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Successful branding takes consistency, time, and patience. You should know what your practice offers, how you are perceived, how you would like to be perceived, and whether you have the people and processes in place to provide the experience you want your patients to have before embarking on any branding effort. Branding is more than a logo and a website. It is everything that your customers and potential customers (i.e., patients, caregivers, referral sources) experience with you that ultimately drives them to continue to do business with you. You must consider every touchpoint when embarking on branding. Think of McDonald's as the gold standard. Whether you like what they do or offer doesn't matter. McDonald's is dedicated to their brand in product, service, facilities, and marketing. When you think of a McDonald's, an image, a product and an idea of service all come to mind, even if you've never been there. This should be your ultimate goal.
KEY WORDS: Demographics; patient survey; mystery patient; brand ambassador; differentiate; consistency.
Branding has become innate. A University of Michigan Study showed that children as young as three years old recognize the branding of products such as a Coca-Cola soft drink.1 (We are bombarded with brands in daily living. Whether it is the clothes we wear, the food we eat and drink, or the way we communicate, we have learned to make subconscious decisions based on branded products and services. In a world where patients have access to more information than ever to help them decide who they want for their medical provider, branding medical services is no longer a commodity-it is a necessity.
BRANDING 101: PERCEPTION IS EVERYTHING
What comes to mind when you think of industry giants such as Target, Nike, or Starbucks? You may positively associate Target with low prices or perhaps negatively with long check-out lines. When you think of Nike, did you see the Nike swoosh in your head? Or were you reminded of Tiger Woods and his famous personal fall from grace? Did you associate Starbucks with drive-through flavored coffee? Or do you have negative connotations about high pricing? For better or worse, brands elicit some sort of emotional response when you hear or see their names or logos. That should happen...