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Holly Jolly Holiday Toolkit

Published on 11/27/19

 

 

We had such a great response to our Spooktacular Halloween Toolkit, we just had to gift you with a Holly Jolly Holiday Toolkit! If you’re looking for fun ways to get into the holiday spirit, share holiday cheer with your customers, and educate pet owners on holiday safety, then you’re in the right place. Read on!

 

 

Coloring Pages


Coloring pages are a great tool to spread holiday cheer while educating young pet owners on how to keep their pets safe during the holiday season. Download and print the coloring pages below!

 

 

Want to get creative? Here are a few tips for using these coloring pages:

 

  • Get out in the community! Sign up for a table at a local holiday festival or community gathering. Have these coloring pages handy and either hand them out or provide crayons for kids to color them during the event.
  • Provide crayons or colored pencils in your waiting room for kids to color them while they wait for their pet to be seen. Proudly display all of the finished products around your practice.
  • Get in touch with local after school programs or daycares. Offer to send one of your staff to talk to the group about pet safety during the winter holidays and leave them with the coloring pages as a follow-up activity. Ask if you can also leave business cards for their parents to pick up - include a new client discount!

 

 

Holiday Treat Recipes


Who can resist a holiday treat?! Share these dog and cat treat recipes on your blog, social media, app, or in your email blasts. In between, all of your holiday cookie baking, try your hand at one of these recipes so you can bring them to spread holiday cheer with those furry friends that visit your clinic.

 

 

 

Client Education Resources


Penn Vet has some great client handouts and social media posts in the Marketing Resources Library* that you can utilize in your clinic. Print the client handouts to give to clients during their wellness visits and have them handy to give out at community events.

 

Find these resources and more in the Marketing Resources Library!

 

  • 6 Tips for Holiday Safety Handout
  • December Holiday Pet Safety Tips Social Media Posts
  • Holiday Pet Safety Tips Handout
  • Winter Weather Tips Handout & Social Meda Posts
  • Healthy Holiday Gifts for Pets

 

*You must be logged in to pennvet.com to view the Marketing Resources Library! Don’t have a login? Request a User ID!

 

 

Holiday Team-Building Activities for your Staff

 

The holidays are a time of brightness and cheer but in a vet practice, they can be rather stressful. With pets eating things they shouldn’t and, let’s just be honest, an uptick in euthanasias, your staff could be feeling some extra emotions this time of year. Integrate some holiday team-building activities to create smiles and camaraderie between your team.

 

  • Hot Chocolate Bar - Choose a day (maybe a particularly frigid one) to set up a hot chocolate bar in the breakroom. Provide hot chocolate mix and hot water or bring in a crockpot to heat up milk. Ask your staff to bring in their favorite hot chocolate toppings like whipped cream, candy canes, and caramel syrup. Your staff will enjoy deliciousness throughout the day - why not share it with your customers as well? Post on social media, telling your customers to stop in for a cup (and maybe get their Flea/Tick refill while they’re at it!).
  • Cookie Exchange - Do you have staff members that love to bake? Hold a cookie exchange! It’s a really easy and simple treat for staff. Choose a day to be deemed “Cookie Day” and ask those who wish to participate to bake (or buy…) their favorite holiday cookie and bring in to share. Why stop at cookies? There are so many holiday treats out there - include them all!
  • Holiday Cards - It’s always a nice touchpoint to send a holiday card to customers. Buy some blank holiday cards, buy a few pizzas, and sit down with your staff to write holiday greetings in the card. Be sure to tell your customers how excited you are to see their pet (address them by name if possible!) in the new year! While you write, share holiday traditions, memories, and favorites to spark conversation and get to know each other.
  • Give Back - What better way to build holiday team spirit than to give back to the community together! That brings us to...

 

 

Giving Back During the Holidays

 

A big theme that we love during the holidays is giving back. Your staff is already full of superheroes, but there are several other easy ways that your practice can give back to your community during this season.

 

  • Toys for Tots - This is one that Penn Vet participates in! Contact your local Toys for Tots representative and have a box delivered to your practice - they’ll also let you know when they will pick it up. Advertise to your customers in your practice and on social media that you have a box at your location if they want to bring a toy during their visit to donate.
  • Make toys with recycled materials - This can also double as a team-building activity! Ask your staff to bring in old t-shirts or hold a drive so that your customers can participate. Select a date, buy some snacks, and make t-shirt dog toys that you can donate to your local shelter.
  • Donate to your local shelter - This is the easiest way to give back: host a donation drive! Choose what organization you want to support or/and what items you want to collect. For example, if you want to support your local animal shelter, you might want to collect food, treats, toys, and grooming supplies. Or you might just focus on one item! Other types of organizations you can support are homeless shelters, first-responders, and food banks.

 

We hope that this toolkit helps you get into the holiday spirit! Whatever you do during the holiday season at your veterinary practice, keep in mind that not everyone celebrates the holidays the same way. Always be mindful of varying religious beliefs and celebrations!

 

 

View our previous blog post on 5 Questions to Ask Yourself When Considering a New Piece of Equipment

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