Where to start – identify your brand
Begin by taking some inventory. Ask the most basic questions. Who are you? What do you stand for? What makes your practice different from the rest? When someone hears your name or drives past your office and sees your sign, what comes to their mind? The answers to these questions are the basic elements of your brand.
Some think that branding is only for national and international companies, like Starbucks or Google, and not for a quintessential small business like a dental practice. Those people misunderstand what a brand really is. Your brand is what people think of you. So like it or not, you have a brand. You may not like your brand, and it may not be a strong brand, but it’s still yours.
Think about the brands that you know. What images and feelings and expectations are evoked when you see certain logos or hear familiar names? Here’s some strong brands: Honda, Apple, Harley Davidson, McDonalds, Oprah. They’re strong because they evoke a positive image in their target market. Whether or not you like and buy what they are selling, you know what they stand for.
Maybe you are “the sedation dentist” or “the nice dentist” or “the dentist with the cool office”. Then again, maybe you were shooting for “the best dentist in town” but are really perceived as “the expensive dentist”. In that case, your brand needs some work. If your brand is not what you want it to be, there is hope. To some extent, you are who you say you are. If you reinforce your message again and again it will begin to sink in. But you need to deliver on your promises. If you want the community to buy into your brand, you have to have some steak to go with the sizzle.
