Branding Wisdom from Marketing Goddess Nancy Lashley

Nancy Lashley is founder and president of Athena Marketing, Inc., a firm that specializes in marketing and branding for dental practices nationwide. She is also an author and lecturer on dental marketing and has created several dental marketing products to help practitioners realize their vision of a successful practice. Nancy served as advisor to the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry’s public relations committee from 2004-2007 and continues to help the academy promote itself to the dental community and consumers alike.

Nancy is known for brilliant insights and advice on marketing, and an eye for what works and what doesn’t in the dental industry. Her first design project was Dr. Bill Blatchford’s Doctor Book, and since starting Athena in 2002 she has helped dozens of dentists and specialists turn their practices into marketable brands.

Marketing is more than a logo

According to Lashley, making the most of marketing your practice requires more than just a cool looking logo. “It’s all about getting clear about who you are as a person, as a doctor, and as a business…and the patient experience you create for your patients,” says Lashley. “Branding doesn’t have to be something like a logo. Instead, think of it like you are branding yourself and branding your skill set. The key is to figure out what makes you special and turn that into your brand.”

Image and branding may be new concepts for you. Many dental specialists concentrate on the clinical aspects of their practice and may overlook the marketing aspects needed to ensure the ongoing success of the business. According to Lashley, the days when branding your practice seemed unnecessary are over. Today, specialists must look brand their service as a product.

“It’s hard for practitioners to think of it this way because they are clinically focused, and they want things that are logical – point A-B-C to where you want to go,” says Lashley. “But it is really all about vision. But not the kind of vision that we are used to – like writing a mission statement with generic words like ‘professional, skilled and caring’ – but instead a real and true vision that emphasizes your clinical and business strengths. In this way the vision is never anything different than who you are as a practitioner and as a person.”

Consistent marketing messages

With a clear vision for your practice in place, Lashley suggests that no matter how you market your practice you should be consistent and be sure that your output reflects your vision and how you want to be regarded in the market. “This type of marketing comes out not only through your business cards and your website, but also through the words that you say to referring doctors and your bedside manner with your patients,” says Lashley. “It is important that everything is consistent to that core vision of who you are, and repetitive to the point that there is never any confusion on the part of patients, referring dentists or the community about the unique nature of your practice.”

According to Lashley, this fundamental approach is essential for long term marketing benefit. “A lot of doctors want to go straight to figuring out what the perfect marketing method is going to be, and they feel that if they have a great website or a great marketing ad that is going to solve all of their problems.  What I try to teach my clients is to step back from looking for that magic bullet and instead get real quiet and real clear about what makes them special.”

There was once a perception in the dental industry that if you open your doors patients will simply walk through them. Lashley warns that with the vastly improved care that dentists have been able to provide in recent years, the conditions that used to bring new patients to a specialist’s door have changed.

“Dental specialists are selling themselves, and they are selling something that doesn’t exist yet; any new patient really has to go on faith, either in you or in the referring dentist. So I coach my clients to focus on their strengths, understand their weaknesses, and market their practice in what ever way we need to. This might mean an advertisement or a website, but it also means anytime they say or write anything to anybody about their practice. I want them to think about what it is they are saying and be sure that the messages remain consistent and focused on the vision.”

Stay true to core strengths

Lashley is passionate in her believe that dental specialists must always market and promote from the “core of who they are” in order for your practice to develop in to one that has the right mix of patients and success, and is both profitable for you as a practitioner and pleasurable in terms of professional lifestyle.  “This may sound very ‘whoo-whoo’ and esoteric, but I know from my own personal experience and from working with dozens and dozens of clients, that this approach absolutely works. Over the long term, doctors get to treat patients with the types of cases they want to practice, patients are happy, and ultimately the practice is successful.”

When it comes to finding the right marketing partner to help promote your practice, Lashley stresses the need to find a provider that understands the unique marketing needs of dental specialists.  “Most dental marketing companies are focused on helping general dentists and may not be set up to work with specialists,” says Lashley. “It all boils down to referrals and relationships with general dentists. The most important this to understand how you are going to develop and maintain those relationships with referring doctors. You have to be really comfortable about who you are and what you can do, specifically when you are interacting with referring doctors.”

Dental specialists can reach marketing success by always falling back on your core vision for your practice, and by being consistent in how you describe the strengths of your “brand” to patients, referring dentists and your community.

For more information, or to contact Nancy Lashley, call (800) 433-4203 or visit www.athenamarketing.com