Posted on Jan 11, 2016
Image Credit: © Dreamstime.com
It’s no secret: the world we live in is highly competitive, and the people in it are extremely visually aware. It’s therefore critical to develop a strong and consistent brand for your dental practice. But just how do you do that? And what constitutes a strong dental practice brand in the first place?
To begin, your brand is the sum of all the experiences a patient has when interacting with your dental practice. From the way, you answer the phone, to your location, to the décor, and the level of dental care received (plus many more factors), all contribute to your brand.
What is Your Differentiating Factor?
Potential patients may be faced with many different options when choosing a dental practitioner. What makes your dental practice extra special, and why should that patient select you?
Do some market research. How are competitor practices branding themselves? Do you see any patterns in terms of graphics, colors, or slogans? What can you introduce to your brand that will set you apart?
Dig deeper into your target audience. Consider the factors that motivate their behavior, including their likes and dislikes. Build the brand that will appeal to your audience.
Where Can You Add Value?
Have you ever heard of perceived value? Perceived value is achieved when a brand has a strong presence or brand awareness. Because of this heightened awareness, people are willing to pay more for a product or service. This is why people are more willing to buy a brand name product over a similar, less expensive store brand even if the products look the same and are composed of similar ingredients.
Consider where you can add value to your patient experiences, and how you can customize the experience for each individual.
Don’t Forget Your Internal Branding
While patients engage with and experience your dental practice brand, so too do your staff. The team that patients engage with also needs to adhere to your brand vision, and become brand ambassadors when dealing with your patients.
Take The Answers and Get Visual
Now that you have thought about your dental practice and how you want it to operate, you can start to consider how you can enhance that visually, through the development of a logo. Which colors will support your brand vision? Will you introduce a graphic or a font-based logo?
If your plan is to build an enduring brand, it is worthwhile investing in a high-quality logo; particularly if you want it to last for the next 20 or 30 years. Once you decide on the logo, be sure to have a style guide compiled, so you can lay down the rules for engaging with your brand graphically/visually.
Effective Brand Placement
For your brand to be truly effective, it should be highly visible where your desired target audience is likely to see it. Consider different channels: print media, digital, social, and broadcast, but also remember that in order for your marketing and advertising to be effective, it needs to be consistent and you need to retain a presence across those channels.
NAPB specializes in bringing dental practice buyers and sellers together. If you need assistance to create more perceived value or with a branding strategy to see you through a transition.