Branding your practice will affect everything from language and marketing to your website, office and promotional materials.
So how do you start defining your brand?
Branding Your Practice
When you think of branding, do you think only of a business logo, flyers, brochures and a mission statement? Yes, these items should be a part of your branding strategy, but they are not the only things that make up a brand. When you are creating your brand, you must ask yourself, “What makes me stand out from other doctors? Do I have special equipment or have a special technique?” These are things that will set you apart. You must use your uniqueness to create your branding position. Other things you should include while building your brand:
- Who is your target audience?
- Do you have a logo?
- What does your SEO strategy look like?
Define a Feeling
What feeling do you want to convey to patients? Is your practice:
- Formal?
- Down to earth?
- Playful/tongue-in-cheek?
- High-tech focused?
First pinning down the feeling or vibe you want to convey is important, as this will guide the rest of your branding exercise. One way to determine this feeling for your practice is to define your unique value proposition: What makes you different from other, similar practitioners? What compliments do you consistently receive from current or former patients? What is the common, positive thread between this feedback?
Choose Colors & Typefaces
Once you’ve determined how you want your patients to see you, think visually. What colors will help portray that feeling? Choose two to three colors at most and save the hex codes for future use. Next, do the same with typefaces, choose two to three at most as well. Be consistent with how you’re using colors and typefaces throughout your practice. For example, what color and typeface will H1 headers be? What about H2 headers?
Compile an Image Library
Next, start to compile an image library with images that are aligned with your brand. You can find some stunning images on the following stock photo sites.
Free Sites:
Paid sites:
Images you select for your library should align with your brand in terms of content, composition, and color scheme. Want your images to look more cohesive? Try applying the same filter to all of them.
Where Will This Be Used?
All aspects of your brand should be used throughout your practice, including your:
- Website: Web pages, blog posts, call-to-action buttons, downloadable assets like white papers, etc.
- Marketing Outlets: Social media sites, email marketing banners, paid ads, etc.
- Literature: Brochures, checklists, patient registration forms, direct mail, etc.
- Office: Artwork, furniture, signage, etc.
The Perks of Building a High Impact Brand
Establishing a brand for your practice and ensuring it’s consistent throughout all outlets will increase brand awareness and ultimately make your practice more recognizable and appealing to prospective patients. That’s because consistency builds confidence–an important factor especially when it comes to the medical field.
Along with this patient confidence and trust also comes loyalty and referrals, which can be incredibly important in today’s digital world.
The Importance of Delivery
You won’t realize any of these benefits, however, if you don’t deliver on the brand promise you instill in your practice. Branding and consistency only go so far–you have to ensure you and your team members are committed to providing patients with the experience you market to them in order to have a truly high impact brand.
In Closing
Building a strong brand will help with the growth of your practice. Your brand is a unique entity that is an unspoken promise about your practice. If you have any questions on the factors needed to build a strong web presence, contact us. We love to help!