In honor of National Pet Dental Health Month, we’re here to help you talk to your clients about pet dental care—the right way. Use these questions (and answers) as a guide.

General communication considerations

Who are you communicating with?

Your target audience is pet owners. Keep in mind who they are (not veterinary experts), why they care (because they love their pet), and what they need or want (information that’s easy to convert into action).

When will you communicate?

Stagger your communication based on your schedule

Client compliance is fostered by consistent communication. The majority of pet owners are unlikely to book the first time you reach out, so create your content calendar with forward booking in mind.

Where will you share this communication?

Do not limit yourself when it comes to communication outlets. Repurpose your content to successfully use every avenue, including:

  • Social media
  • Blogs
  • Exam summaries
  • Email 
  • Snail mail

You will reach more clients by communicating from multiple angles, which also increases the likelihood clients will see important information more than once, and schedule an appointment.

The big picture

Why are you communicating this information?

When it comes to topics like dental health, you’re bringing education and marketing together. That means your goal is to inform your clients so they book appointments.

What are you communicating?

Information about pet dental health

You are the expert. Sending out useful information about pet health reminds clients there’s an expert in their corner. Include facts that will catch your client’s attention. You know that dental disease is the most common medical condition to affect pets, and that 85% of pets will develop dental disease by 3 years of age without an effective prevention plan, but your clients don’t. These facts will help them realize that their pet is likely to be affected, and make dental health more personal.

Proper pet dental health care requires action

Communication needs to be actionable. For every fact, include an action. After sharing that pets will develop dental disease without regular dental care, talk about what owners need to do to begin an effective dental care plan for their pet. 

You care

Pet owners love their pets. Remind them that you do too, and that their pet’s health is your top priority. That means that you shouldn’t just press them to book appointments. Include advice for at-home care, such as toothbrushing tips, and which VOHC-approved products you recommend.

Let’s do it

How are you going to communicate?

How do I prepare?

  • Review commonly asked questions—these issues are most likely to catch your client’s eye and compel them to read further.
  • Review common problems and patient presentations.
  • Create template reports for common issues that you can quickly fill in with pertinent details. 
  • Outline topics you want to include, so you don’t leave out anything important as you write. 
  • List appointment types that need reminders.
  • Repurpose content for all communication outlets (email, snail mail reminders, appointment summaries, etc.).

How do I say it?

Remember your audience

  1. Assume your audience knows nothing about pet dental care. 
  2. Assume your audience doesn’t care unless it directly impacts their pet.
  3. Assume your audience will skim your content.

Communicate clearly

  1. Use layman’s terms
    Don’t make it too technical, or your audience will tune out. Ensure the medical content is easy for anyone to process, and explain any medical terms you use.
  2. Speak in actions
    Your clients want to know the simplest way to fix the problem, which may include booking appointments, scheduling regular cleanings, or buying the right chew toys.
  3. List everything
    Lists are an efficient way for clients to skim and still engage with the content. Plus, it’s much easier than coming up with prose.

Keep it compelling

  1. Visualize it
    Seeing is believing. Include before and after images of dental cleanings to really drive home the importance of pet dental care.
  2. Keep it light
    While the topic is medical, your communications shouldn’t read like a medical textbook. Write in second person and keep the tone casual.
  3. Make it personal
    At the end of the day, your clients don’t care about all pets, they care about their own pets, and how to help them. Include references to “your pet” throughout your communications to make it personal.

Don’t forget the call to action 

  1. Include booking details
    Make it as easy as possible for clients to be compliant. Always include your practice phone number, website, email, etc.
  2. Always link
    For any digital content, include links to everything from your website to recommended products.
  3. Emphasize the DIY route
    Maintaining dental health goes beyond the exam room, so equip your clients with the right tools. Include how-to’s, treat and toy recommendations, and step-by-step toothbrushing videos.

Still stuck?

We’re here to help with all your communication needs. Reach out to us to schedule a consultation!