Your Brand Aesthetic Can Attract Your Perfect Patients with Dr. Erica Whittaker [Episode 183]

Molly: Okay, have y'all ever heard the term reverse catfishing? My guest today, Erica Whitaker, uh, coined this phrase. A lot of you probably know if you're a chiropractor, especially more, I would say, like nervous system-based family chiropractor, you'll definitely know who Erica is 'cause she's the owner of Park Avenue Prints.

I have seen her beautiful posters in so many of your offices. Um, but I am interviewing her today all about branding, and she talks about this concept of reverse catfishing, which just, like, cracked me up 'cause, you know, if you don't know what catfishing is, I feel like most of you do, but if you don't, it's when people have, like, let's say you're, like, online dating, and they have, like, a fake online dating profile photo, and then when you meet them in real life, they look nothing like the photo.

So for her talking about reverse catfishing, it's when it's like you have a really crappy or, like, outdated branding on your website, and then when they actually get to your office and you're more of like a, you know, a more luxe, higher, you know... I don't want to say, like, not necessarily luxury, but just, like, basically who you are as an office or a practice does not match the vibes on your website.

That's reverse catfishing. Today on the, uh, in today's episode, we talk a lot about branding. Erica actually was a chiropractor, but she turned graphic designer and branding expert when she was still in chiropractic school. And yeah, she just really helps create brands and websites that feel aligned with who you are and the experience that you want to create for your clients or your patients.

So I don't get into branding, like, a ton typically in a lot of my teaching because I have to be really careful with so many of you that so many of you are, are perfectionists. And so I personally don't talk about it a whole lot just because I don't want you to get stuck tinkering with fonts and colors and all of that when I just want you to be posting.

But at the same time, it's also very important from a, um... They call it, like, a, like a trust signal basically to have cohesive, consistent branding that matches who you actually are as a practitioner or who your, you know, as your, your clinic is. So, and so even though I don't want you to get stuck in the procrastabranding as, uh, they call it, I want you to know that it is important because, like I said, it does kind of send, like, a trust signal to have cohesive and consistent branding that matches the vibe of you as a practitioner or of your practice or clinic.

So I think you're actually really going to love today's episode, and I can't wait to hear what you think

Melissa: Hey, welcome to Holistic Marketing Simplified.

Molly: This podcast boils down to the fact that we wholeheartedly believe that more humans need to know about holistic health solutions, and you didn't go to school to learn how to be a full-time content creator and show up on Instagram and do all of this marketing stuff all day, every day.

So let's come hang out while we chat all things easing your marketing, and my goal is that you shift your mindset around your marketing from a, quote, "should" to a, "I get to." More dream patients and clients? Yes, please.

Melissa: Hi, I'm Melissa Birdsall, and I'm a chiropractor in Moline, Illinois, and I listen to the Holistic Marketing Simplified Podcast.

Molly: Okay, Erica, we've already been talking, and my editor- Yes ... is gonna be like, "Do you want me to leave any of that in or do you want me to..." So we'll just- We're just chatting ... we'll just pretend like we just got on the phone, the phone, whatever. Mm. Do you remember when Skype was, like, the only way you could do this?

Yes. You were like, "Oh, I'm gonna Skype," and that seemed, like, revolutionary.

Dr. Erica: Yeah, and then there was Houseparty during COVID where you could play, like, games with people, like- Oh, yeah ... over, and that was so fun, too.

Molly: We have one of those picture frames, the, um, Aura, s- not like Aura Ring, but with an A, like where you can- Yeah

send the pictures to it. And- Yeah, we used to ... are you a Harry Potter fan?

Dr. Erica: Uh, no, not really. Not- Ugh ... not not a fan, but not, like-

Molly: Okay ...

Dr. Erica: not a-

Molly: Well, the Harry Potter people will get this. Like, how they have the newspapers with, like, the moving photos. I'm like, that's what I feel like when you have a live photo-

Dr. Erica: Yes

and you upload it to, like- It's

Molly: just like that, yes ... it's, like, moving. I'm like, "Oh, like in Harry Potter. This is so cool." But, um, okay, Erica, I've wanted to have you on the show forever. I just kept bugging you.

