Branding? I work in the medical field. Why do I need to know about branding?
This is something that physicians express all the time. And I’ll be honest – most of the branding within the medical field is, well, lacking . . .
So many doctors have put off building their practices’ brands for an array of different reasons. Perhaps you find yourself in this same position.
In all likelihood, your lack of effective branding might boil down to one of five following factors.
1. You Don’t Yet Recognize the Importance of Branding
Not sure whether you want to get involved in branding? I get it! After all, you’ve dedicated so much of your life to studying your craft and learning the human body. Building a brand isn’t exactly in that wheelhouse . . .
And of course, when you’re busy learning how to preserve life, the last thing on your mind is marketing or branding. In fact, throughout your years in school, it’s likely that no one emphasized the need to build a brand – at all.
Nevertheless, it’s essential to the long-term growth and success of any business. Particularly in the digital world we now live in, a lack of branding or marketing puts you at an immediate disadvantage, regardless of your niche, your skill, your experience, or your reputation.
2. You Don’t Know How to Build a Brand
Branding is tricky. It’s not just about having a cool logo or a website with all the bells and whistles.
Rather, you need to identify your strengths and weaknesses, and begin to carve out your own lane within your niche. You need to adopt a style (which includes choosing elements for a style guide) and develop your own voice.
These are things that can only be cultivated with plenty of thought and effort. It’s not the same as paying a developer to build a run-of-the-mill website for you so that you can finally check that box and claim that you’ve branded your practice.
There is so much that goes into branding, but it’s an investment that is well worth your time, effort, and resources.
3. You Don’t Understand 21st Century Branding
You might have a website. You might be sending direct mail to potential customers. You might be delivering a monthly newsletter. You might be sending out surveys to your customers to ensure that they’re happy.
And these are all good things!
But is your website is outdated, slow, and not optimized for search engines? Did you know that social media is the single most important marketing platform in the world today? Are you utilizing strong copy to make your newsletter attractive, useful, and enticing? Are you aware that social media listening is the most effective method for obtaining customer feedback?
There’s a chance that what you think makes an exceptional brand doesn’t actually meet the threshold of what is required in a digital world.
4. You Don’t Think You Need Branding
If your practice has a steady flow of patients, it’s easy to get comfortable and just keep on doing what you’re doing. Maybe it’s because your business has yet to hit a bump in the road. And from that position, it’s easy to assume that branding is nonessential.
Besides, you’re busy! There aren’t enough hours in a day to run your business and address building your brand head-on. All doctors and practitioners know this to be true.
But if you have any aspirations to grow and to ensure that you’re never slow or without constant work, effective branding is something you’re going to need in order to fill in those deficiencies.
5. You Don’t Stand Out from Your Competition
Many of us joke that the medical field provides jobs that are unlikely to disappear.
After all, people don’t stop getting sick!
That’s not to say that you’re free from competition. There are dozens of doctors in your state, and probably even in your own town!
So, it’s important that you provide your patients with something that they can’t get anywhere else. If you have yet to identify what that is, doing so is an important next step for your brand.
But here’s the good news – since most branding within the medical field is either poor or nonexistent, you have an opportunity to set yourself apart from your competition almost immediately.
So, if solid branding will allow your business to stand out and create more room for growth, what’s holding you back from branding the right way?
Is it the lack of time? Knowledge? Expertise?
Whatever the roadblock is, we specialize in developing brands for practices just like yours.Let us help you market and brand your business in such a way that your image and voice are consistent with the person your customers know you to be.
Hiring us to handle your branding and marketing efforts is easy. Contact us today to find out how we can help you!
