Top Veterinary Marketing Trends for 2025: Strategies for Growth in a Changing Industry

The veterinary medicine market is expected to surpass $53.47 billion by 2033, driven by rising pet ownership and demand for advanced care. But this growth brings significant challenges. With countless options at their fingertips, today’s pet owners carefully compare services, making it tough for clinics to stand out.

Even the most skilled veterinarians and well-run practices can struggle without effective marketing. Ignoring it can mean fewer clinic visits, a weaker reputation, and lost revenue. In 2025, staying competitive requires evolving with the latest trends. Let’s check out the top veterinary marketing trends for the year ahead—designed to help your practice thrive in a crowded market.

1. Balancing Capacity with Marketing Campaigns for Smarter Growth

One of the biggest keys to successful veterinary marketing in 2025 is making sure your campaigns align with your clinic’s actual capacity. No amount of advertising data can substitute for a clear understanding of your operational limits—things like how many appointments you can realistically handle and the availability of your staff.

Why Focus on Capacity Alignment?

When clinics face staffing shortages, appointment availability drops, leaving pet owners with two frustrating options: waiting for weeks or seeking care from a competitor. Neither outcome benefits your practice. Misaligned marketing can lead to overbooked clinics, dissatisfied clients, and wasted resources. Conversely, underutilized clinics may result in empty appointment slots and missed revenue opportunities.

As Mari Considine, Chief Marketing & Development Officer at Acenda Integrated Health, explains:

“We need clear communication about capacity limits, resource availability, and potential bottlenecks. It’s about setting realistic targets and avoiding overextension by working closely with our ops and programming crews.”

Strategies to Align Marketing with Capacity

To optimize campaigns, veterinary clinics must move away from a one-size-fits-all marketing approach. Instead, adopt a tailored strategy:

1. Regularly Assess Capacity: Keep a close eye on appointment availability across your locations. For instance, if your urban clinic is fully booked for wellness exams but has open slots for dental cleanings, adjust your marketing to promote dental services in that area. Similarly, track seasonal trends, like increased demand for flea and tick prevention in spring, to ensure your campaigns align with your clients’ immediate needs.
2. Dynamic Budget Allocation: Focus your ad spend where it can make the most impact. For example, if your suburban clinic has underutilized slots for routine vaccinations, target local pet owners with promotions like “Same-Day Vaccine Appointments Available!” Meanwhile, reduce spending on areas where appointments are already filled, preventing frustration for clients who can’t get a timely slot. 
3. Collaborate with Operations: Maintain regular communication between marketing and operations teams to adapt campaigns based on real-time capacity data.

Making the Dream Work

One veterinary practice addressed capacity mismatches by adopting a dynamic 3-tier strategy. This approach funneled more budget to locations with greater availability, using real-time data to adjust campaigns. The result? Improved booking rates and a smoother client experience.

By aligning marketing efforts with operational capacity, veterinary clinics can reduce frustration, attract the right clients, and make the most of their marketing budgets. This collaboration ensures both happy pet owners and a healthy bottom line.

2. Veterinary Marketers Should Consider Telemedicine for Pets

Sometimes, bringing pets to the clinic isn’t necessary, especially for things like follow-ups or minor concerns. In 2025, offering telemedicine gives your clients the option to consult with you from home, which can be a big stress reliever for them and their pets. It’s not just about convenience—it’s about making care more accessible without overburdening your clinic.

Promote Telemedicine to Attract Clients

One way to get people on board is by letting them know telemedicine is available and what makes it worthwhile. Feature this service on your website and create posts for social media. A message like, “Virtual vet visits now available—consult from the comfort of home!” can grab attention.

You could also encourage trial appointments by offering an incentive. For instance, a promo such as “15% off telemedicine consultations this month!” could be just the push some clients need to give it a try. It’s especially helpful if your clinic has limited space or if you want to prioritize in-person appointments for more complex cases.