Dr. Erica: No- Most of you- ... you were not bugging me at all.

Molly: Most of you- So, bye ... know Erica as Park- Would you, would you call it Park Ave, Park Avenue?

Dr. Erica: Yeah, Park Ave, yeah.

Molly: Okay, Park Ave Prints.

Dr. Erica: Yes.

Molly: You are in... Because I manage so many chiropractic accounts and see everyone's photography, I'm like, "Oh, there's one of Erica's posters. There's one of Erica's posters. There's one..." So everyone knows you even if they don't think they do in the... Uh, would you say especially the pediatric and prenatal?

Dr. Erica: Yes, definitely. Okay. Just, like, a, a lot of ladies, a lot of female chiropractors or, like, the wives of the male chiropractors. Like, it's just, like, all the women are the ones purchasing my posters basically.

Molly: Okay. Well, give us your story 'cause you're an actual chiropractor too, right?

Dr. Erica: Yes. Okay. So I, yeah, I, um, actually started this business in chiropractic school.

I've always been, like, a creative person. But yeah, I just, like, kinda started at Life University in Atlanta, and I noticed that there was no cute educational artwork anywhere. Like, I was like, ooh, I was, I was vision boarding for my future office and I was trying to put some posters in there and I was like, "This is disgusting."

I was like, "I don't even know if I can be a part of this profession because there's nothing that I would put in my office." I'm like, "This is terrible." The vibes are not vibing. No. I was like, "Come on." And so I just made a poster for myself and ended up, like, my roommate started showing it to people. I started selling it.

Then I made, like, a whole collection of posters, turned into this whole thing. And now it's just expanded into brand and website design. I do a lot of other graphic design work for chiropractors too, um, but also just in the holistic profession in general. Mainly chiropractors, similar to you, but it's like, you know, it's kind of all under the holistic wellness umbrella.

Molly: So do you practice at all? Are you a practicing chiropractor?

Dr. Erica: No. So I practiced- Okay ... for a couple years here in Tampa, and it just got to the point where I just had so many... Like, I was just, "I wanna do this and I wanna do that," and I just felt like- Yeah ... I needed to spread my wings and kind of serve chiropractors in a different way than I have been.

I kind of feel like I have this gift that I need to share with people and kind of be the middle man for other chiropractors who don't have that, you know, design eye. So I just decided to take the leap. It was super scary, obviously, after all that-

Molly: Yeah ...

Dr. Erica: education that I did, but I'm still very much in the chiropractic world every single day.

So it's just kind of, like, in a different role, which is fun.

Molly: Well, it's funny 'cause you're not even remotely close to the first person who, like... I've met, like, social media people who started, like, they've let... You know what I mean? Like, I feel like- Yeah ... this is a really common thread. And what's funny is it wasn't chiropractic school necessarily that was on my radar, but when I left my corporate job 10 years ago and really was introduced to the holistic space, I was like, "Gosh, should I go back to school to like..."

You know, I didn't know what, like... And this was kind of before, like, the boom of the health coach type thing, so I'm like-

Dr. Erica: Yeah, yeah ...

Molly: should I go back to school to be, like, a PA? Like, I just didn't even know what my options were. And then I was like- Yeah ... "Molly, let's be realistic here. You're so squeamish, and, like, if you had to, like, needles or any...

Like, you won't... You will die. And your gift is marketing, so, like, you can help. Like, you don't have to go to school to do the thing. You can help the people who have the gift reach more people."

Dr. Erica: Yes, 100%. And I, I mean, to be honest, I've never had formal education for the work that I do now in terms of, like, a degree, and I don't think you need to.

I think a lot of- No ... people are stuck on what they wanna do with their life, and sometimes you just have to look at, like, what is everybody in my life, like, asking me for? Like, what am I naturally good at? What do I love to do? And, like, you just need to do that. Like, just do that.

Molly: I love it. I love- And you've been doing it for a while now, right?

