I’ve been re-reading an incredible book called “If Disney ran your hospital:  9 ½ things you’d do differently” by Fred Lee.  Although it was published 10 years ago and is about human medicine, the messages contained in the book are highly relevant to modern veterinary practice as well.  

The not-so-subtle Christmas music and advertising is a clear reminder that we are drawing nearer to the holiday season.  It used to be that you wouldn’t see this kind of advertising until after Thanksgiving, but nowadays as soon as Halloween is over there is a palpable change in the background of our daily lives.  How many more years before it’s Labor Day?  

One of the most interesting things I learned in business school was that the rate of consumer technology adoption is accelerating beyond belief.  This can be intimidating for veterinarians who, as a rule, don’t have a history of being early adopters when it comes to technology.  The fact that the average veterinary clinic is a good ten years behind the times in this area isn’t cute anymore….it’s a threat for those practices that don’t adapt.  And a tremendous opportunity for those that do.  

I’ll assume for the sake of this post that your practice has a Facebook page and that you’re spending at least some time regularly monitoring, refining, and measuring it’s performance.  If your practice doesn’t have a Facebook page, or if you do but you're ignoring it, finish reading this post and address these issues ASAP!