The Challenges to Keep in Mind

Of course, telemedicine isn’t for everything. You can’t do hands-on exams, run diagnostic tests, or perform treatments remotely. Some pet owners might even feel less connected without the in-person interaction. However, for follow-ups on ongoing treatments, behavioral advice, or monitoring chronic issues, telemedicine can work wonders.

By introducing telemedicine, you can save time, manage clinic resources better, and potentially serve more clients. It’s not just convenient for pet owners—it’s also a way to expand your services without increasing overhead. The key is focusing on services that are well-suited for virtual visits while continuing to offer in-person care for more hands-on needs.

3. Vet Care Providers are Urged to Ride the AI Wave

AI is no longer a futuristic concept—it’s here, reshaping the way veterinary clinics operate and interact with clients. From simplifying tasks to improving client relationships, AI tools are becoming essential in the industry. But, as with any tool, how it’s used makes all the difference.

AI in Veterinary Practices

Imagine being able to streamline tedious tasks like record-keeping, appointment transcriptions, or even radiograph interpretations. That’s exactly what AI is doing for many clinics. Tools that transcribe conversations during exams or analyze radiographs are freeing up staff time letting veterinarians focus on patients and clients instead of paperwork. For instance, AI can turn spoken observations during a consultation into detailed notes that are ready for review and integration into patient files.

AI also helps with analyzing client feedback. Instead of combing through surveys or online reviews, sentiment analysis tools process this information to identify trends—whether it’s a spike in complaints about appointment wait times or glowing praise for a particular service. Practices can address problems quickly and reinforce what’s working well.

Marketing and Client Communication

On the marketing side, AI is transforming how clinics engage with pet owners. Automated chatbots handle common questions like clinic hours or basic care tips, while more advanced tools predict when a pet might need a vaccine or dental cleaning. This frees up time for strapped practice management teams and allows for personalized reminders that make pet owners feel cared for and increase appointment bookings.

Dr. Justin Toth of Dallas Highway Animal Hospital shared how AI has improved his practice’s efficiency by interpreting radiographs and reducing errors over time. Meanwhile, Dr. Christie Cornelius highlighted how AI-driven sentiment analysis helps practices better understand client emotions, guiding improvements in services.

Balance Tech with the Human Touch

Still, it’s important to pair AI’s efficiency with empathy. As futurist Anders Sörman-Nilsson puts it, AI should “take the robot out of the human,” allowing staff to focus on meaningful, humane interactions. The real magic happens when AI handles the repetitive work, giving teams more time to build trust and connection with clients.

Used wisely, AI offers immense potential for veterinary practices—enhancing care, improving operations, and creating stronger bonds with clients. But it’s the balance between technology and human interaction that truly sets clinics apart.

Read more about balancing technology and human touch in veterinary practices here.

4. Strive for Alignment Between Marketing and Operations

Marketing and operations often feel like two separate worlds, but when they work together, veterinary practices can achieve more seamless growth and better client experiences. Whether it’s aligning messaging or ensuring smoother client interactions, the key lies in communication and collaboration.

Overcoming Common Barriers for Pet Parents

Veterinary clients, much like human healthcare consumers, can face obstacles that prevent them from seeking care for their pets. Ask yourself:

• Is your website user-friendly and mobile-optimized?
• Are call logs reviewed for scheduling roadblocks?
• Do clients face long waits for appointments?

Simple fixes, such as ensuring online booking systems are straightforward or offering text reminders, can reduce these barriers and encourage clients to book appointments more consistently.

Why Total Alignment Matters

Capacity balancing, as mentioned earlier, serves as a foundation for successful marketing-operations collaboration. Marketing teams must know which services and locations can accommodate more clients and which are already at capacity. Without this alignment, marketing risks wasting ad budgets or frustrating clients with unavailable services.

In addition to addressing capacity, aligning service offerings, messaging, and technology ensures that marketing supports operational goals. A unified approach allows practices to serve more clients effectively, improve retention, and maximize both team and financial resources.