Dr. Erica: Yeah. I mean, I f- first was designing posters in, like, 2017, and yeah, I've just been kind of, like, building and expanding as, like, I get better and as I learn more. Yeah, it's just... It's been, it's been a while. It's kind of cra- It was always my dream to be a graphic designer, and I just, like, never thought I would have the balls to do it or that I would, like, think I was good enough.

And it's just kind of funny how that works, but you know.

Molly: Isn't it? It is funny how it all works out. And then, well, you were probably, like, before the age of Canva. Like, you were, like, using actual- Yeah ... graphic design tools.

Dr. Erica: Yeah, no, literally, and you guys would actually probably cringe if you saw what I made my first poster on, because Canva wasn't a thing yet.

So it was really like drawing the art and then transferring it to like a thing where I could add the text in. It was like a Merrick chart that I made, and I was like, I think I was like literally using... I wasn't even using Adobe Illustrator yet at that time. I had just done it on like the like preview of my computer.

Like it was so janky, 'cause it wasn't for anyone. I was like, "I'm not selling this to anyone." At first I was just making it for me. I'm so...

Molly: Yeah. But it's so incredible that you do that. So let's, let's actually talk about branding, because people... So I don't wanna confuse people, because anybody who's been a longtime follower or listener of, of mine knows that I'm always preaching like You don't have to worry about being polished or perfect.

Like, the- Yeah ... uncurated raw, real stuff is what is we're seeing perform better. And- Yes ... I also have a theory, like that's why TikTok for a long time surpassed Instagram is because people were really sick of the, like, perfectly curated everything.

Dr. Erica: Yeah. Yeah.

Molly: However, big caveat however, that does not mean that you can just have, like, zero branding, because branding is like a psychological trust signal.

Dr. Erica: Mm-hmm.

Molly: And I'll tell you, um, and then I'll let you kind of like riff on or talk about this and like branding, but my chiropractor uses Jane, and-

Dr. Erica: Yeah ...

Molly: we were booking sh- my daughter was, like, sitting next to me. At the time, she was seven. She was sitting next to me watching me book my appointment on Jane, and then she went with me to my appointment 'cause she gets adjusted, too.

And she goes, "Mommy, the picture on the door is the same as the picture on the website." And I'm like, "She's seven," right? Right. You know? Like-

Dr. Erica: She knows brand consistency- Yes ... and I like that about her.

Molly: Yes, yes, yes, yes. So I don't know if you kind of want to talk about that marriage and, like, why branding's, you know, important and-

Dr. Erica: Yeah

Molly: I'll kind of let you take it away.

Dr. Erica: Yeah, of course. And I mean, I say, like, everything with, like, love and no judgment because I think I totally believe in start and start ugly. Like, whatever you do, like I think a lot of people end up prolonging whatever it is that they're trying to do because they want it to be perfect, and I'm a recovering perfectionist, so I totally understand that.

But when it comes to, like, strategically having a brand and filling your practice with people that you love working with, it really does need to be intentional, and it needs to not just be this random hodgepodge. And you're not, as a business owner, you're not always gonna be ready to create that brand, but when it is time, you will definitely notice the difference of, like, okay, what I saw online from them is the same experience that I'm having in their office.

And we want people to know what ex- what to expect from you. We want you to know what makes you different, and we want you to project that out into the world. And even if it doesn't mean perfect Instagram posts, like, just people want people- Mm-hmm ... especially now with the AI stuff. You know what I mean?

Like, it- we're getting a lot of robot answers everywhere, and I think Instagram, you can now just Be yourself and, like for me at least, I get the most followers and engagement with my like dumb, stupid videos that have nothing to do with graphic design. Yeah. You know? That are just my- Yeah ... personality, right?

Molly: And like I s- I always tell my cl- I'm like, "I..." But you still, I'm like even though I, I see it like exactly what you said, like I always have a hard time... Like I even, when I was thinking about bringing you on, I'm like, "Gosh, I don't want people to get on and be like, 'Oh, well now I have to wait until everything's beautiful, until...'"

I'm like, "No, if you hear nothing," like

Dr. Erica: Yeah.

