When you’re a veterinarian, you’re not just providing a service to your customers, but more importantly, you’re responsible for the health and well-being of their pets or the animals in their care.
So, how can we define the target market for veterinarians?
The target market for vets depends on a variety of factors, including the type of veterinary practice, the location of the clinic, and the services offered.
If you’re starting out as a vet or are looking to expand your veterinarian practice, you will want to be clear about who your ideal customer is and what value you can provide them and their pet.
In this article, we will discuss who makes up the target market for veterinarians and what factors influence customer behavior when it comes to veterinary care.
Who is the Target Market for Veterinarians?
Broadly speaking we can say that the target market for veterinarians includes people who own pets or who take care of animals.
These include:
- Pet owners
- Animal shelters
- Pet daycares
- Animal clinics
- Zoos
Let’s look at each of these closely.
Pet owners
Pet owners are by far the most likely target market for veterinarians.
This is because they are the ones who generally have the most interaction with their animals and are thus more likely to seek out veterinary care when necessary.
Animal shelters
While animal shelters may not be the first target market that comes to mind, they can actually be a great source of business for veterinarians.
This is because they are constantly taking in new animals who need to be vaccinated and spayed or neutered.
Additionally, many shelters also rely on veterinarians to provide care for the sick or injured animals in their care.
Pet daycares
Pet daycares are another target market that may not be immediately obvious but can actually be quite lucrative for vets.
Some larger pet daycares may have an in-house vet but most don’t. As a veterinarian, this is an interesting market as you can make a long-term relationship with a pet daycare and be their go-to vet.
Also, pet daycares are able to pass on the costs of the vet to pet owners who have left their pets in their care.
However, pet daycares will specialize in one type of animal. For instance, a dog daycare will only keep dogs. A cat daycare will only keep cats. And so on.
This means as a vet, you will need to target the type of pet daycare that deals with the animals you are qualified to treat.
Animal Clinics
All animal clinics need veterinarians and so this target market is a given except that many animal clinics may already have in-house veterinarians.
However, it’s worth noting that not all animal clinics are created equal. Some may be large and have a team of vets while others may be smaller with only one or two vets on staff.
Some animal clinics will also specialize in certain types of animals. For instance, there may be an avian clinic that only treats birds or an equine clinic that only treats horses.
As a veterinarian, you will need to target the animal clinics that are most relevant to your skills and qualifications.
Zoos
While zoos may not be as common as the other target markets we’ve mentioned, they can still be a good source of business for veterinarians.
This is because they usually have a wide variety of animals that need to be cared for and who require regular veterinary care.
Additionally, zoos often have exotic animals which require the expertise of a veterinarian who is familiar with their care.
How Do Pet Owners Choose a Veterinarian?
One of the best ways to understand the target market for veterinarians is to understand the factors that affect a customer’s selection of a veterinary clinic over another.
So how do pet owners or caretakers select one vet over another? What factors do they take into consideration?
Here are some of the top factors based on which someone selects a vet for their pet:
- The veterinarian’s Expertise
- The veterinarian’s Experience
- Proximity to home or the zoo or shelter
- References
Let’s look at each of these in detail.
The veterinarian’s Expertise
Before a pet owner selects a veterinarian, they will want to be sure that the vet is qualified to treat their pet.
This means that the vet should have the necessary expertise in treating the animal in question.
The veterinarian’s Experience
Related to expertise is experience as expertise because expertise is often gained through experience.
Pet owners as well as animal caretakers will want to select a vet who has treated animals like theirs before and who has a well-established track record.
Proximity to home or the zoo or shelter
Another factor that pet owners take into consideration is proximity. They will want to select a vet who is conveniently located near their home or workplace.
This is because they do not want to have to travel long distances to take their pet for a check-up or treatment.
References
Finally, pet owners often rely on references when selecting a veterinarian.
They will ask friends, family, and even their regular doctor for recommendations on good vets in the area. They will search online to see what others are saying about their experience with a certain veterinarian.
Conclusion
The target market for veterinarians includes pet owners, animal shelters, pet daycares, animal clinics, and zoos.
Each of these has special requirements as to what they need from a veterinarian.
But broadly speaking most look at the veterinarian’s expertise, their experience, how close they are either to the pet owner’s home or the zoo or shelter, and what kind of references they have.
Understanding the target market for veterinarians is essential for any veterinary practice that wants to be successful. By understanding the needs and requirements of each type of customer, you can target your marketing efforts to attract the right kind of clients. This will help you build a successful veterinary practice.
