A father and son both own cabinet installation companies, the son’s business is thriving while the father’s is struggling, what is the difference? Why is the son’s business working with larger corporate clients and earning greater profits?
One significant difference is that the son invested in branding his company while his father never did. When we talk about branding, we are not talking about just a logo, we are referring to the set of tools used to market a business and the experiences your customers have with your business. It is the perception you want people to have about your business.
Using visual and verbal consistency to promote your brand is a great first step. Building a brand is not about short-term results but about long-term results, it takes vision and dedication. And yes, every small business can accomplish this, here are the ways we worked with our client Cheyenne Dental Group to build a successful brand:
1. Defining the business and how we want to be perceived
Cheyenne Dental Group was started by Dr. My G. Tran, DDS, a dentist younger than most of his peers. He wanted to emphasize that his office incorporates the latest technology that is more advanced than surrounding competitors. However, unlike other state-of-the-art practices, Cheyenne Dental Group is affordable for most patients.
2. Determining the audience
Cheyenne Dental Group’s focus was to penetrate the Las Vegas community, a community that is saturated with dental practices, so we focused on a target audience – younger families and young couples. Research showed that the female in the family generally makes healthcare decisions; and the brand identity was developed to connect with the female audience. Dr. Tran wanted his patients to feel comfortable that his practice can provide comprehensive care for every family member.
3. Telling our story, one that people will remember
The visual illustration we developed of a young couple dancing on grass and a smiling cloud, exclaiming “When you smile…The world smiles back.” is an advertisement that the community has associated with Cheyenne Dental Group over the past 3 years. The ad was meant to signify that having a healthy and beautiful smile makes a positive impact. Along with the illustration we included a coupon that provides a financial incentive for people to experience care at Cheyenne Dental Group. In this ad, we were able to accomplish two things, show that Cheyenne cares about the health of a person’s smile and provides it at an affordable rate.
4. Consistency and details matter
Cheyenne’s colors, logo, and curved styling are all a part of their visual identity system used on all marketing collateral to maintain a consistent brand identity. The curves in the design are supposed to portray friendliness and engage the female audience, while the metallic shine on the logo communicate the cleanliness of the office.
We used these design elements and messages on all of the practice’s print collateral, web design and email marketing. Patients began to quickly identify what the logo, pictures and colors represented.
5. Follow-through with the customer experience
The perception you build with the branding design and messaging has to align with the reality of your service. Nike and Apple do a great job bringing the brands to life, when you walk into those company stores there is a specific experience they provide.
Again, Branding is not as simple as a logo, or consistent designs, it is a holistic approach of how you portray your business and follow through. Cheyenne Dental Group has been very successful with its brand; it makes a promise through visual and verbal consistency and keeps the promise with the patient experience.
Cheyenne Dental Group is a lot like Apple and Nike, it promises to provide “the premier dental experience”, and it follows through; from the friendliness of the front desk, to the flat screen televisions, and digital x-ray machines they use for exams.
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