Molly: Don't hear that, like, because they call it procrastibranding, you know? It's like, oh, I'm just-

Dr. Erica: Yeah ...

Molly: gonna keep tinkering with my colors and my fonts and blah, blah, blah.

Dr. Erica: Right.

Molly: But at the same time, like I teach this in my program and whatever, I'm like every single, if you are using Canva, like every single graphic doesn't need to be a different color palette and a different font.

Like it need to ha- you need to have continuity. And what I normally teach- Mm-hmm ... is like most everybody already has their website once they've come to Instagram, so I'm just like, "Match what's already on your website."

Dr. Erica: Yeah. Like just to have that consistency, period. It doesn't mean you have to do a whole new brand overhaul.

And, you know, the people that come to me, they're ready for that. And but if you're not ready for that, I think the best way to start is just like pick fonts and colors, and just stick in that realm. Like if whoever made your website, there's certain colors and fonts that they used for that, bring those over, and if you hate those, like maybe start fresh on Instagram, and at least be consistent with that.

And then after a while you'll start to be like, "Okay, this feels like my brand." And then you'll want to kind of merge it out into the rest of your brand experience. Like you don't ha- it doesn't have to be this like whole crazy thing that happens in a three-month period. Yeah. Like, you can refine it. You can get better, and you can change it, you know?

Molly: Yeah, because especially with like, you know, everybody says we're in like a trust recession now. It's like, okay, if I go to your Instagram and it looks one way, and then I go to your website and it looks totally different, I think that I've landed on a different business.

Dr. Erica: And, and it kind of gives the wrong impression that you're chaotic, you're confused.

Yes. You don't know your services or your offerings, and I'm supposed to put that together? It's, it, we want to tell our potential patients, clients, whatever, like exactly what they can expect from us. And it does take effort, you know? We gotta put in a little effort when it comes to figuring out what that means.

But yeah, like it's kind of goes to like the offices that are all using these creepy stock photos of like the woman eating an apple on a bench. And I'm like, "Okay, that's awesome, but like who are you? Who am I gonna see when I come into your office?" Yes. Right? Like, we need real photos of real people. Ah.

What does your office look like?

Molly: Yeah, I always say that too. I'm like, "Listen, like now is not like..." You know the syndicated stock social media services? No, I haven't seen that ... like, yeah, you, you're just like, "Oh, we subscribe and we get one post a day," and they're all just, like, terrible. It'll be like-

Dr. Erica: Uh-oh

Molly: a man with a lightning bolt, like, holding his dick- Yeah You know, welcome fall. Or like, you know what I mean? Like, just like-

Dr. Erica: Yeah ...

Molly: well, and I've heard a lot of people be like, "Well, something's better than nothing." I'm like, "Actually, I don't, I don't agree with that." Like, I think you would be better off having like three branded pinned posts and nothing else- Yeah

versus

Dr. Erica: Yeah. Literally. 'Cause I, I mean, nobody's, nobody's gonna look at that. That's not a scroll-stopping-

Molly: No ...

Dr. Erica: like post at all. And it just, the stock photos, they just feel cold. They feel like they have no personality. It feels like, it feels like you don't care, and- Yeah ... it's showing. And truly, if you're using that, like you don't care.

So it's, you know, if you have to put a little effort into it, and listen, I'm the first one to say, like social media, I mean it's a whole nother job. Like, I'm a graphic designer- Mm-hmm ... and I have to like be my own social media manager as well. And so I know it's like not everybody has the time for that.

But like you said, there's other easier ways to do that, like even infographics or, you know, like carousels are doing real- really well right now. Or even just get your own brand photography of you in your office and different things in your of- and just post those things. Like, it really- Yeah ... can be easy.

But please-

Melissa: Yeah ... fill up with... God, we gotta, we gotta get rid of the, the stock photos. We

Molly: can't. Well, that's like, that's why I'm, you know, have a like 82 person wait list, right? It's like this stuff is hard. It's a lot of work.

Dr. Erica: Yes, yes. It is a lot of work, I know. I feel like- Um- ... a lot of social media managers don't charge enough because I'm like, "

Molly: It would take-" Oh, I know.

