Your dental practice is unique and your brand should reflect that. Now, when we say “brand” we’re not just talking about your business’ name, logo or slogan. Your brand is the experience your patients have with your dental practice or the impression they get when doing business with you. You need to create a brand prospective patients will recognize and that will motivate them to do business with you.
First, decide what your dental practice’s Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is. What do you do better than anyone else? Your brand should reflect that. Are you a high-end practitioner who specializes in cutting-edge technology? Are you amazing at fitting patients in for last-minute appointments? Are you more family-centric? If you’re not sure, ask your patients how they see you.
Once you have that Unique Selling Proposition down, you can begin developing your brand. Here are a few things to start with:
Share your company’s core values
Your patients want to connect with you on a deeper level. When they visit your website to find out more before booking that first appointment, share some of your company’s values.
Why do you do what you do? Maybe you got into the profession because you wanted to help people achieve confidence or perhaps you volunteer your time providing dental work to those struggling to find employment. Everyone can connect with the universal human values like these. Share them!
Develop a “look”
Now that your USP and values are a bit clearer, you can use that info to develop a “look” or visual identity for your business. Think about what combination of colors, images, typefaces and words best represent your practice.
If you’re looking for a high-end look, think black, white and gray with a rigid font and sharp lines. If you’re looking to project friendliness, consider yellow with a playful font and softer lines.
This may be an ideal time to invest in outside help so set your brand up for success. A small investment now could bring very significant rewards down the road.
Engage them
There’s more to online engagement than social media. Don’t forget about the importance of engaging patients and potential patients on your website. Create web pages that offer value to your audience. You can utilize a blog to tell your business’ story, explain your services in detail and serve as an expert in all things dental. Consider what your patients might search online and fulfill that need with a blog post answering those questions. They might search for things like:
- “What causes tooth sensitivity?”
- “When should my child start going to the dentist?”
- “When is a root canal necessary?”
The increased engagement on your website also has the lovely perk of raising your search engine rankings, making it easier for other leads to find you as well. Ready to get started in building your brand? You can do this! Just share your unique story with the world and get ready to see that practice of yours flourish. Happy branding!