Workforce Engagement Through Behavioral Marketing

IndeVets connects veterinarians with flexible work opportunities while helping hospitals address staffing shortages across multiple regions. To encourage participation in difficult-to-staff locations and reward ongoing engagement, the organization partnered with our team to develop a new incentive program called IndeTreats.

Veterinary staffing is fundamentally a people problem. Hospitals needed doctors. Doctors wanted flexibility. The challenge was designing an incentive program that motivated veterinarians to pick up shifts where they were needed most — without relying solely on higher pay. The program also needed to clearly communicate a variety of earning opportunities while keeping participants engaged throughout the year.

Rather than treating incentives as a single transaction, we designed a behavioral engagement system. Participants could earn rewards through multiple activities — working underserved shifts, trying new hospitals, hitting quarterly participation goals, completing surveys, celebrating anniversaries, engaging with the community, and referring peers. Each interaction became another opportunity to reinforce the brand while strengthening long-term engagement.

Our team translated the program strategy into an integrated marketing experience that guided participants through every stage of the journey. Every touchpoint was designed to answer one question: "How do I earn more?" By continuously reinforcing the earning opportunities, the campaign encouraged participation while reducing confusion around program mechanics.

The campaign was built around a simple behavioral principle: make the desired behavior easy to understand, rewarding to complete, and enjoyable to repeat. Instead of simply advertising the incentive program, we created a communication system that continually educated, motivated, and celebrated participant progress throughout the customer journey.

Key takeaways: workforce engagement is ultimately a marketing challenge; behavioral incentives are most effective when paired with thoughtful communication; great customer journeys reduce friction while increasing motivation; and integrated marketing can solve operational staffing challenges — not just awareness problems.