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our smiley logo – whether online, in television ads, at our SmileCenter, on outdoor signs or in the dental office. And, patients are more likely to remember and purchase services that make them feel good.” “Branding is more than the standardization of logos and fonts or something achieved by spending money on creative and advertising,” says Aldo Benedetto, vice president of marketing at Benevis. “To develop a meaningful and valuable brand, it is essential to define the desired brand image and treat every patient interaction as an opportunity to build the brand. Most of the offices that Benevis provides non-clinical support to are Kool Smiles offices. The Kool Smiles brand represents high quality patient care in a fun and compassionate environment.” In addition to a focus on making dentistry accessible to children, Kool Smiles maintains a commitment to serving the underserved, he notes. “Building trust, educating and ultimately providing a dental home for patients are the main branding objectives for Kool Smiles. “We believe that people generally choose doctors based on recommendations from someone they trust – usually Aldo Benedetto friends and family,” Benedetto continues. “Our goal is for our patients’ experiences to be positive and memorable so they are confident in recommending us. As you might expect, a focus on patient experience plays a significant role in patient retention, which is a key area of focus for our organization. “Professional, eye-catching signage, appealing creative, and an intuitive, well functioning website are requirements in the industry these days, as patients expect nothing less from providers,” Benedetto says. “However, in order to stand out in the marketplace, it is important that every aspect of the patient experience is considered. It is challenging to manage the many interactions that occur between exposure to an ad, the first call to schedule an appointment, appointment reminders, rescheduling, in-office experience and follow ups, but because of the difficulty, few do it very well, creating an opportunity for those committed to patient experience.” 26
Efficiency In Group Practice : ISSUE 6 • 2017
Indeed, branding is largely about the patient experience, notes Torresan. Rather than telling patients what to think and how to feel, GEDC connects with them. “Branding builds trust, and one way we do that is by incorporating the patient experience. We put the patient at the heart of the services we promote. For example, take the original photography we use in our print and digital advertising; not only does it showcase how a variety of dental services, like whitening or orthodontics, fits patients’ lives, but it features patients in their everyday natural settings, engaged in healthy activities. The goal is to show the healthy lifestyle they want to live.
“ Branding is more than the standardization of logos and fonts or something achieved by spending money on creative and advertising. To develop a meaningful and valuable brand, it is essential to define the desired brand image and treat every patient interaction as an opportunity to build the brand.” – Aldo Benedetto, vice president of marketing at Benevis
“Showing how GEDC products and services fit people’s lives reinforces the brand pillars of GEDC and further solidifies an emotional connection with our audience,” Torresan says. It is an approach that reinforces in-office patient education on the benefits of the service. “It is one reason why the office design and segmented digital communications is built around our patients’ flow and brand. From the consistency in the office colors, phrases and placement of messages, and timing of when the digital message is received, to the passion behind what the messages stand for, GEDC is able to reinforce our brand to our patients, which helps with retention and loyalty.”
Branding across the organization It’s one thing to achieve a sense of community within a dental office. It’s quite another to create that same