Spoiler alert – the answer to this question should always be ‘yes’.
You might have answered it ‘no’ or ‘don’t know’, but even if this is the case – the answer is in fact ‘yes’.
Every business, whether a dental practice, supermarket, opticians or independent bookstore, has a brand even if you don’t think it does or don’t know what it is.
That’s because your brand is essentially what people say about you when you’re not there.
And what this will depend on are all the things that make up your brand: the service you provide, the décor and cleanliness of your practice, the kinds of communications you send out, etc.
Which means that whether you have consciously created a brand or not, you have one. So, if you did answer anything other than ‘yes’, it might be worth spending some time clarifying and considering what your brand actually is and what you want it to be.
Beginning with where you currently are – what your brand is right now.
The key to this is putting yourself in a patient’s shoes and looking around with fresh eyes at your practice. Take in the appearance, the marketing materials on display, and ask yourself, ‘what overall impression do you get about the kind of practice this is?’
You can even consider doing some mystery shopping and calling the practice as a ‘new patient’ to see what kind of response you get and how that makes you feel.
If you have a particularly good relationship with a patient, consider asking them for honest feedback.
Once you have clarity on what your existing brand actually is, you can decide whether this is what you want it to be.
If it isn’t, what is it that you would like people to be saying about your practice?
The kind of words or phrases you come up with in answer to that question will be the key to your brand aspirations. And that will help you know if you need to make any changes and what they should be.
For example, if you think your brand should be/is modern but the décor in your practice or font you use in your literature is old-fashioned, it could be worth a re-think, such as considering using bold, bright colours and sans serif fonts.
Being clear and confident in your brand is key, because if you are confused there will be no buy-in from your team and this will trickle down to your patients.
A strong brand often goes hand in hand with a strong culture, both of which can not only help with staff retention but also patient loyalty. If patients understand what kind of practice you are, they will feel more connected to you and will likely become one of your biggest advocates.
