The start of a new year is a special time for everyone, but it's even more exciting for us in the veterinary industry as we gear up for National Pet Dental Health Month in February. As a veterinarian or practice owner, this is a golden opportunity for you, your staff, your clinic's pet owners, and even for promoting good dental health practices and professional education within your team. Here are a few simple yet effective strategies to ensure a successful Pet Dental Health Month in your clinic.
Inventory Check and Order:
While Dental Health Month is primarily about educating consumers about their furry friend's oral health and promoting long-lasting smiles, it's also a great time to review your current inventory levels and prepare for a busier season with higher demand for dental care products and solutions. Taking a little time to coordinate with your practice manager or operations manager on current inventory levels ensures your staff is prepared and stocked up on products that'll fly off the shelves during this month of oral health awareness.
Promote Dental Products:
In addition to stocking up on dental care inventory, promoting clinically effective and proven at-home products to your customers is crucial during this month. Team meetings are a great way to get your staff excited about Pet Dental Health Month education and drive sales for your clinic. Here are some ideas to kickstart your clinic's efforts:
- Create small retail displays: Placing them in exam rooms or waiting areas catches customers' eyes while they wait, facilitating a smooth transition from educating pet parents about dental health to offering simple and easy at-home solutions.
- Social media posts and email blasts: These are perfect for reaching customers between visits or those you haven't seen in a while. They can leverage the educational aspects of Dental Health Month while featuring products your staff loves.
- Incentive programs: Adding small incentive programs or building upon existing initiatives can spark engagement in your clinic. Rewarding high-performing clinic staff members is key to a strong clinic culture.
- Product marketing materials and sample bags: Sharing marketing materials or creating take-home sample bags of trusted brands keeps oral health top-of-mind for clients during their visit. Providing tailored at-home product recommendations following an exam further engages and reengages pet parents about their pets' dental health.
Staff Training:
While in-clinic education for pet parents is often the focus of this annual celebration, your clinic might be overlooking a crucial component: staff training. With the new year just behind us, utilize this opportunity to review your team's educational goals. Hosting small in-clinic workshops or inviting experts to give presentations on preventative dentistry and other trending medical topics, like weight loss, fosters a forward-thinking and proactive approach to veterinary medicine.
Schedule Dental Check-ups:
A simple but sometimes overlooked aspect of Pet Dental Health Month is reminding pet parents to schedule dental check-ups or cleanings during their routine visits. Working with staff to implement a retention and follow-up policy for patients not only helps stay in touch with clientele but also effectively encourages pet owners to be proactive about their pets' oral health, just like humans!
Engaging and Educating Clients:
Educating your clients both inside and outside the clinic is crucial to ensuring their pets live healthy and happy lives. However, consistently engaging customers throughout the year can be challenging, not just during specific holidays like National Pet Dental Health Month.
Inside the clinic:
- Take-Home Materials and Displays: Utilize educational posters, product handouts, and dental report cards in both your reception area and exam rooms. This keeps oral care top-of-mind and bridges the gap between diagnoses and proactive at-home dental care approaches.
Outside the clinic:
- Social Media: Utilize platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to engage customers and spread awareness for educational content.
- Email Newsletter and Marketing: Email platforms offer a low-cost option to stay in touch with clients, spread educational awareness, and schedule appointment reminders. Email blasts can be as simple as sharing a monthly newsletter to celebrate Pet Dental Health Month with clinic updates, staff-written articles or content from trusted sources like the American Veterinary Medical Association, TartarShield.com or DVM360, and featuring fun photos of your clients or team!
Every February brings about a fresh start and renewed focus on dental health! National Pet Dental Month presents a wonderful opportunity to engage clinic staff, educate pet owners about dental disease, and promote the importance of good dental health practices at your veterinary practice. While February is known as the month of love because of Valentine's Day, here at Tartar Shield, our mission is to help pets and vets fall in love with dental health every month! Because of you, a lifetime of smiles is made possible for each and every pet, and we're here to help!