What does it take to create a successful brand?
When searching “how to create a brand” on Google, I found over 5 billion results. First page articles offer variations of the same key principals. The exact process I use is broken down into the 7 most essentials factors for building a successful brand.
My very first doctor client was a start up with a clear vision, goals and new medical technology. Although she had the infrastructure to offer new services, there wasn’t a business plan, strategy, or brand. We started by transforming her vision into a well-defined business which we used as the foundation for brand building.
The 7 essential brand building factors below outline the process we follow.
1. Define your business.
Have a clear goal for your business. What services or products are you offering? Who is the target market? What are the benefits? Who are your competitors? What problems does this product or service solve?
In the example, doctor client observed a trend in women’s health that would have a positive impact on both her existing patients or clients as well as new ones. In order to provide these services to her practice she had to establish a NEW business. By providing these new services, post-menopausal clients and patients would benefit by resolving unwanted symptoms, improve health and quality of life.
Her second goal was to increase additional private pay revenue. Managed healthcare has had a negative effect on businesses due to insurance reimbursement rates that fall short of meeting costs. In order to continue private practice her clinic would need additional revenue sources.
However, in order to provide these services to her practice she had to establish a NEW business. As such a NEW business, brand etc. was formed.
As a doctor, real estate broker or similar, YOU are your brand. Be the professional that you are while focusing on what makes you different. Everyone is unique and there are characteristics about you that will appeal to your ideal buyer or customer.
2. Know your target audience.
Who is your ideal client or customer? Where do they hang out? What are their pain points? Who will benefit from your product or service? What are the key attributes or benefits of your product or service?
What is a buyer persona?
“A buyer persona is a semi fictional representation of your ideal customer based on market research and real data about your existing customers.” ~ Hubspot
Developing buyer personas is often forgotten or overlooked. In order to create a brand that will attract your ideal patient or client, you need to know who you are marketing to. Using buyer personas will help you focus on the right person on
the right time with messaging that appeals to them. When creating your own persona(s) include the following:
- Demographics – What gender, geographical location, education, annual income, ethnicity, marital status etc. is your ideal client or patient?
- Determine pain points, problems or challenges that they may have.
- What role does your personal play professionally and personally? If you are targeting to a particular profession such as doctor, clinic manager or real estate broker, knowing their job title is important. If you are selling $5 million plus homes your ideal personal will probably be a CEO.
- Where do they hang out or what do they read?
- Are they using Facebook and reading Psychology Today?
- Do they belong to a particular club?
- Behavior patterns.
- Motivation and goals.
Example: Breast cancer survivor experiencing medically induced menopause. Interests such as travel, sports, political preference, religion, shopping, etc.
Understanding who you are marketing to is the “key” to success. Detailed buyer personas will help determine what platforms you should use, where to advertise and messaging that appeals to our buyer. By focusing on the right person at the right time you will save both time and money while increasing revenue.
Create a brand that is relatable to your buyer persona. You will probably have multiple personas to develop. Focus on creating 2-3 to start and add other personas after mastering a few. Find commonalities with each persona that will guide your brand building.
How to create a buyer person – use Hubspot’sTemplate.
3. Design your brand.
Keep your buyer persona in mind when designing your brands “look”. Brand design includes:
- Logo – keep it simple and related to your business.
- Colors are key to relating your business to its category. For example, doctors and hospitals are associated with the color blue. When reviewing other businesses not how many are using blue. Spas and therapists tend to use green. I use up to 5 colors for each brand not including white or black which are always used.
- Messaging should appeal to your buyer. Nike “just do it” appeals to athletes while Apples “think different” appeals to engineers and creatives.
- Fonts – Use a maximum of 2 – 3 fonts that are characteristic of your brand. Ex: Euphoria Script is probably not a good font for a construction company. Keep in mind, you will want one font to be pretty standard to use for your website and the main body of emails. Use secondary fonts for headlines and graphics. I will use a 3rd font for graphics and the website url on all branded materials.
- Taglines need to be designed in way that communicates to your target audience who you are and what you offer.
- Guidelines – this is a guide that explains exactly how to use your assets. This is increasingly important as more people become part of your business.
4. Offer a unique value or benefit.
“A value proposition is the solution your business or products provides that competitors cannot”.
Your value proposition may be the most important part of your marketing messaging. It can also be one of the more challenging factors in brand building. In order to create a value proposition that appeals to your buyer answer these questions.
- What benefit or improvement does your product or service offer?
A: There are many products and services that offer the same results but there is no proof that they work. Customers take the risk of spending large amounts of money and not getting results. We offer ONLY the services or products that are proven to work and backed by clinical studies and publication .
- Why are these benefits valuable?
A: There are many products and services that offer the same results but there is no proof that they work. Customers take the risk of spending large amounts of money and not getting results. We offer ONLY the services or products that are proven to work and backed by clinical studies and publication .
- What problem do you solve?
A: Lack of confidence and quality of life due to aging. Look noticeably younger.
- What is unique or different about your product or service? Why should they buy from you?
A: Although other medical spas offer the same solutions our treatments are the top rated, proven, and backed by clinical research and publications.
Elements of a value proposition.
- Headline
- Sub-headline or description
- 3 bullet points
- Visual(s) – video and/or images
Examples:
If you are an esthetician the benefit you offer to your clients is “youth” or “to look younger”.
Double Tree Hotels offer guests when they check in a freshly baked cookie. How unique is that?
Other ideas: giveaways, higher quality, customer service, memberships, FREE consultation, etc.
5. Be memorable.
Think of your brand as a person that is unique yet relatable to your ideal customer. Understand your buyer and build an emotional connection. Tell a story about a situation that describes their problem, how it impacted their business, what they did to resolve it and the results (or happy ending). Remember a story should have a beginning, a middle and an end. It should have a hero, a problem (protagonist) or challenge, how they overcame it and a happy ending.
Take a stand. Don’t play it safe by having a neutral opinion or common theme. Being neutral is being “forgettable”.
Example: “We tried OTC skincare products for our clients to use between treatments to prevent and improve the signs of aging. The products simply didn’t work. As such, we have a brand NEW line of prescription grade skincare products that have proven results.”
In order to be memorable:
- Create a unforgettable personality.
- Use a unique and memorable name for your brand.
- Use unique phrases, words, tag lines.
- Have a unique look or design for your branding.
- Strong social presence.
- Be consistent.
- Build a tribe around your brand.
6. Be Consistent – with everything!
Create a pattern of expression that will allow people to form the same opinion about your brand.
- Consistency with images, colors, visuals.
- Use the same messaging.
- Have a consistent schedule for sharing on social media.
- Create a content calendar and post on a regular basis.
- Advertise with a consistent message.
- Develop brand guidelines (see #3).
- Use consistency across all channels. Your Facebook profile should be similar to
or the same as your website and other social media platforms.
- Use the same handle
(@medicalmarketingsolved) - Cover image
- Profile picture
- Bio’s and descriptions
7. Exposure
Be seen where you need to be seen and be seen often. This doesn’t mean be on every single platform. Whether its sharing on social media, guest posting, video or advertising be on the platforms where your target market or customer is. Post and engage at the same time as your audience. Use analytics and insights to determine when those times may be. Incorporate all the other factors by being consistent, personality, offer a unique benefit or value to the right audience.
Branding isn’t as simple as described in these 5 posts but its a good place to start when creating your brand or working with an agency to create your brand. Remember, if you are the brand such as a doctor, hair stylist, real estate broker, physician trainer, etc. focus on branding yourself rather than a business you work for or represent.
