, there is an inherent risk of loss of capital, and as such there is no guarantee that you will earn any money by following the ideas contained within this document. All materials within this document are protected by copyright and intellectual property laws and are the property of Four Leg Rehab Inc & Laurie Edge-‐Hughes unless otherwise referenced. You may download and print this document only for personal, non-‐commercial use. You may not reproduce this material on your personal website, blog, social network, or any other online resource.

ISBN: 978-0-9812431-5-3 Published by: Four Leg Rehab Inc PO Box 1581, Cochrane, AB T4C 1B5 Canada www.FourLeg.com

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The$Marketing$Manifesto$ For$ Canine ... - Four Leg Rehab Inc Marketing... · The$Marketing$Manifesto$ For$ Canine$RehabPractice$ $ WORKBOOK$! $ By$Laurie$Edge?Hughes$ BScPT,$MAnimSt$(Animal$Physiotherapy),$CAFCI,$CCRT$