Logos as most people understand them produce actual dollars in the bank only when you give them extensive exposure. Why? Because they work by generating recognition for the practice through recognition of the logo. And to break through the clutter of 5,000 commercial messages each day shoved into the average person’s mind takes a lot of repetition. But if you expose your logo enough, it then improves the response to your promotions in visual media.

But remember that there are two varieties of logos. The first type is simply a design element. The logo looks pretty and, at best, simply catches attention. It communicates nothing. Here you're talking about the famous Nike "swoosh", the Apple "bitten apple", etc.

Design-based logos are the type that require tons of megabuck exposures to be remembered in today’s information overload.

So, it’s better to have your logo work right away—with very few exposures—by communicating one important point about your practice.

This type of logo is called a Marketing-Based Logo. It needs to communicate either the main benefit of the practice—or the main point of differentiation. It must do this instantaneously, in one quick glance. If it doesn’t, it fails—back to the drawing board.

If your logo can communicate this way, you don’t need to spend a fortune just to get it recognized. A Marketing-Based Logo simply works faster and, therefore, results cost less.

Tips for Producing and Using a Logo Correctly:

1. Place the logo in all promotion, including outdoor office sign, Yellow Pages ads, even on name tags for the staff.

2. Good logos incorporate the practice name in the design or have the name printed close to it in a complementary typestyle. This helps build recognition of the name.

3. Logos must communicate instantaneously even when quite small, such as on business cards or in small ads.

4. Logos must work in black and white, such as in newspaper and the Yellow Pages.

5. If you’re going to have a graphic artist design your logo, you will have to do the analysis and planning of your unique message yourself. Then you’ll need to give very specific directions as to what the logo should communicate.

If you'd like to see samples of marketing-based logos for healthcare practices, visit our website gallery, where you’ll see a variety of successful logos.

For more information on logos, design and marketing strategies for healthcare practices, visit www.PracticeBuilders.com