Dental practice marketing personnel often have a whole host of considerations to keep in mind when crafting their promotional campaigns – what kind of marketing materials should be used, where to heavily promote their services, how much they can afford to spend on the campaign – but one area that is often overlooked is color. The right or wrong colors can dramatically impact a potential new patient’s decision regarding whether to choose your practice or not. While many associate dentistry with the color white – gleaming teeth, white coats, toothpaste – the truth is that other colors should be considered as well in the design of your dental marketing, patient newsletters, practice branding, and even the practice itself.
The biggest impact that color can have is on acquiring potential new patients.
According to the Institute for Color Research, the average person makes a subconscious judgment about a product, person or environment within 90 seconds. During that short time period, there isn’t much information for him or her to make a judgment on, so ultimately color contributes between 62-90 percent of that judgment. For a new patient who comes across your dental newsletter or drives past your practice, it is essential to make sure that the colors you have chosen work positively on them.
In addition, color plays a massive role in memory recall, which is why it is such an important aspect in branding. Many consumers associate top brands with their dominant colors, such as Coca-Cola with red and UPS with brown. Once your practice has been associated with an eye-catching and memorable color – from the logo down to every piece of marketing material – your practice will be more likely to stand out in a patient’s mind.
Before choosing the dominant color that will ultimately represent your dental practice, it is important to decide what kind of message you want your practice to convey. Some practices opt for a serious, professional tone, while others might choose to go with a light and airy atmosphere that appeals to younger audiences.
For the serious dentist, white may be the best color. White is often used with health-related products because the color connotes cleanliness and purity. Additionally, the human eye tends to view white as a brilliant color and one that is arresting and eye-catching. White may therefore be a great choice for signage from afar, clearly connoting a health-related practice or service.
Cool and light blues are generally associated with trust, security and stability. One of the most important factors in creating engagement with potential new patients is to establish a sense of two-way trust. Including bright blue hues on your dental newsletter campaigns is sure to help convince patients that your practice is the right choice for their oral health needs. Compliment blue with red or fuchsia for the biggest direct mail punch.
A popular color in dentistry is green or teal which promotes health, freshness and growth. Lighter shades of green can also have a calming effect, making it a solid choice for the actual practice itself. Many patients might be anxious about visiting the dentist for a surgical procedure, so including a dominant color that is simultaneously calming could go a long way toward promoting your practice positively in the patient’s mind.
While color combinations are a big consideration, so is your imagery. Ensure that your images reflect your demographic and target audience. Call us today and we’ll discuss about ways to ensure that your brand color selections resonate with your target market.