For more in-depth strategies to achieve total alignment between marketing and operations, I highly recommend our guide.

5. Pet Parents Want Authenticity

Pet parents, like healthcare consumers, are increasingly skeptical of the information they encounter online. With AI tools generating content at scale, the line between credible advice and misinformation can seem blurry. This underscores the growing importance of authenticity when marketing your veterinary practice.

How to Stand Out in a Distrusting Market

AI may help streamline certain tasks, but it can also make audiences uneasy. Pet owners value advice that feels human and grounded in real expertise. Establishing trust means showing them the real people behind your practice and creating content that reflects your unique approach.

Tips for Building Genuine Connections

• Introduce Your Team: Highlight the individuals who make your clinic special. Share their stories, professional journeys, or even lighthearted moments on social media. For instance, a post from your vet discussing their favorite part of treating pets adds a relatable and personal touch.
• Focus on Originality: Ditch the generic content and lean into what makes your clinic different. Maybe it’s the way you care for nervous pets or a memorable case where your team went above and beyond. These personal stories resonate with clients and set your practice apart.

• Start a Podcast: Feature clients talking about their pets’ care journeys at your clinic. Stories about challenges and successes foster connection and highlight your commitment to excellent service.
• Create a Virtual Community: Offer an online space where pet owners can ask questions, share advice, or connect with your team. A group like this builds a sense of belonging and keeps your clinic top of mind.

Invest in Authorship

Pet owners want to know there’s a knowledgeable human behind the advice. By putting your vets’ names and faces on content—whether it’s a blog, email, or video—you make your practice feel more approachable and credible. Clients are more likely to trust you when they can see the people behind the information.

In 2025, genuine connection is what sets your practice apart, and authenticity is your strongest tool to earn that trust.

6. Vet Marketers Should Leverage Recruitment Marketing to Tackle Staffing Issues

The veterinary field is grappling with a staffing crisis that has left practices struggling to meet growing demand. According to Mars Veterinary Health, up to 55,000 new veterinarians are needed by 2033 to meet the ballooning demand. As such, recruitment marketing has become a vital tool for addressing this challenge. Building a brand that attracts top talent and retaining that talent should be at the top of the priority list of any veterinary marketer.

The Root of the Shortage

The surge in pet ownership, which rose from 56% of U.S. households in 1998 to 66% in 2023, has increased demand for veterinary services. Yet, new talent isn’t entering the workforce quickly enough to keep up. Burnout, high student debt, and shifting expectations for work-life balance have led many veterinarians to cut hours or leave the field altogether. For recent graduates, debt is a significant hurdle, with 88% citing it as a major stressor. These factors have amplified the competition for talent across the industry.

How Recruitment Marketing Can Help

To attract top talent, veterinary practices must focus on creating and promoting a workplace that appeals to today’s professionals. This requires rethinking traditional approaches and leveraging marketing to attract and retain staff.

• Build a Strong Employer Brand: Highlight what makes your practice a great place to work. Your website and social media channels should showcase your culture, team stories, and benefits like flexible hours or career development opportunities. For instance, a short video featuring current employees sharing their experiences can be a powerful recruiting tool.
• Streamline the Application Process: Simplify your job listings and make it easy for applicants to submit their information online. Practices that optimize their career pages and invest in tools to improve the user experience will likely see an increase in quality applications.
• Target Your Ads: Use platforms like LinkedIn and Instagram to run recruitment campaigns. Social ads can reach veterinarians who aren’t actively job searching but might be open to opportunities that align with their values and goals.

The Role of Technology

Technology can further support recruitment efforts by improving workplace efficiency and reducing burnout. Practice management systems, such as ezyVet, help streamline administrative tasks, freeing up staff to focus on patient care.

For example, automating invoicing or simplifying recordkeeping can save hours each week, promoting a healthier work-life balance. Hybrid work models supported by cloud-based systems can also make positions more appealing to modern veterinary professionals.

