If you have a veterinary practice, you know that people love their pets. It had been estimated that the veterinary care industry is worth more than $14 billion. There are at least 88.3 million pet cats and almost 75 million pets dogs across the United States. The problem is that running a small business, especially a veterinary practice, is expensive. You can save money on your printing costs. You can save money on everything from your personalized prescription pads to your veterinary appointment cards.
- Send postcards and not letters. It is important to send out veterinary reminder cards to your clients. People love their pets but they are forgetful. Almost 40% of people admit that they have lost a random item or have forgotten a basic bit of information within the last seven days. This is not a question of age. When surveyed, about 14% of younger adults say they sometimes lose or misplace their keys. Only 8% of older adults say the same thing. This means they may not remember when they need to make appointments for their pets. Send veterinary reminder postcards instead of letters to save money and remind your clients to bring their cats and dogs in.
- Get your printing done in bulk. You want brochures and veterinary welcome cards printed. These things have information that will not change. If you have the printing done in bulk, you will save money on the costs of the printing jobs. Your personalized prescription pads can also be done in bulk. Once your job has been set, it is just as easy for the printer to run off one thousand pieces as it is one hundred. Talk to them about doing larger runs of the materials you know you will use a lot.
- Remember, personalized prescription pads serve more than one purpose. Using them is good for your business. Printing them in bulk will help you stay within your budget but personalized prescription pads are also good for branding purposes. One thing you need to do, in any business, is get your name and business information out to as many people as possible. Using these is one way to do that.
- Use cloud based printing solutions. Many businesses of all sizes are turning to cloud printing solutions to save money on their printing needs. Some estimate that moving from a traditional printing system to one that is based in the cloud can save businesses up to 30% on their printing costs. There is no reason your veterinary practice cannot benefit from this kind of printing solution. Using this kind of printing system means that you do not have to go with a local printing company. You can find the best deal on your printing and that may mean using a printer than is not in the same town as you.
- Have your printer handle your mailings. This is not a printing cost per se but is part of the process. If you send out appointment reminder cards, and you should, you can have the company that prints them, mail them as well. They often have this process streamlined in a way that your staff simply cannot do in house. You will want to get the benefit of the savings you get when you do a bulk mailing and your printer is the best place to get that done. Whether you have purchased a mailing list or have compiled your own, you can give that to the printer and they can take care of the rest.
Note: You should think about buying a mailing list if you have not done that. They can grow your business and take the pressure off of your staff in terms of having them create a list. There are a number of reputable companies out there that can develop and curate a great list of potential clients and customers who are either pet owners or animal lovers who are considering getting pets. It will ultimately pay for itself.
The printing and mailing costs for your veterinary practice can be managed but it takes some time and effort. The good news is that the time and effort spent will be worth it.
