Optimising the Curb Appeal of Your Vet Clinic

While you mightn’t give much thought to the exterior and surrounds of your vet clinic – other than the way your practice looks from the outside – curb appeal can have a big impact on what people think about your business.  Are you making a good first impression to your clients and passers-by?

By focusing on three key areas of your practice exterior, you can help to boost the curb appeal of your vet clinic, and entice more clients through your door.

Signage

Your signage can be one of the best ways to stand out to passing traffic. Even if you are renting your premises, you typically will have control over your signage.

While signage is an easy and effective way of advertising your practice, however, there’s a few guidelines you should follow to ensure your sign gets noticed.

• Keep it simple – try to limit your sign to feature only a few key elements to maximise its effectiveness.  Make sure you include your logo and key contact details, such as phone number and website.
• Make it clear – if your practice name doesn’t have the word “Vet” in it, be sure to add “Vet” somewhere on your sign so people will instantly understand what your practice does.  Ensure the font you use is easy to read, and large enough to be legible.
• Reflect your branding – the design of your sign should reflect the image you want your practice to portray, and align with your brand. 
• Consider location – where you place your signage is extremely important.  While your shop-front signage will be determined by your building type and the space available, you will have more options for your street-frontage signage.  When choosing your signage location, consider how the sign will be viewed (e.g. on foot or from vehicles; by passing or stationary traffic).  These variables will also impact the type and size of signage that will be most effective.

Landscaping

Landscaping is a great way to make a good first impression on your clients (and potential clients) even before they walk through your door. 

• Minimise areas of your lawn – if possible, avoid having any grass that will need regular mowing.  Instead, consider larger landscaped beds of plants.
• Keep your plants low-maintenance – choose small trees, shrubs and flower varieties that are easy to look after, and don’t shed lots of leaves that you will need to clean up.
• Add colour and interest – use brightly coloured or unusual plants to add impact to your practice surrounds.

Lighting

While your practice might not be open at night, that doesn’t mean that potential clients aren’t passing by your vet clinic.  Exterior lighting is a great way to catch people’s attention, and adds a great visual appeal to your business.

• Consider using a variety of lights – a mix of spotlights, façade lights, wall lights and landscaping lights can help to draw attention to different aspects of your premises.
• Improve safety and security – lighting up your practice exterior will help make your property less attractive to potential thieves, and will also make your employees feel safer if they need to arrive or leave work in the dark.  Having good lighting will also provide your clients with a clear and safe path to your door if you decide to extend your practice hours into the evening.
• Don’t forget your signage – your signage will also benefit from being illuminated.  This can be as simple as having a spotlight on your sign, or if you’re in a high traffic area, you could instead opt for an LED backlit sign.

Contact Elite

At Elite Fitout Solutions, we have years of experience helping new and existing veterinary practice owners to get all the details just right.

View our veterinary fitout gallery.  Or to discuss your fitout or refurbishment project, contact Elite today on 1300 765 344.