Marketing Plan:

Tails & Scales

Group 1: Matthew Cummings, Connor Doak, Andrew Duncan,

Cole Huling, Kellie McGee, Austin Nichols

Running Head: CUMMINGS, DOAK, DUNCAN, HULING, MCGEE, NICHOLS 1

Introduction

Tails and Scales is a small veterinary office in Queens, New York that specializes in the

care of exotic animals and small household pets such as dogs and cats. Our services mainly

consist of diagnosis and treatment, regular check-ups, basic surgery, and emergency visits. All of

this is overseen by our small but effective group of employees, who all have exceptional

experience in the veterinary field, making us ready for any challenge that comes our way. Our

small size is not a negative, but rather a positive, as it brings us together in the workplace with a

tight, family-like atmosphere that ultimately makes us better at what we do. It also makes it easy

for us to build real and long-lasting relationships with our customers and their pets, so we can

ensure all their needs are met and make sure they keep coming back. Our mission is to provide

high-quality personalized service to our customers and their pets, treat all of our patients with the

best care that we can provide, and grow lasting relationships with our customers and their furry

(or scaly) friends to become their long-term choice for pet treatment.

Here at Tails and Scales we aspire to continue to grow as a company and eventually be

able to expand and branch out to additional locations. In order to do this, we have made it our

goal this year to increase our customer visits and sales by 33%, while also still keeping our main

focus on exotic animals. We plan to accomplish this through various promotional campaigns to

get our name out to the public and to potential customers. A secondary goal of ours is to be able

to offer certain products to our customers to buy in the vet’s office, such as grooming, hygiene.

And medicinal products for exotic animals, which tend to be very hard to find in common pet

stores and larger vet practices. By striving to accomplish our goals and continuing to grow, the

sky is the only limit for Tails and Scales.

CUMMINGS, DOAK, DUNCAN, HULING, MCGEE, NICHOLS 2

Situational Analysis

The amount of pride we put into our work here at Tails and Scales comes from the belief

that a pet is not just another thing in a person’s house, it is a part of the family and deserves the

same love, respect, and medical care as anyone else in the family. The connection between a

person and their pet is like no other; as a small business we understand this connection and

achieve great fulfillment in knowing that pet owners trust us with their furry, feathered, or scaled

loved one. This sense of family can be shown by how much Americans spent on their pets last

year: according to the American Pet Products Association (APPA), Americans spent $69.51

billion on their pets in 2017. Vet care made up for $17.07 billion of that $69.51 billion. If people

are willing to pay that type of money for their pets, then it proves that there is a deeper bond

between a person and their lovable companion. Our veterinarian’s long-time experience in

veterinary care is a major strength for Tails and Scales because he is the most knowledgeable

source for information about exotic animals in the office.

The size of our organization could be perceived as our main weakness to some. But

where some people see a problem, we see possibilities. Another way we could expand our

company is to start selling more products like shampoos and medicines in the office. A way for

us to get our name out to more customers is to develop a relationship with local pet stores

including chains such as PetSmart and Petco. We plan on setting up a deal that involves a 10-

20% off discount for products sold at a pet store with every vet visit and a discount for vet

services with purchases at pet stores.

What sets Tails and Scales apart from the larger veterinarian offices in the area is the

sense of family at work. Tails and Scales may not be a large company, but it is a very close-knit

company. This allows us to give every animal the attention and care it deserves. Even though

CUMMINGS, DOAK, DUNCAN, HULING, MCGEE, NICHOLS 3

Tails and Scales is small, it is growing swiftly, reporting $237,500 in sales and $42,500 in net

income last year. The veterinary industry is in a growth period because of increased ownership of

pets (IBISWorld, 2018). If the company continues to grow at this rate, we will eventually be able

to expand and take on more customers. Another aspect of Tails and Scales that sets us apart is

our focus on exotic animals (fish, reptiles, birds) as well as small animals (dogs and cats).

The competition around Queens, New York is other veterinarian offices. It is our goal to

set the bar for animal care in the surrounding area. According to IBISWorld’s Veterinary

Services Industry Report, there is a rise in private vet practices being bought by corporate chains

(2018). This could be a threat because corporations have more funding and access to research

and development, which is extremely important because technological growth is skyrocketing in

almost every industry. While our competitors do market in a way that is similar to ours, most of

them focus solely on small animals such as cats and dogs. Even though Tails and Scales might

not be as large as our competitors, we have the ability to care for a greater variety of animals.

