Patients are more likely to choose you if they recognize and trust you. One way to build that is through consistency in your marketing. Here are three ways consistency can grow your practice plus tips on how to get started.
How to Grow Your Practice With Consistent Marketing
When you think of well-known brands, which ones come to mind? Is it the iconic Nike swoosh? The sleek, modern feel of the latest iPhone commercial? Or the familiar jingle of Liberty car insurance?
Whether you buy their products or not, you might want to ask yourself, “What makes these brands so memorable?” Is it that they show up on your TV or tablet ALL the time? Or is it that when they do, you KNOW it’s them?
The answer is probably both – these brands are consistent and recognizable.
What makes a company’s products or services stick in the minds of their customers is in how they market themselves. And all of this revolves around consistency. They’re consistently out in front of potential customers, and they’re consistent in how they talk about themselves.
The same thing applies to you in your practice.
Now, we’re not saying to go spend a ton of money on getting a logo or writing a catchy jingle. Those are tactics. We’re talking about something that happens even before all that. We’re talking more about strategy.
But before we get into that, let’s talk about why consistency matters when it comes to marketing. Here are three reasons for you to consider:
1. Consistency Builds Recognition and Awareness
Have you ever glanced at a billboard while driving or had a certain brand grab your attention when perusing through the grocery store – and you automatically recognized the company or product without even seeing the brand name? That’s a great example of brand recognition, and it comes from consistent marketing.
That consistency in quality and in frequency helps brands to be easily recognizable and stay top of mind with potential customers.
Over time, that recognition starts to build awareness. So, when it comes to your wellness practice, think about the ways you’re making yourself and your brand recognizable.
2. Consistency Strengthens Trust, Your Reputation, and Credibility
Think about it. If you had a friend who always cancels plans at the last minute and rarely returns your phone calls, how long would you stay friends? Not long, right?
So, when it comes to building your practice, being consistent and dependable is extremely important. It shows you’re credible and builds trust with your ideal patients. Regardless of age, gender or income levels, 7 out of 10 people say that being able to trust a brand is more important today than it was in the past.1 In fact, trust now ranks second only to price.2 Let that sink in for a few minutes.
3. Consistency Impacts Your Profits
Did you know that being consistent can have a positive impact on your bottom line?
When a business (or practice) is consistent with their branding, it can boost their revenue on average a whopping 23%!3 And the colors you choose are just as important. They do more than make your website look pretty. They can actually increase recognition by up to 80%!4
How to Market Your Practice More Consistently
Up to this point, we’ve talked about why consistency in your marketing matters and how it can impact your practice. Now, let’s talk about how you can be more consistent in your marketing. Here are three tips to get you on your way:
Tip 1: Communicate on the Same Day and at the Same Time
One of the best ways you can build trust and awareness is to publish material on the same time and date each week. We’re not saying you have to post each weekday morning exactly at 9:01 AM. What we are saying is that showing up consistently and at a specific time shows you are committed, trust-worthy and helps to make YOU a part of THEIR regular routine.
So, ask yourself:
- When are your patients most active on social media?
- Are you showing up when they are most likely to be available?
- Is your FB Live or IG TV planned for the same date and time each week?
- Do you have a certain day and time that your emails go out?
As best as you can, stick to the dates and times you’ve established. This will help strengthen your reputation as a practitioner who does what they say they’ll do.
Tip 2: Maintain Consistent Colors, Tone and Feel
Your ideal patients are more likely to choose you if they recognize you and your practice. When you’re maintaining the same quality and frequency across your different platforms, it helps them remember you. So, consider:
- When you post about your practice, do you use consistent colors, or are you changing it up every couple of months?
- Are you maintaining a consistent theme across all your platforms (your website copy, emails, social media, forms at your office, patient hand-outs, etc.)?
- Does your digital material have the same look and feel as your printed material?
A little forethought goes a long way here. Where you can, make all of your digital and printed information as cohesive as possible.
Tip 3: Get Specific in Your Branding Guidelines
Phrases like “branding guidelines” can feel intimidating and more complicated than you may like. But it can be as simple as pulling out a Google doc and answering the following questions:
- What tone and voice do you want your messaging to have? Fun and sassy? More buttoned-up and formal?
- What are the precise colors you want to use to reflect your practice?
- What type of look and feel do you want your photos to have? Warm and inviting? Clean and minimalistic?
The more specific you can get, the more accurate you’ll be – which as we’ve seen with the stats, can help boost your practice’s revenue.
Decide How You’ll Consistently Market Your Wellness Practice
It’s natural to want or think that future patients will come flocking to your office simply by flashing that “Open” sign. But unfortunately, the saying, “If you build it, they will come” only applies in the movies.
When it comes to growing your practice, you have to show and tell people. You have to tell them about your practice and then show them through your consistent marketing that you mean what you say. Whether you’re a chiropractor, acupuncturist, health coach or other type of health practitioner, start thinking through how you can consistently show up in front of your ideal patients.
Doing this kind of thoughtful work will make it easier to create the consistent content you need to market yourself and your practice. But we get it – we know this can feel like a brain-bending exercise. And if you’re the only one running the show, it can feel like a lot.
If you’re tired of figuring out how to market your practice all on your own, we’d love the opportunity to help you. Sign up for a free evaluation to see how we can help take the marketing load off your shoulders.
Sources
1. (2020, June 25). Trust Barometer Special Report: Brand Trust in 2020 | Edelman. Retrieved January 23, 2021, from https://www.edelman.com/research/brand-trust-2020
2. (2020, June 25). Trust Barometer Special Report: Brand Trust in 2020 | Edelman. Retrieved January 23, 2021, from https://www.edelman.com/research/brand-trust-2020
3. (2018, August 10). 10 Marketing, Web Design, & Branding Stats… – Forbes. Retrieved January 23, 2021, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/gabrielshaoolian/2018/08/10/10-marketing-web-design-branding-statistics-to-help-you-prioritize-business-growth-initiatives/?sh=76e198acd708
4. (2018, August 10). 10 Marketing, Web Design, & Branding Stats… – Forbes. Retrieved January 23, 2021, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/gabrielshaoolian/2018/08/10/10-marketing-web-design-branding-statistics-to-help-you-prioritize-business-growth-initiatives/?sh=76e198acd708
