Seventh Essential for a Powerful Brand: Be Consistent

There’s a well-known motivational expression: “If you are persistent, you will get it. If you are consistent, you will keep it.” When it comes to your brand, consistency not only enhances your credibility but also helps ensure your image is crystal-clear to clients/patients. Conversely, if your approach is haphazard and inconsistent, clientele won’t know quite what to make of your brand.  

Projecting a reliable professional image used to be much simpler. But today, communication is so multi-layered that you need to be consistent across many platforms. First step is to determine your personality. Are you very formal? Downtown hip? Warm and fuzzy? Green and health-conscious? That image needs to come through in every aspect of your business. 

•    Make sure everything from your office décor and demeanor to your Facebook postings to your online videos has the same “voice” and messaging. For instance, if your personal style is hipster chic, your professional surroundings shouldn’t have oversized floral arrangements and plush sofas. Conversely, a brand that evokes a luxurious aura--with a somewhat formal manner in your treatment rooms and front office--would not have offices in a minimalist industrial style. 
•    Carry that same brand image through in all promotional material--written and online. Again, if you’re projecting a very health conscious style, you wouldn’t include humorous memes with references to alcohol or overeating on Facebook. A warm-and-fuzzy brand should steer clear of copy that sounds very technical and medically-oriented. You get the idea!
•    Whatever your style, make it personal. Include your photo on your website; give patients/clients an idea of your conversational approach and manner in online videos, included on your website and/or Youtube channel. Again, consistency is key: the same “voice” you use in the office and treatment rooms should be exhibited in every online venue.
•    Establish a schedule for your Facebook postings, blogs and newsletters--and stick with it. With Facebook, it’s smart to post daily (or every other day, or at least once a week) to keep our message front-and-center with clients and patients. Similarly, figure out the best timing to send out blogs, promotion announcements and online newsletters, and make sure you follow through.

But whatever timetable you choose, whatever image your project, whatever kind of messaging you send out--keeping it consistent is the key to keeping your brand powerful and your clientele loyal.