How you brand your practice (through your logo, marketing literature and décor) is essential in making the right connection and impression with your target audience. But is your branding truly reflecting the personality and positioning of your practice?
In this blog, we’ll be looking at the ‘red flags’ you need to watch out for if your branding is hindering rather than supporting the success of your business:
Peas in a pod
If you’re looking like your competition, it’s definitely time to consider rebranding. Claim your space in the dental market and make sure your brand identity is unique and a true reflection of the services you offer.
Test your own logo by typing ‘dental logo’ into Google. If you look objectively at your logo and find it looks like many of the results on Google images (this can unfortunately be the case when it features a tooth), then the chances are your unique practice identity isn’t shining through.
This check is vitally important, if your logo, colours and imagery are similar to the local competition, as you won’t stand out from the crowd and could therefore potentially miss out on new patients to a competitor.
Past your sell-by date
If your logo was designed 10 years ago, the chances are you are due a refresh (if not a complete overhaul) of your branding. Like a spring clean, refreshing your logo may breathe new life into your brand and your practice, moving from old fashioned and stuffy to modern and clean, whilst allowing you to remain recognisable to your current patients.
It doesn’t necessarily have to be a major change to make a difference – check out our own Practice Plan logo refresh in 2013:
The bad rep
Perhaps you have recently taken over a dental practice and have found that the opinion in the local area is more negative than you realised. Communicate the change in ownership by creating a new look and feel that reflects the new and improved service you will be offering. Keeping the existing branding will make it difficult for patients to separate you from their previous bad experiences – not ideal for your new business venture.
The wrong direction
Does your brand image no longer reflect the direction you’re trying to take your business? Examples could include your practice moving from primarily NHS to private dentistry, where a strong brand identity becomes vital in order to impress the value of private dental care on your NHS patients you are trying to convert. Similarly, you could be looking to become more of a cosmetic dental practice, where previously you may have been family-oriented, in which case how you present yourself to your patients may need to change to reflect this.
The evolution of your patient base
Have you noticed a change in your patient base or your patients’ expectations since you initially created your branding? Maybe you have introduced new treatments that are attracting a different age group or perhaps developments in your area are changing the demographics – does your branding appeal to this changing audience?
Do any of these scenarios strike a chord with your current situation?
No need to worry about what to do next, our Practice Marketing team have extensive experience in supporting practices through a rebrand. Call the team on 01691 684151 to find out more about our Rebrand Package.