When Big Numbers Don’t Matter

When a clinic needs to advertise, the decision often feels obvious.
Choose the platform with the biggest database. The most traffic. The largest audience.

But what if those numbers aren’t measuring what actually matters?

In this episode of Veterinary Voices, Julie South explores why big numbers can feel reassuring — yet still leave clinics stuck advertising for months. Database size, website hits, and subscriber counts might look impressive on paper, but they don’t guarantee recognition, fit, or applications from the right vet or nurse.

Julie unpacks why recruitment fails when clinics outsource discovery to platforms and algorithms — and what changes when clinics shift from being listed to being recognised.

This episode closes the recent run of conversations on culture storytelling, network expansion, and recruitment momentum by asking one uncomfortable but essential question: are you attracting the kind of vet or nurse you actually want on your team?

In This Episode

00:00 – Introduction: why the numbers everyone chases may not be the right ones

01:13 – A familiar scenario: needing to advertise and choosing platforms by database size

01:56 – Posting the ad, waiting, upgrading, and still not getting the right response

02:56 – Why big databases and high traffic don’t guarantee the right applicants

03:29 – What Google actually measures: behaviour, not hits

04:53 – The one number clinics really need: one right vet or nurse

05:44 – How recognition forms before a vacancy appears

06:54 – Why recognition can’t be measured in traditional metrics

07:45 – Culture Story Centres and arriving warm instead of cold

08:56 – Being recognised versus hoping to be discovered

09:46 – The question clinics should be asking instead of “which platform is bigger?”

10:56 – From being listed to being recognised — and why attraction changes everything

About Julie South

Julie South is the founder of VetClinicJobs and host of Veterinary Voices.

She works with veterinary clinics that want to move beyond reactive job advertising by showing what working there is really like. Through culture storytelling, Julie helps clinics become recognised over time — so when they do advertise, the right vets and nurses already know they belong.

Struggling to get results from your job advertisements?
If so, then shining online as a good employer is essential to attracting the types of veterinary professionals who're a perfect cultural fit for your clinic.

The VetClinicJobs job board is the place to post your next job vacancy - to find out more get in touch with Lizzie at VetClinicJobs