Is a dental logo important for your practice? The short answer is yes. Since I have an entire blog to write, I’ll give you a bit more explanation, as well as information about how much you should, and should not, spend on a logo and how to maximize your investment.

Why does your office need a logo?

Branding was big business lingo a decade ago. Because branding is not a tangible thing, justifying its value proved difficult. Here’s the definition of branding: The image and feeling you have when thinking about a business.

Think about McDonald’s. What does it taste like? What does your store look like?

Think about Rolex. What does it say about the wearer? What does the name iself stand for?

Think about Dollar General. Who goes to this store? Why? How does being there make you feel?

Think about Cancun. Have you been? Do you have a special memory of your time there? What do you think of when you hear the name Cancun?

Each of these are brands. Each gives a person a unique, personal response. That’s a brand. The unique, personal feeling conjured up in the mind of an individual. What will your brand bring to mind? You can drive that image, those thoughts — but you must strategize. Leaving your brand to chance is risky.

A logo is a big part of a brand.

Your practice will have a brand, whether or not you have a dental logo.

A logo simply adds to the brand, the idea that people will have when they think about making an appointment or referring your office to a new neighbor who needs a dentist.

Your logo will become the identifiable factor that brings the visual idea of your practice together – your signage that they pass on the way to work, your ad in the local newspaper or regional magazine, your business card received by a coworker, and your website. It will convey that they’re in the right place. The RIGHT place.

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Dental Logo Design

When you’re ready to design a logo for your dental office, the first step is contacting a marketing firm, like Identiwrite Creative. Do not go straight to a graphic designer. Liken it to calling a carpenter to build your home, without first working with an architect.

As a dental marketing consultant, I’ll help you determine the image (brand, idea, feeling) you want patients and potential patients to have about your practice. From there, we can determine the icon or graphic representation that will convey that idea in the minds of onlookers. Colors will play a big role in the logo. There is a proven psychology behind colors – and most scientists, dentists, physicians, and technology experts tend toward blues. Don’t fall for it. Your audience is not you. We need to determine your target audience (avatars) and decide which colors will point them to that image you want them to have when they see your logo.

Cost of Dental Logo Design

Graphic designers and marketing agencies are going to hate me for this, but I do not believe an independent dentist should pay thousands of dollars for your logo. A management company with 10 or more offices, should pay a few thousand for a logo that can be altered for various locations. If you were a multi-million-dollar company competing with other similar companies, a large investment would be prudent. Most likely, if you are reading this blog, you’re not in that category of businesses. The independent dentist with one or a few offices will have significant expenses in building and maintaining a well optimized website and sending out periodic direct mailers to boost visibility in his or her area.

I strongly urge that you invest in a logo that’s well thought out and strategic, but do not spend over 1200. In fact, if you can spend under $800, you’ll have done well.

Leveraging the Logo

Are you familiar with the term brand impressions? In the marketing industry, it refers to the number of times a logo or business name appears in front of an audience. For instance, if a Facebook ad is seen by 2500 viewers, it had 2500 impressions.

With your logo, we want as many brand impressions as possible. The more people who see your logo, and who repeatedly see your logo, the better. Repetition is important. It’s why we see the same commercial 3 times during a 30-minute sitcom. People don’t tend to notice one time, but the mind tucks each impression away, and the more a logo is seen, the more familiar it becomes. Familiarity breeds acceptance. With this, your brand becomes a friend. Just seeing your brand many times tends to convey the idea that your business is well known and liked in the community.

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To create as many brand impressions as possible, your dental logo should be on:

  • Signs and front door
  • Inside the office, on posters, flyers, brochures, business cards, and other collateral
  • Somewhere in every operatory, in restrooms, and at checkout
  • On scrubs (and t-shirts you provide your employees – and perhaps patients)
  • Provide logo’d items to new patients to get your logo inside their homes and workplaces, where family, coworkers, friends, and relatives will see it (I suggest http://www.hawkeyeprint.com for logo’d items.)
  • In print publications, such as newspaper and local magazines, journals, etc.
  • In front of parents – sponsorship of athletic and PTA publications (not year books, but football tickets, t-shirts, and items that many, many people will see)
  • Direct mailers, coupons, anything mailed
  • Website, social media, and all online endeavors
  • Partnership advertising with local businesses

We Will Design Your Best Dental Logo

Ready to talk about your logo? Call me, Shauna Duty, at 940-395-5115 today. Or, if you prefer, email me to set up a call. I’m at shauna@identiwrite.com. Tell me about your practice, the patients and types of cases you want to attract, and we’ll work with my graphics team to develop the ideal logo for your office. Then, we can create a strategic plan to market your practice online, so your schedule is booked with the patients you want.

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