Why We Love Cause Marketing For Your Veterinary Practice (And You Should, Too!)

 

In March’s Blog post, MBF Loyalty's Veterinary Clients Lead The Pack!, we share that the American Pet Products Association 2017-2018 National Pet Owners Survey reports Gen Y/Millennial pet ownership has officially surpassed baby-boomer ownership by three percentage points to now account for 35 percent of all pet owners. We also share that according to Adweek, at least 70 percent of millennials have purchased a product that supports a cause. And 90 percent of millennials are likely to switch from one brand to another — even when price and quality are equal — if the second supports a cause. The reason this is so important and worth repeating is that research shows that there’s a big potential payoff for companies willing to cater to this demographic. Below are several things you can do to attract this demographic to your veterinary practice. 

1. Consider establishing a non-profit fund associated with your hospital to help local pets in need of care. As daunting as this sounds, one can easily be established through the Veterinary Care Foundation. The Veterinary Care Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charitable foundation created for the specific purpose of helping veterinary practices fund the discounted and no charge care they generously provide to hardship cases, rescue groups or as good Samaritans.
2. Establish a Membership based loyalty program - Bond Brand Loyalty research shows 68% of 20- to 34-year-olds would change where they shop if it meant getting more program rewards and one-third reporting buying something they didn’t need or want just to earn points or increase membership status.
3. Incorporate Cause Marketing into your loyalty program by donating a portion of the rewards earned by the client to a good cause. MBF Loyalty’s Reward program includes an optional feature that allows veterinary hospitals to select the percentage of each invoice that is donated to their selected charity.  Funds add up quickly and the non-profit you've established becomes a very active part of your practice. 
4. Create mission focused messaging. Millennials aren’t going to respond to perks but would prefer to understand how their donation is going to benefit your mission and their community. How did their donation benefit local pets in need, how many etc. Share how your fund is helping others in emails, on your website and social media. MBF loyal marketing campaigns will help you get the word out and shared amongst members!
5. Share your news with the media and attract more new clients to your veterinary practice. Submitting a press release with your newsworthy story is inexpensive, yet an effective way to spread the word of the valuable service you are providing. As an added benefit, many publications will publish your information online providing many SEO benefits for your veterinary hospital as well. 

In closing, Jason Dorsey, a millennials researcher at the Center for Generational Kinetics explains, “Members are willing to pay to get the extra benefits and feeling of being special.” It is easy to start and manage a Cause Marketing Program.  To Learn More and Speak with an MBF Business Consultant, please click below. 

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