This post is the second in the series. To see Part 1, click here.
So I promised to provide some ideas for helping develop a brand. First things first; you must decide two (2) things:
- How do I want people to view me and my practice?
- Do I, my team, and my practice genuinely strive to be what I listed in #1 above?
If your answer to #2 is “no”, go back to #1 and start over. It’s a complete waste of time and money to try to present a false image. Remember, branding your practice is about reminding people who you are and what you do.
So let’s work on #1. Ideally you’d like to be a bit unique, and have a fairly memorable story. And as I’ve written about before, if you think that being “friendly and start-of-the-art” makes you unique, you’re kidding yourself.
Make a list of qualities that looks something like this:
- Fun & goofy
- Unusual & quirky
- Outdoors enthusiast
- Love animals / animal friendly
- Wine & chocolate lover
- Fitness fanatic
- Car lover
- Travel enthusiast
- Retro hipster
- Fashion forward / trendy
It IS OKAY to include “super friendly” or “technically advanced” on your list, but is NOT OKAY to make something most doctors believe they possess your only branding strategy. Keep in mind that while branding is, at its core, a form of marketing, it is also representative of yourself. Make it truly represent who you are.
Now, have your team put your heads together and try to agree on which “personality” best suits your practice, or the practice you are striving to be. Then try to craft a story you can tell (in less than 2 minutes) that illustrates this personality. People love stories and eat them up; if you can’t tell an engaging story about how your brand evolved, it may not be authentic.
Tune back in in a few weeks for Part 3!
