Veterinary practice signage guide
DOES YOUR PRACTICE HAVE CURB APPEAL?
You know what they say about first impressions. Your practice is no different.
Signage promotes your practice 24 hours a day, every day of the year – whether you’re open or not.
Pet owners will make assumptions about the quality of the care you provide just by looking at your building and signage.
Historically vets were only allowed to advertise by placing a brass plaque outside their door. Nowadays, with such an increase in competition and a relaxation on advertising, this historic approach is not enough.
That means that you need to get this right. And that when you do, you could drive more clients through your doors.
SIGNAGE FOR VETS: THE RONSEAL EFFECT
Practice teams also often underestimate the importance of being able to recognise the word “vets” in a sign or logo – with many vets signs still being easily mistaken for solicitors or financial advisors.
That’s because they focus on their local brand’s name (e.g. Abbeycroft or Eastlands) rather than the function (i.e. vets) and then have veterinary surgery written in tiny letters underneath!
We’ve seen numerous occasions when a change in signage to highlight what a practice is there for has immediately led to people walking in and saying “I’ve lived here for years and I had no idea this was a vets!”
White Cross Vets Signage in Widnes
Valentines Vets Signage in Rochdale
White Cross Vets Signage in Hyde
White Cross Vets Signage in Widnes
WE ❤ VETS SIGNAGE
We enjoy working on vet practice signage so much as it makes such an immediate difference.
It’s so often the catalyst to transforming a practice in the eyes of practice teams and pet owners.
Here’s a selection of projects we’ve delivered over the years.
How to create great signage for vet practices
White Cross Vets, Leeds
Before
After
Valentine's Vets
Before
After
1
Look at your signage from afar or by driving past in a car. Can you easily identify it as a veterinary practice? Is it visible from all directions a prospective client might be driving?
2
Emphasise the size of your building by ensuring the signage runs the full width of your frontage. Can it be illuminated? How will it turn on and off? Wired into reception lighting or controlled via a timer?
3
Ensure it’s obvious that you’re a veterinary practice. Don’t leave prospective clients guessing!
Speak the same language as your customers. Use “vets” not “veterinary practice”. If you offer your own out of hours service, say you’re open 24/7.
4
Ensure your opening hours, phone number, web address and out of hours solution are clearly visible at eye level next to the entrance.
5
Make sure your entrance and car park are easy to find.
6
Install a dog waste bin outside to make your clients’ lives easier. Remember that once you have one it needs emptying regularly.
7
Clean the building. Brickwork turns black over time due to pollution, and chemically cleaning, or in some cases sandblasting, can give a practice a new lease of life. Allow £1k-£2k to clean the front of a practice to be completed out of hours due to the chemicals involved.
KEEPING YOUR PRACTICE LOOKING BEAUTIFUL
WE’RE HERE TO HELP
If you are taking on a signage project, it’s a good idea to ensure you have some budgeted Capex spend in advance, typically £4k-£9k depending on the size of your practice.
Don’t forget to include internal signage in Capex requests. If you’ve used images and colours outside, follow that through and have some dotted around inside. Having your logo clearly displayed on signage behind reception or on the front of the reception desk looks professional and is a really nice touch to consider.
Hopefully this has given you a clear idea of what you can achieve to maximise the physical appearance of your practice.
If you want any help in creating signage that matches the level of clinical care you deliver inside, we can guide you through the process.
Any questions, queries or to request a site visit to discuss signage options please contact us
or call 0113 347 0057
LET'S TALK
0113 347 0057