Your “brand” conveys the personality of your practice, and it can be the deciding factor that prompts patients to choose you over the aesthetic practice, clinic or medspa across the hall or down the street.
Simply put, your brand should present a specific set of visual and verbal/written cues that distinguish your company from every other one. It also refers to the overall experience a person has when interacting with your practice, whether as a patient, social media follower, colleague or passerby.
Whether you’re in in the early stages of branding or trying to keep the momentum going as your practice evolves, here are some key terms and concepts you need to know (and understand) to make the most out of your practice brand and your personal brand too.
Brand awareness: How familiar your target audience, as well as the general public, media, your colleagues, neighbors and community, are with your brand. Your goal is to shoot for the moon!
Brand extension: When companies use their existing brand to branch out into new industries or markets. (An example would be a dermatology practice introducing a new range of professional skincare products.)
Brand identity: The “personality” of your business and the promise you make to your customers. This can take the form of a mission statement that speaks to who you are and what you most want to be known for.
Brand management: The process of creating and maintaining your brand. Once you decide what your brand is, you have to protect it forever.
Brand recognition: How well a consumer can recognize and identify your brand without seeing your business name. (This is why your logo, tagline, images, packaging and advertising need to be cohesive.)
Brand trust: How strongly consumers believe in your brand and trust what your messaging is saying.
Brand valuation: The commercial appraisal of your brand based on consumer perception, recognition and trust. This also includes brand equity, which makes your business valuable to investors, shareholders, partners, as well as potential customers.
