What is branding?
For many dentists, branding is not an easy topic to discuss. Dentists are trained to deal with specifics, and branding, unfortunately, is anything but. It is a somewhat nebulous topic—part art form, part science, part intuition.
Simply stated, branding is the perception of a practice that is created in patients’ minds through a powerful set of promises made to deliver a positive experience. Dentistry itself has a brand—and a good one at that. To patients, dental practitioners are known as people who take care of teeth and are trustworthy, highly skilled, highly knowledgeable and generally caring people. In fact, dentistry has excellent brand equity in terms of public respect.
What many dentists may not realize, however, is that branding is an important factor in a dental practice’s success. What will a strong brand do for the dentist and the practice? Strong branding will bring a steady stream of patients to a practice. Therefore, if the dentist wishes to grow the practice, branding is necessary.
Branding the dental practice requires several steps. The dentist must
– determine what distinguishes the practice from others;
– understand what branding will do for the practice;
– support branding with effective systems;
– understand that the effect of branding is not immediate.
DETERMINE WHAT DISTINGUISHES THE PRACTICE FROM OTHERS
Dentists should ask themselves, “Can I clearly and concisely differentiate my practice from others in just a few sentences?” This is not always easy. Dentists have to think carefully about how they want patients and, if applicable, other dentists to view their practices. They can do this only by taking some time on their own to think about this “outside the office.” They should feel free to get the input of others, such as team members. Staff feedback is useful for making an accurate and effective assessment of the practice, and staff meetings are an ideal occasion on which to talk about the practice’s current brand.
Once dentists have clearly thought out how they want to brand their practices, they should write it down. Is there a desire to be the leading cosmetic practice in the area? Focus on implants? Cater exclusively to patients with insurance? No matter how they decide to brand the practice, they must write it down as a branding statement. As with goals, it is only after dentists have written branding statements and reviewed them that they can move to the next step.
UNDERSTAND WHAT BRANDING WILL DO FOR THE PRACTICE
A strong brand, when communicated effectively to patients and the public, will bring into the practice a continuous stream of patients who are interested in the promise of treatment or service that the practice has incorporated into its brand. If a dentist wants to identify his or her practice as an excellent quality customer service provider in the region, every patient who comes into the office is going to expect to be treated very well. If a dentist brands his or her practice in cosmetic dentistry, the practice will see an increase in patients who are interested in elective procedures. For branding to be successful, it must be incorporated into all of the dentist’s internal and external marketing strategies: staff scripting, business cards, brochures, direct mail, posters and on-hold messages. For branding to deliver to a growing and loyal patient base, the practice must follow through on the promises it makes through its marketing.
SUPPORT BRANDING WITH EFFECTIVE SYSTEMS
Implementing a practice brand requires that dentists have effective business systems in place. One high-performance system supports another. If Dr. Smith brands himself as a strong implant practice but his scheduling system is chaotic, poorly run and overbooked, he will have trouble living up to his brand. If Dr. Brown has decided to emphasize her superior customer service, there certainly is going to be a problem if her staff has not been properly trained to provide it. Once dentists have decided the aspect for which they want their practices to be known, there must be proper systems in place if branding is to be successful.
UNDERSTAND THAT BRANDING’S EFFECT IS NOT IMMEDIATE
Dentists must enter into the branding process with the understanding that it takes one to three years to develop a solid, consistent and effective brand for the service or product for which they want their practice to be known. Dr. Jones, who is trying to brand her practice as a cosmetic practice, may feel it will take a long time for that branding to take hold, but once it does, her practice will be recognized for cosmetic practice in the area. Patients will make appointments with Dr. Jones’ office first, without thinking of other options, because her practice is so well-known and respected for the service they want.
CONCLUSION
Though branding will not produce immediate results for a practice’s bottom line, it is an important process for making the practice as successful as it can be. Branding brings new patients into a dentist’s practice as the community clearly recognizes it as a leader in specific service areas and, importantly, as a practice that lives up to its reputation. If branding efforts are successful, the practice will be inundated with many new patients, allowing the dentist and the dental team to educate and motivate them to become long-term patients.
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