The Six Ps of Physician Branding
In health care, branding is historically associated with consumer products and corporate entities. Now, however, the concept is transcending traditional boundaries and extending its reach to physicians and health care professionals. This paradigm shift accentuates the importance of patient perception and trust in the care process and shapes the narrative of patient awareness.
In the context of physician branding, several intricacies must be considered. After nearly 15 years of working with leading surgeons and conducting one of the largest studies in the world to analyze how patients make decisions, my colleague Scott Sigman, MD, an orthopedic surgeon, and I wrote a book, “Physician Brand Rx,” encapsulating these intricacies into what we call the six Ps of the patient journey. At the heart of the equation is perception. The subtle differences between what a physician says and what a patient perceives underscores the need for physicians to align with patients’ expectations and depict how they are the specialists in the specialty. Behavioral psychology tells us that individuals remember the first and the best person to do something but not the rest. As a result, better is not better when it comes to branding—different is better. The goal is to elevate yourself in the ophthalmology field so that you’re not just seen as a commodity.
THE PATIENT JOURNEY
Physicians are in the trust business. Learning how to digitize trust and make the most of every patient interaction will amplify a physician’s reputation. Understanding the six Ps can provide invaluable insights into enhancing branding efforts and delivering the key elements that influence patient choice when selecting a specialty physician.
No. 1: Pain.
Rather than physical discomfort, here the concept of pain refers to the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that influence the patient experience. From the ease of scheduling to the clarity of communication and the customized approach to their care, patients evaluate physicians based on a holistic view of their pain points.
No. 2: Perspective.
The way practices articulate their unique point of view and value proposition matters. Patient perspective goes beyond merely showcasing the physician’s armamentarium of procedures and technologies. Convey the practice’s approach to patient care and communicate what patients can expect from its services. Rather than producing marketing-based materials and designing a website that focuses on what physicians do in your practice, concentrate on who the practice serves and why.
No. 3: Problem solving.
Most patients have a basic understanding of what ophthalmologists do and a good grasp on the idea that pathology means prognosis and prognosis means procedure. Frame the physicians’ expertise in terms of addressing patient needs and challenges to foster a sense of trust and confidence. This requires the practice to focus on how it solves problems compliantly for patients.
No. 4: Personas.
Patients are tribal. They think in terms of persona, and they are looking for a like-minded physician rooted in the same principles and values that they possess. When I work with private practice clients, one of our main areas of focus is to develop a specific persona for their practice based on personalities, cultural index, ethnicity, and diversity. Understand and embody the characteristics that resonate with the practice’s target patient base to forge deeper connections and build rapport with the patient group it is ideally serving.
No. 5: Process.
From a patient’s first point of contact with the practice to the follow-up care they receive, clarity and transparency in guiding patients through their eye care journey is key. Process is the most monetized word that physicians never use. One tip for a practice’s website is to include a sequence-oriented description of the patient journey. This can be as basic as including how to inquire about a procedure, how to schedule an appointment, and what to expect when visiting the office to as complex as a patient-centric, branded proprietary protocol that aligns with the six Ps and renders the practice’s physicians as specialists of the eye care specialty. It may seem duplicative, but process is extremely important to patients.
No. 6: Place.
As physicians in the modern digital world, place is extremely important for your brand. Learn to navigate not only the practice’s physical location(s) but also its online presence to ensure consistency and authenticity across all avenues of patient engagement. The practice’s brand is not only who it says it is but who its patients say the practice is and who Google says the practice is. Social and digital media have a transformative power to amplify the physician’s voice and establish thought leadership. Personalized videos, social media engagement, and strategic positioning can be leveraged to humanize the practice’s brand across all spaces, foster meaningful connections, and leave a lasting impression on the patients it serves.
EMBRACE THE DIGITAL AGE
In today’s digital age, physicians and practices have an opportunity to create a powerful and lasting footprint that helps patients see them as a specialist in the specialty. Remember, however, that there is a huge difference between being overly inclusive and mutually exclusive. One of the easiest ways to elevate your brand above the noise in the digital age is to find a unique story that attracts more of your target patients.
My coauthor for “Physician Brand Rx,” Dr. Sigman, is a perfect case example. He engaged with our agency to help him develop his brand. After our signature brand discover session, we began the process of turning Dr. Sigman into a storyteller and creating a narrative that met three goals: (1) becoming the specialist in the specialty, (2) attracting more patients in his target group, and (3) getting free media attention.
Dr. Sigman became the name behind opioid-sparing surgery. He posted on LinkedIn—the most fluent social media platform—produced personalized videos, wrote articles, and was booked for guest appearances on popular US-based daytime television talk shows like Dr. Oz. Eventually, he even gave a TED Talk (Figure).
CONCLUSION
Embrace physician branding not as a superficial marketing tactic but as a vehicle for authenticity, differentiation, and impact. Further, master its intricacies by focusing on the six Ps to gain trust and boost the practice’s brand recognition and reputation. In a digital age inundated with information, patients have endless choices. Ultimately, they will gravitate toward a physician who inspires trust and confidence. Like currency, trust serves as the bedrock of the physician-patient relationship, shaping perceptions and driving decision-making.
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