The “5 Questions with…” series is meant to promote upcoming sessions at AAHA’s Nashville conference that are sure to be popular and relevant topics. Learn a little more about the sessions that will be available for you and your team members to attend. AAHA Nashville 2017 takes place from March 30 – April 2. You can register on our website.

Bill Schroeder is a founding owner and Vice President of Intouch Practice Communications, a practice/client communications firm that specializes in helping veterinary practices communicate with their clients. He sits on the board of directors VetPartners and completed Veterinary Management Institute (VMI) program at Purdue in 2010. He regularly speaks at numerous major veterinary meetings.

Bill will be facilitating sessions on Saturday, April 1 in the morning and afternoon, speaking about digital marketing. His morning sessions are “Reaching & Influencing Local Pet Owners Online” and “Online Reputation Management.” His afternoon sessions address “Easy Ways to Incorporate Video into Your Marketing Strategy” and “10 Most Relevant & Timely Digital Techniques.”

Could you give me a brief background on your expertise on this topic?

I’ve worked for the past 22 years helping veterinary practices grow their businesses and treat more patients through developing fully custom client communications products. Over the past 22 years I have completed over 11,000 projects while working with more than 6,000 clients across the country.

What is a key takeaway you hope people will get from your educational sessions?

I hope that attendees learn how important it is to have a modern communications plan in place. Today, digital communications and digital marketing can be the difference between reaching a practice’s target market or not. My sessions are highly interactive, designed to empower veterinarians and practice managers, and allow them to recognize opportunities for them to succeed within the digital space.

What about the AAHA conference made you want to come back and facilitate again?

I’ve spoken at AAHA many times. Each time I’m amazed at the engaged attendees, those who are authentically interested in growing their businesses, and the overall maturity of the thoughts and comments made by attendees during my sessions. AAHA attendees are advanced. They know their stuff. They want to learn. As a result, they are successful.

What is the future of digital marketing for veterinarians and where would you like to see it go?

Well, the sky is the limit. Personally, I would like the growth and acceptance of digital marketing to parallel other industries. I really think we are on the way towards this being true. While a handful of years ago I would hear practices say that they don’t need even basic things like websites or automated reminders, these comments are coming much less frequently. I really enjoy “beating my drum” and helping veterinarians understand that they too can benefit from the awesome opportunity that is the digital space.

What’s a question you wish more people asked about your topic?

I wish more practices would ask for help. All too often I see practices attempt to develop and wrestle a digital plan on their own when it can be too much for them to handle. I recommend a blend of on-site and professional agency management. So…I guess the question would be…Can you help me?