Be honest – would you rather your patients say they booked with your practice just because it’s closest to their house or because their kids can’t stop talking about the giant octopus on the roof and they had to come? The answer is obvious.
Transforming your office from a regular building to a legendary local landmark can be as simple as adding incredible external decor that parents and kids won’t be able to drive past without stopping for photos.
Whether it be subtle window decals that make your office seem like it’s hidden deep in the jungle, or a 20-foot tall elephant busting through the wall and into the street, nothing says “fun” quite like well themed exterior signage.
Our clients can’t stop talking about how their external creations changed their practice for the better, so we wanted to showcase a few of our favorite examples to get your ideas flowing!
Why Add External Signage to Your Building?
It’s the ultimate tried and true advertising technique.
If you want to attract new business and become the #1 choice in your community, your community needs to know about you first! Sure, a sign is fine but to stand out from the competition and truly use your brand as a tool, you need to think outside the box.
Think of your exterior design as a silent salesperson. Themed windows or photo op sculptures are constantly working day and night to differentiate your practice from others, letting everyone know that what you’re doing is new and exciting.
Not only is it making your commitment to fun and high-quality obvious to anyone driving by, but it also helps potential patients locate your business.
“Telling patients it is the clinic with the giraffe and alligator is an easy visual landmark to help them find us. This has helped get new patients through the doors.”
– Sheryl Wright, family nurse practitioner
A strong impression will stick like glue, and with the right amount of intrigue in your design, a new guest might not even need to navigate on their phone to your location. They already know where your office is since they’ve passed by your adorable bear sculpture a hundred times, and maybe even stopped to take a picture.
There’s no other way to say it: Attention-grabbing exterior decor makes your business stand out!
ROOFTOP LANDMARK CHARACTERS
The ultimate in external decor, your practice will be seen for miles around with a powerful and fun rooftop landmark! If you have the space (meaning no upstairs neighbors) or your building-mates are ready to be injected with some professional whimsy too, there is no better choice than a rooftop landmark to stand apart from the competition.
Creative multi-character sculptures can stay on theme, like this adorable cast of jungle characters helping each other brush and floss:
Smiling faces peering down from the rooftops are both fun and also more inviting for nervous kids on their way to the dentist:
“I had my staff track every new customer for six months by asking them what it was that brought them to our practice. At the time, I had been spending as much as six thousand dollars per month on newspaper ads, TV commercials and even radio spots. I would have been happy had my new investment been responsible for 50% of the new patients tracked. You could have knocked me over with a feather when the results came in… a full 94% cited the theming above my entrance!”
– Dr. Chuck Hughes, dentist
Or what about this eye-catching octopus that is easy to see from miles around? Both the interior and exterior are underwater themed in this show-stopping clinic, and the cherry on top is no doubt their curious rooftop cephalopod.
“When we opened after installing the octopus on our roof we were seeing up to 59 new patients a day.”
– Dr. Derek Thompson, dentist and owner of 7 themed iffices
GROUND LEVEL LANDMARK CHARACTERS
Like rooftop landmarks, ground level landmarks can be seen for miles around and really define your practice in the community. They also act as a great way to bring your guests in on the action, encouraging them to take photos with incredible sculptures they can reach and pose with.
Ground level landmarks can be built right into the wall, alluding to the theme inside or placed close to the road to draw potential patients. Create a visual story like this high-octane barnyard chase:
Or a smashing vignette like this jungle trio in a Jeep:
See more showstopping decor, inside and out, in this undersea office.
EXTERIOR PHOTO OPS
Fun meets function in any photo op! Not only is a photo op sculpture perfect as a centerpiece to your external decor, it’s a great way for your guests to do the marketing for you. Encourage online photo competitions by giving incentives to patients for posing with your sculpture. Or, take advantage of social media obsessed parents who would love a cute shot of their kid smiling and cavity free after their check up, arm and arm with a grinning turtle.
Photo ops can be placed at the front door of your office as a friendly greeting:
Or a whimsical addition to practical outdoor bench seating:
Show off your theme before guests walk through the door with a fun exterior photo op!
EXTERIOR WINDOW DECALS
If you’ve decided to theme your office interior, exterior window decals are the perfect finishing touch to really bring the environment together. You’re literally wrapping your office in your theme! It’s also a sneaky way to create some intrigue in the minds of potential patients. If the outside looks like a sunny day at the beach:
Or a safari adventure:
– it’s literally a window into another world.
Window decals on their own are great as an exciting and eye-catching addition, advertising to anyone driving by that there’s tons of fun to be had inside.
THE BENEFITS OF Exterior Office Decor
External office decor is the perfect way to start telling your brand story before your patients even walk through the door. It’s eye-catching, innovative, and memorable in a way that few other marketing tactics are.
As they say, “if it ain’t broke – don’t fix it” and businesses have been utilizing fun signage and external decor as long as business has existed. It works for a reason! Externally theming your practice with playful and fun characters is a striking and effective way to tell onlookers just how special and incredible your office is. Needless to say, it was hard to choose our favorites. Which one is yours?
Ready to become a local legend in your community? Landmarks are a great part of an IDS Environment™. One of our Creative Consultants would love to help you transform your environment. Contact Imagination Design Studios (IDS) to get started.
