The Power of Being the Only

Welcome to the Only Waunakee in the World

My wife and I went on a nice drive recently to visit and tour a local winery. On our trip, we went through the small town of Waunakee, a suburb of Madison, Wisconsin. As we entered the scenic little hamlet, I chuckled at the city sign, which read: Welcome to the Only Waunakee in the World.

Ha! What a unique and memorable way to greet visitors and undoubtedly a point of pride for the community. But there is an important branding lesson in this silly sign.

We’re all aware that we live in an over-communicated society. We’re bombarded—some experts say thousands of times a day—with brand messages, headlines, billboards, Tweets, products on the grocery store shelf, commercials on the radio, and so much more. In this highly competitive and noisy environment, it’s more critical than ever to ensure that your dental practice is about something remarkable within the community in which you operate. Only by being different will you get noticed, have a chance at getting publicity, make sure people talk about you in their circle of influence, and ultimately, get new clients and create loyal fans.

And just being a little bit different is no guarantee of success. The best way to be radically different is to be the “only” in your community. If you can complete this simple sentence, you’re on your way to being like the town of Waunakee, the only one in the world…

Our business is the only dental practice in the community that ______________.

How did you do?