In 2025, the ability to attract and retain talent will not only ensure operational success but also help meet the growing demand for veterinary care.

7. Veterinarians Should Seek New Ways to Measure Impact

For veterinary marketers, understanding which efforts truly drive results is increasingly challenging. In 2025, traditional methods of measuring marketing effectiveness often fall short due to privacy concerns, walled platforms, and the complex journey pet owners take before booking an appointment. This makes it critical for veterinarians to adopt modern tools and approaches to evaluate their marketing impact.

Why Traditional Metrics Fall Short

Three major obstacles hinder accurate measurement today:

1. Privacy Laws: While the veterinary industry doesn’t have to adhere to HIPAA, privacy is still a concern. Though less strict, state privacy regulations mean that marketers have to rethink how they use data and target consumers.
2. Platform Limitations: Platforms such as Facebook and TikTok act as walled gardens, limiting advertisers’ ability to tie engagements directly to outcomes, which could mean blind spots.
3. Complex Customer Journeys: Pet owners might interact with multiple channels before choosing a clinic, making it difficult to attribute success to any one touchpoint.

Rich Briddock, Chief Strategy Officer at Cardinal Digital Marketing, on what to strive for when measuring success:

“We strive for things like closed loop, multi-touch attribution, and machine learning forecasts that determine where we should spend the next dollar. This is the dream that we all have as marketers. The reality of marketers, though, is that we are faced with constant challenges that sometimes feel insurmountable.”

How Media Mix Modeling Can Help

In this case, Media Mix Modeling (MMM) offers a fresh perspective by correlating revenue with marketing investments instead of relying on invasive tracking. For example, a veterinary clinic might use MMM to evaluate the combined impact of Google Ads, local radio promotions, and community events. By analyzing how each channel contributes to client bookings, clinics can identify where to allocate future resources.

One veterinary group, for instance, discovered that investing slightly more in paid search for preventative care services like vaccinations generated higher lifetime value clients compared to grooming ads. These insights allowed them to redirect budget and achieve better ROI while aligning with their goals.

Enter RevRx™: A Smarter Way to Measure

For clinics looking for advanced solutions, RevRx™ brings MMM into sharper focus. Built with a Bayesian econometric model, RevRx™ provides veterinary practices with actionable insights such as:

• Predicting the contribution of each marketing channel to new client growth
• Offering budget recommendations with less than 4% error
• Identifying diminishing returns on ad spend to optimize investment

By adopting tools like this, veterinarians can confidently measure the effectiveness of their efforts and maximize growth in a competitive market.

8. Veterinary Care Marketers Doing More

Let’s face it—being a veterinary marketing leader in 2025 feels like trying to juggle every role in the clinic, from front desk to back-office operations, all while keeping your eye on the latest trends. Your job isn’t just about pulling in pet owners; it’s about making sure they book appointments and then proving that the effort was worth the investment. It’s a balancing act that stretches far beyond what “marketing” used to mean.

Ryan Torresan’s insights on healthcare marketing apply here, too: the role is no longer about simply placing ads. You own the entire client funnel—from sparking interest to making sure that appointment shows up on the books and the pet gets the care they need. This demands a deep understanding of workflows, booking systems, and operational processes.

And honestly, even calling it “marketing” feels a little outdated. As Matt Fitzgerald explains, today’s marketing involves everything from optimizing digital tools like CRM systems to measuring client satisfaction and finding ways to continually improve. For veterinary practices, this means tying digital efforts back to practical goals like better appointment flow, more efficient staffing, and stronger client relationships.

Yes, it’s complex. But by focusing on trends like operational alignment, authentic communication, and smarter measurement tools, you’ll be better prepared to lead your practice into a more efficient and connected future.

Which of these trends will you tackle first to grow your practice and better serve pet owners? If managing all these strategies feels overwhelming, why not partner with experts who can take the load off? Cardinal Digital Marketing is here to help. Get in touch, and let’s make your marketing work smarter, not harder.