This ability to treat a wider variety of patients gives us a competitive advantage against other

area vets.

Marketing Objectives, Target Markets, and Positioning

At Tails and Scales, we want to perform more treatments on exotic animals. The overall

objectives for the marketing department at Tails and Scales are to increase sales, profit and the

number of animals, exotic and otherwise, by 33% across the board. As of last year, we had sales

of $237,500. $200,000 of that came from the treatment of exotic animals, and the remaining

$37,500 came from the treatment of small animals. For our practice to reach the goal of 33%

growth in profits, we need to treat 250 more exotic animals and another 250 more small animals

over the course of the upcoming year. Treating 500 more exotic and small animals would also

CUMMINGS, DOAK, DUNCAN, HULING, MCGEE, NICHOLS 4

increase the number of patients by 33%. Our prices generally range from $20-100 for exotic

animals and $10-50 for small pets (cats and dogs). Routine checkups would be the least

expensive at the base visit rate, and depending on the treatment required, the price increases from

there. The prices for special patients that require surgery or euthanization are determined on a

case-by-case basis; payment plans can be worked out with customers to cover the cost of care.

Tails and Scales has four specific target markets we want to reach: zoos, aquariums, pet

stores, and local pet owners (specifically exotic pet owners). These target markets have many

different types of animals. For instance, a zoo could house a variety of animals from various

climates such as, but not limited to, elephants, zebras, polar bears, and many different types of

snakes, lizards, and other various reptiles. Like a zoo, an aquarium carries many exotic animals,

ranging from penguins, sharks, many different fish, reptiles, amphibians, to possibly even whales

or dolphins. Those are just some examples of species that could be found zoos and aquariums,

and we want to focus our efforts on the Bronx Zoo and the New York Aquarium in Brooklyn.

Pet stores frequently carry animals such as fish, birds, and various rodent, weasel, reptile, and

amphibian species. Going after these target markets could help reach the marketing department’s

objectives by bringing in more animals, exotic or not, therefore bringing in a lot more customers

for the veterinary practice.

Tails and Scales is located is in Queens, New York. Tails and Scales chose to locate in

this area because it is centrally located between the Bronx Zoo and the Brooklyn Aquarium.

Although we are a small veterinary practice, the treatment of exotic animals is our specialty.

Queens provides us with the best opportunity to retain customers from both the zoo and the

aquarium. Being within reasonable driving distance of the aquarium, zoo, and greater New York

CUMMINGS, DOAK, DUNCAN, HULING, MCGEE, NICHOLS 5

City area ensures that our customer base can visit our vet practice as frequently as they need to

care for their animals.

Tails and Scales aims to provide high-quality, specialized care at a reasonable price for

customers. Our owner has the veterinary expertise in the treatment of exotic animals to fulfill a

niche market in the veterinary services industry. We want to position our business as the go-to

vet practice in the Queens area for the treatment of exotic animals. Other veterinary practices in

the area do not carry the same quality of personalized care that Tails and Scales can provide from

being a small practice, and this expert care builds trust between us and our customer base.

Product Strategy

Tails and Scales offers the highest quality care to all animals. We specialize in exotic

animals such as birds, reptiles, fish, and other unusual animals, but we also treat small animals

like dogs & cats. Our low-price consultations and fees to make sure our customers pets are back

to being their healthy selves as quickly as possible set us apart from the competition. In order to

meet our expectations, we rely heavily on the excellent service that we provide to our clients to

make sure that when they leave our store they are satisfied and tell their friends about us. Due to

being such a small vet practice, we rely heavily on word of mouth to gain more customers.

Pricing Strategy

Our pricing strategy for the next year is to push the brand to be even more focused on

exotic animals, while also making our prices competitive. While we treat roughly 38% more

exotic animals than small animals, we want to shorten that gap a bit by increasing our customer

base to increase our overall profits. We are more focused on increasing profits rather than

eliminating expenses because we logged a profit of $42,500 last year. We will be implementing

a VIP express service promotion where if a customer wants to pay 150% of the standard visit

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price, we will see them first. We hope that with our already low prices, we will attract more

customers and widen our customer base through this promotion. Another thing that we will be

implementing is a new partnership with Petsmart, Petco and other local pet stores to give our

customers discounts on every day pet products: per each vet visit we will give customers a

coupon flyer that will allow them to receive a 10-20% discount at their nearest pet supply store.

