Branding is so much more than just a business name or a logo. It’s how your customers perceive you, relative to your competitors. When was the last time you stepped back and asked yourself … “What does my brand say about me and my practice?”
WHY Choose you?
Story-telling (also known as story-selling) as we heard in our recent Marketing to Mums workshops, is essential to your marketing strategy. Our Gen-X mum audience in particular doesn’t want the hard sell – she wants to know you and why she should trust you with her and her family’s eye health.
How can we build trust?
The key ingredient is authenticity. Taking the time to identify what you stand for as a brand (ie. your brand story) gives you a benchmark against which to execute all your marketing efforts so that they strongly align with your authentic brand identity.
Consistency offline and online
Once you’ve developed your brand story, it’s time to do a full review of your practice assets. Do these accurately and consistently reflect your brand
Here’s a checklist to get you started:
1) Practice logo reflects brand values
2) Practice fit-out and signage is consistent with logo and brand identity
3) Stationery/practice collateral and communications are professional and consistently branded
4) Website imagery authentically feature your people & practice (not stock imagery)
5) Website ‘About Us’ page features your story and points of difference
6) Website homepage features ‘why choose us’ statements
7) Social media content is developed around your points of difference
Most recently, in anticipation of a competitor entering the market, we designed a campaign to reinforce their brand positioning and service to their community as a strategy to retain market share.
This included:
> a deeper look at their brand story and ‘why choose us’
> extensive exterior window and side wall signage featuring ‘why choose us’ statements
> awning, A-frame, pavement decal and interior signage
> website and social media elements
> postcard with a $65 OFF offer and reinforcement of ‘why choose us’ statements
> plus, a comprehensive competitor strategy across digital and other channels
“We had competition open and decided to celebrate our main point of difference – our history and community roots. We have been a part of Echuca for 65 years, so the strategy was to share this with our community to highlight our value as a long-standing independent practice. The campaign has certainly reinforced to our local community that we have always been here and are here to stay.”
Practice Manager Jess Bussell, Horsfalls Optometrists VIC
For help creating or refining your Why Choose us Points, click here.
Ready for a brand review? Contact our marketing team at marketing@provision.com.au or 03 8544 3901.
