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Like any business, including both yours and ours, at the end of the day, numbers are what count. You hope that all the expertise, knowledge, training, dedication, and passion that you pour into your business puts those numbers on the right side of the ledger.
Numbers are the truth-tellers of any organisation, and digital marketers love to talk about them. Website visits. Google clicks. Facebook likes. Instagram followers. Video views. Impressions. Engagement rates. Our industry has invented a whole library of numbers to measure our worth against.
The real question is which of these marketing numbers actually matter to a veterinary practice?
For most vet practices, digital marketing should help attract new clients, generate bookings, and build lasting relationships with existing clients. A thousand likes might look impressive in a report, but if they don’t contribute to enquiries or appointments, their business value is limited.
You don’t need to become a digital marketing expert to understand whether your marketing is working.
Let’s look at the top five numbers that will make a difference.
Think of your website as the digital front door to your practice. Knowing how many people visit each month provides a useful starting point. More importantly, look at where those visitors come from. Are people finding you through Google or AI searches? Is it from social media? Responding to advertising? Or visiting after a recommendation?
Traffic alone isn’t a measure of success. If 5,000 people visit your website but very few book an appointment, something isn’t working. Conversely, 500 highly engaged local visitors who regularly become clients can be extremely valuable. The trick here isn’t more website traffic. It’s attracting more of the right traffic.
This is where digital marketing activity starts to become tangible.
How many website visitors call the practice, complete an enquiry form or make an online booking?
If your marketing agency reports thousands of clicks but can’t tell you how many enquiries or bookings those clicks generated, you’re missing an important part of the picture. Your digital gateway (your website) should make it as easy as possible for potential clients to take the next step. Phone numbers should be prominent, online booking should be straightforward, and calls to action, such as “Book an appointment,” should be easy to find.
If you’re paying for digital advertising, such as Google Ads, you should understand what you’re getting for your money. Imagine spending $1,000 on a Google campaign that generates 500 website visits. That’s useful information, but it doesn’t tell you whether the campaign was commercially successful.
If those visitors generated 25 enquiries, your cost per enquiry was $40. If 20 became bookings, your cost per booking was $50. The conversation becomes much more meaningful than clicks.
When you understand this information, you can compare campaigns. One campaign might generate cheaper clicks while another generates more expensive clicks, but significantly more bookings. The second campaign is the better investment.
Conversion rate tells you what percentage of people take the action you want them to take. For example, if 1,000 people visit your website and 50 make an enquiry or booking, your conversion rate is 5%. This number can reveal problems that increasing your advertising budget won’t fix.
If plenty of potential clients are visiting your website but few are booking, you need to ask why. Consider the experience they’re having. Is the website easy to use on a phone? Can they quickly find your location, services and opening hours? Is booking simple? Does the practice look trustworthy and welcoming? Improving conversion is more valuable than buying more traffic.
Client acquisition cost is the most commercially important number. How much are we spending to acquire each new client? If you spend $2,000 on marketing and acquire 20 genuinely new clients, your acquisition cost is $100 per client. That number becomes even more useful when considered alongside a client’s longer-term value.
A new client may initially book a vaccination or consultation, but over several years, their pet may require some or all of your other services. They may also bring additional pets to the practice. Understanding this relationship helps practices view marketing as an investment rather than an expense.
Now, before the social media guru in your practice sheds a tear, please note that likes, followers, impressions and clicks aren’t meaningless. They can tell you whether people are seeing and engaging with your marketing. But they are indicators, and not always representative of outcomes.
The more useful conversation is what happens next. How many relevant people are visiting your website? How many are enquiring or booking? What does each opportunity cost? What percentage converts? And how much does it cost to acquire a new client? You don’t need a mass of dashboards or complicated marketing jargon. Five good numbers and a clear understanding of what they mean tell you far more about your digital marketing than a thousand likes ever will.
Deb Croucher is a veterinarian and digital marketing expert dedicated to helping veterinary practices grow through strategic, ethical, and results-driven marketing. With 15 years of experience as a veterinary practice owner in the UK, Deb understands the challenges and opportunities within the veterinary industry. In 2008, she transitioned from clinical practice to digital marketing by founding Brilliant Digital, one of Australia's leading marketing agencies. Building on this success, she established Specialist Vet Marketing to provide tailored marketing solutions exclusively for the veterinary profession. Deb's expertise encompasses website development, search engine optimization (SEO), AI search (GEO), branding, and digital advertising. She has worked with both general and specialist veterinary practices across Australia, helping them enhance their online presence and attract more clients. Through Specialist Vet Marketing, Deb continues to support the veterinary community by delivering comprehensive marketing strategies that drive growth and improve client engagement.
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