Focus and Dedication: Foundations of a Booming Micro-brand

Ihave been an avid proponent of branding in my practice for many years. In fact, some might argue that I'm obsessive. Our staff wear branded scrubs, we have branded product bags, and when we host in-office functions we even serve M&M candies and cake pops with our logo. We also wear matching branded shirts to team-building outings. So having branded skin care was a very logical next step.

Why didn't I micro-brand? It's a good question and one that I actually took some time to come around to. But once I took a hard look at the opportunity and made the decision to move forward, I have had incredible success. Micro-branding is not a tremendously difficult proposition—especially if you partner with the right company. I chose to work with Topix Pharmaceuticals, and I believe that was essential to my success.

Effective micro-branding takes time and focus, and I learned some lessons along the way that I am happy to share.

Focus. Most practice undertakings can be effective if the practice dedicates sufficient focus to do it right. This is especially true for micro-branding. Investing time into planning for success is well worth it. In some practices, the physician may not be able to dedicate the time and attention needed to this endeavor. If you can only focus on making decisions during tiny gaps between seeing patients or in the evenings, you may find it difficult to move the process forward quickly. Your micro-branding program is going to evolve as you consider adding new SKUs and expanding your distribution channels. Your best chance for success is to deputize someone to help manage the process. In my practice, I hired a full-time employee to oversee our micro-branding program, and the investment was well worth it.

Educate. Many practices recognize the importance of employee education, but they may think of it primarily when starting the micro-branding initiative or onboarding new staff. In reality, education is an ongoing process, and it is essential that staff receive regular training updates. I believe that repetition is the motor of learning, which is another reason I was so pleased with the Topix solution. Quality skin care products feature a variety of ingredients with multiple potential actions and benefits. There is a lot for staff to learn to feel comfortable conveying to your patients. You must ensure that patient education is accurate and consistent, which is a key reason to emphasize ongoing re-education. As your program expands over time, there will be new products for staff to learn about.

Set goals. Goal setting is essential. For starters, it is a key factor in the decision to micro-brand. Consider what you want to accomplish with the program. What benefits do you hope to achieve for your patients? For your staff? It's also important to set performance goals so you can plan strategies to help you and your staff achieve those goals. You may decide to focus on staff incentives, marketing tactics designed around specific products and new launches, or other tactics to drive growth and replenishment. For example, last year we had a 33 percent increase in sales. (Figure above) I set a goal for a 50 percent increase for this year.

Incentivize. We incentivize our staff for selling products. We also give large discounts to staff for their personal use and for friends and family. Our staff also receive a good deal of product at no charge. Your staff are your product ambassadors or “cheerleaders.” When you leave the room, patients talk to them and will ask about products, so they need to be able to talk about your micro-brand and offer their experiences and testimonials firsthand to patients. They can only give authentic endorsements if they have tried the products themselves. The company you partner with on your micro-branding initiative should be able to help you understand and structure appropriate incentives.

Retain. Staff retention is essential to practice success and it is especially important to the success of your micro-branding effort. For example, longtime staff experience the cumulative benefit from ongoing product education, and you don't need to keep starting from scratch in terms of education. Additionally, if you focus on retention, then you are committed to developing happy staff who will stick around. Happy staff lead to happy customers. Happy customers trust your practice, value your expertise, and embrace your product recommendations. They can also be your greatest source of referrals.

Marketing. I tend to focus on internal marketing, which is key. It is also more cost effective than continuously having to look for new patients. As a physician, you are already dealing with people that appreciate you and know that you care about them and that you want them to be their best. In many ways, your micro-branding program is a great form of internal marketing. At the same time, the program itself requires marketing.

One way we market products is through events, which is an area where my practice excels. We do a lot of events in my office and they're very popular with patients. An event creates a buzz of excitement and provides opportunities to cross promote your products and services. You can differentiate yourself from competitors, educate your patients, enhance patient loyalty, increase new patients, and re-engage old patients. We want our patients to become “lifers.” Our premier event is our annual Sparkle Party that we host during the first week of November. We had 1,000 people come to the party this year. When people walked into the office they saw two things: Germain and Germain Rx. We had some employees from Topix on hand to help with the guests and we sold $95,000 worth of products that night. It was a very successful night for our practice.

Know Why. In his book, Start With Why, Simon Sinek suggests that individuals are most successful when they consider “why” they have set a particular goal or identified a specific desire. They must reflect that “why” in their actions. He discussed how people don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it. Recognizing that “it starts with why,” we sat down as a group and came up with a vision statement and a mission statement for my office. Our staff carry a little card with them that reminds them of our core values, so they can recite it easily.

Be Authentic. I have to believe in a product to recommend it. I don't care if a product is the biggest seller somewhere else, it has to work for my patients. I need to see proven results and sound science. I also tend to believe that simple is best. I want patients to be adherent so they see results longterm.

I partnered with Topix Pharmaceuticals because I believe in their products. Fortunately, they also offer excellent support. There are many crucial steps for launching a micro-branding initiative, and Topix was an essential partner for each step from product selection and label design to training and marketing support. I used to worry that patients were buying products online—often products that I recommended. Now I know that they are coming to my practice. They are coming through the door for that touchpoint when they buy our products.

Micro-branding has worked in my practice and hopefully it will work for you, as well.