Marketing is such a major influence in modern life that most people in all generations can link at least a few famous high street brands to their fundamental key messages. In fact, so synonymous is branding with the overall consumer experience that there’s even a board game that tests our knowledge of famous logos. But as the advert for The Logo Board Game suggests, it’s ‘not just logos’, but ‘products, and packaging, flavours, characters, advertising, and the world around you’.
A successful brand should therefore permeate all areas of a business. It should reflect your vision, culture, mission, team, behaviour and the communications and language you use. Whilst a brand is the tone of voice or personality, the branding is how these are conveyed – and, consequently, perceived.
In the case of a dental practice, this will includes its profile (in the real world as well as online) – and associated reputation, how it conducts its business (its operations and how it delivers its services as well as what treatments it delivers) and the related services it offers, such as dental plans. It will also, of course, include the colourways and fonts, the logo and the marketing literature, the uniforms and the way staff communicate with patients. In essence, how it feels as well as how it looks.
But will the brand you have today be the one you still want tomorrow? How do you ensure longevity to carry on attracting patients and increasing profits? Here are a few insights as to how best to nurture your brand so it continues to deliver huge returns for your business.
Branding not your forte?
It’s simple. Ask yourself what you believe to be your practice ethos. A brand should capture your business profile, with the branding drawing in patients with key messages and practice values. If you’re a little nervous of taking centre stage with the process, then find a plan provider that can offer assistance in this area. If you are considering refreshing your brand, it may be worth asking what a branded plan provider can do to help.
When did you last fine-tune your brand?
A dental practice should establish a robust brand early and often, but it is important to realise that even the biggest players need to tweak theirs a little along the way to ensure longevity. Is it time you took a step back and reevaluated your branding? Reassess your target audience. Is there a new generation of potential patients in your neighbourhood? There may be a new housing development built on your doorstep, for instance, bringing with it a flood of young families. Pitch your practice and your dental plan to them to encourage them through the door. Consider small shifts and incremental changes rather than sweeping changes to keep pace with any change in demographic but also remain familiar to loyal and existing patients.
Are you in tune with your patients?
What key qualities make up you USP? Stay connected and promote the things that are specific to you and your team – whether it is your amazing hygiene team, your skills in providing cosmetic dentistry or an attractive dental payment plan. You can receive valuable business insights regarding your brand’s digital and physical footprint with regular audits. Make sure you are hitting the right note every time!
Is your branding in harmony?
Once you have embraced a business personality to encourage trust, consider what your brand says about you – wherever it appears? Does your branding sing from the same song sheet across all marketing channels – online as well as off?
Do your products all blend seamlessly so patients are familiar with the brand? What any successful brand requires is consistent and recognisable branding. Nobody likes surprises and the secret of getting heard lies in the power of speaking with one voice about every aspect of your dental practice – and that includes the dental plan.
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