A few days ago, I was visiting a dental practice in a big town centre with a colleague. As we approached the practice, we stopped at a set of traffic lights and my colleague said, ‘We’re really near to the practice now, can you see it?’
Despite a full minute scouring the scene in front of me, the answer was ‘no’.
The practice was just the other side of the lights – less than 30 metres away.
We found a public car park a few hundred yards away, parked up and walked back to the practice. Of course, I now knew where the practice was – but that didn’t stop me walking straight past it! My colleague had to call me back.
It’s not a small practice – in fact its frontage is very wide compared to most. The problem was, all of the signage was running parallel to the pavement and the road – not facing it – which made it very easy to miss, as I did…twice!
How many potential patients do you think walk or drive past that practice each day, blissfully unaware that the practice actually exists? I’m guessing, a lot.
Yet, the solution is so easy – to create a clear, highly visible sign that faces its audience square on. A simple case of turning the message through 90°.
Take a quick walk out of your practice and then walk back with a fresh pair of eyes. Is your practice clearly visible? Even if I’m driving at 30mph. If it’s not, you’re losing business.
Every town has at least one signage company – find yours and talk to them about how you can make your practice stand out to passers-by – it’s an investment you won’t regret.