When Should You Rebrand Your Practice?

Question: Here is the deal: I bought a practice about 6 months ago with a fancy logo, letterhead,  and a "brand", small but surviving. I think the name is akward hard to say, hard to spell and doesn't really reflect our commitment to high quality FAMILY dentistry. Is there any downfall to changing to a new,  not so flashy name like, say, Redmond Family Dental (Redmond is the town I am in).  My other thought is just [My full name] DMD.

Answer:
I would recommend spreading out the rebranding process over a year or two - plan it out in small steps to mitigate patient loss.  Six months isn't quite long enough in my opinion for a complete rebranding overhaul, especially if you're in a smaller market.

As far as what to brand yourself, it depends entirely upon who you are and what type of practice you'd like to build, so I'd need more information before being able to give my .2 cents... But generally speaking, if you're planning to bring in an associate or partner any time in the next 10years, then yes, go more generic in your name, like Redmond Family Dentistry.  If you're planning on being a single doctor practice until the very end, then I always prefer clients to brand themselves directly - after all, you are selling yourself first and dentistry second.


If you're interested in rebranding too, email Athena at weseeyoushine@gmail.com and I'll send you my marketing plan spreadsheet and workbook, both of which will help you make and implement your decision. (And, no, I won't put you on a spam list or bug you at all, don't worry - I'm all about teaching a man to fish rather than selling the catch of the day!)