Promotional Strategy

In order to increase the number of customers that visit our veterinary office, we plan to

put up fliers at pet stores, purchase several billboards, and redesign our website for search engine

optimization. We want to be sure that our location result on Google searches provides adequate

and abundant information about our address, hours, website, and contact information. We plan to

request that our satisfied customers leave us reviews to boost our ratings on Google and Yelp.

We also intend to get involved with local events and charities that work with animals to spread

the word and generate buzz about the vet practice.

Here at Tails and Scales we want to focus on relationship marketing because usually we

will have repeat patients, sometimes for years, so we want to get to know our customers, their

pets, and their needs. Affinity marketing is also a good strategy for us to use because exotic pet

owners are somewhat of a niche community and we can appeal to their interests. Frequency

marketing would not be a good option as a strategy because a customer wants to only visit the

vet for routine checkups or if something is wrong with their pet, which ideally would happen as

infrequently as possible. We could also provide text message reminders for appointments,

promotions, and general reminders. We intend to use direct marketing and contact customers

through fliers and email to encourage them to make appointments and include promotions such

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as bringing that flier or email to their visit can earn a customer 10% off the price of their vet visit

with an additional purchase of pet supplies while at the vet office.

It could be advantageous to send our receptionist to training for marketing skills, or hire a

freelance content manager or web developer. We should focus our efforts on getting into social

media because there is such a large community and so much information there. We can budget

$5,000 to hire someone to redesign our website, help us get social media up and running, and

provide training to our receptionist so that the receptionist can learn skills to continue on with

social media marketing. Our Vet & Vet Techs could possibly create a few educational and

hands-on YouTube videos about some exotic animals with consent from owners or pet stores to

generate buzz about the practice.

Supply Chain Strategy

Since we are a service business, there is not as much need for a physical supply chain

process. Our supply chain involves communication, care, and customer service. We use our

electronic patient management system to keep track of appointments, patient history and notes,

medications, and procedures. It is important for every employee at the vet office to be proficient

in using that system to ensure that the most up-to-date information is available at all times in

order to provide the best care to patients. We also plan to reevaluate our patient care and cleanup

procedures to streamline our service process in order to see more customers. Along with

partnering with PetSmart, PetCo, and some other local pet stores to provide discounts to

customers, we can supply some specialty products in our vet’s office so customers can get their

pet supplies during their appointment.

CUMMINGS, DOAK, DUNCAN, HULING, MCGEE, NICHOLS 8

Implement & Control the Marketing Plan

We plan to implement our marketing strategies systematically and strategically to gain

the most customers. Generating buzz through social media and word of mouth is very important

to us: we want our customers to share our content with their friends about the great service that

they are receiving for their pets. Getting involved with local organizations and charities that

benefit animals will help to spread the word about our business. Every employee here at Tails

and Scales will be responsible for executing their part of the marketing plan. The receptionist

will work closely with the Web Developer that we hire to revamp our online presence. It will be

the responsibility of the two vet technicians to keep inventory for the products we sell up to date

and full for our customers.

Companies like ourselves are very lucky to be alive this day in age where we have social

media at our fingertips. We need to launch a bright and friendly website that has information

about all of our services on it, as well as a “who are we” page with a picture and description of

every staff member. We will track our customer’s foot traffic and profits monthly and compare

those figures against the marketing strategies we are implementing and the other veterinary

practices that are our competitors. We believe that our goals are achievable within a year,

especially if we utilize technological communication as much as possible to grow our business as

well as utilize the $15,000 we have set aside for this plan. We plan to spend $5,000 on hiring a

web developer and content manager, and then use the remaining $10,000 for advertising

throughout the year. We intend to get our website and social media pages up and running within

the first month of the marketing plan, and we aim to have established contracts with local pet

stores for discounts by the end of the fourth month of the plan.

We can measure the growth we get from our marketing plan by the rate of revenue

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increase over the year. Our goal is to increase sales numbers by 33% within the year. With

1,500 total customers last year (1,000 exotic pets, 500 small animals) we would hope to add 250

customers on each side to achieve our goals.

CUMMINGS, DOAK, DUNCAN, HULING, MCGEE, NICHOLS 10

 Citations

Pet Industry Market Size & Ownership Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved November 11, 2018, from

https://americanpetproducts.org/press_industrytrends.asp

Veterinary Services Industry Report. (2018). Retrieved November 8, 2018, from

https://clients1.ibisworld.com/reports/us/industry/industryoutlook.aspx?entid=1447

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