We just had to raise our

Dr. Erica: prices. "... someone to pay me to do this."

Molly: And I still am like, it's still not enough for what the- Yeah. ... time and effort we put into every single thing. But, um, okay, let's talk like a little more like tactical. So talk to me about your... I was like reading over your pinned post. Talk to me about your process for helping someone if they do wanna rebrand.

Well, do you wanna, do you wanna talk about first like how to know if they're-

Dr. Erica: Yeah ... ready?

Molly: Literally. Okay. I mean- And then te- yeah, and then tell me your process.

Dr. Erica: You know, how do you even know if it's time for a rebrand? And a lot of clients come to me, and they're actually already successful. Like, they're not rebranding out of like, "Help," like, "I have no patients."

Like, they're not really coming to me for that. But if they have a business that's really successful but they are kind of embarrassed about how it looks, and they're, they're finding this mismatch between their experience and their expertise and their brand presence. Yeah. And that is like, that is huge.

Like, you wanna be confident. If you're not confident in your brand, like we said, why would anybody be confident in what you serve? Especially in the chiropractic profession where there's so many like misconceptions about who we are and like our knowledge. I think it's so important that you are confident in your expertise because chiropractors bring so much value to the health space.

So I think that's a big one. Like if you're like, "Okay, don't go on my website 'cause it's ugly or whatever," which I hear all the... And they're like, "Oh, just c- just call us, like that's the easiest way 'cause we don't want you to see what's happening like on our socials or anything like that." Um, I think that's a big piece of it.

I think if you started kind of serving everyone, and then you eventually kind of niche down into, "Okay, I actually really love working with moms," or, "I really love working with kids," or, "I really love working with car accidents." That, I don't know. I- that wasn't my thing. But, you know, to each their

Molly: own. Yeah.

There's someone for everyone.

Dr. Erica: But if you end up changing your services, that's a really great reason, because your old brand was speaking to one demographic. And when we're switching into a new niche, we really want that brand to, like, capture that perfect patient for you and bring them into your office.

So that's a really great reason. And if the experience changed. Like, if somebody, like, changed their office, like they did a build-out and now they're kind of more like a luxe vibey office, and then their old brand is kind of giving medical office. Then we're, like, catfishing the experience, right?

Molly: That. Oh my gosh, it's exactly that.

Well, I always ... It's almost like reverse catfishing, 'cause it's like you see this-

Dr. Erica: Yeah ...

Molly: like crappy stuff, and then you're gonna attract that vibe of patient. Yeah. Or if your website looks cheap. And then they get there and they're, like, blown away- Yeah ... by how much you charge because you didn't attract the right

Dr. Erica: person.

Yes. 100%. And people can tell. Like, if you haven't invested much into your business, it kind of shows, right? And like, again, not from a place of judgment but, like, they might look at your website and be like, "Okay, this place looks affordable. Like, it looks pretty, like, re-" And then you get there and it's this, like, beautiful office and you're like, "Oh, these- this is gonna be like $100 adjustment," right?

Like, and we want people to kind of infer that from the jump so that there's no questions, there's no doubting, right?

Molly: I love what you just said. They go to your website and they're like, "Oh, this place looks afford-" That is so true. This place

Dr. Erica: looks like- Yeah, yeah ... oh,

Molly: this, this place probably takes my insurance.

It's like 55 an- Yeah ... adjustment. Like, barebo- I don't need anything fancy.

Dr. Erica: Yeah. It's like when I go to get, like, a facial or something, or, like, you know, if I go to, like, the Hard Rock to get a massage or something, I'm like, "All right. I know this is about to be, like, a $300 massage." But it's like on the, I'm very aware- Experience

of the experience I'm gonna have, and I've already weighed out the pros and cons, so I'm not at the front desk negotiating prices. Which nobody wants anybody negotiating prices. So if we are as upfront as possible, then you're not gonna have that weird, awkward- Yes ... conversation about money either.

Molly: Yeah. My, I would say, like, for me, the litmus test is, like, if I open your website and the first photo I see is someone frolicking through a field that is not you or a field anywhere close to you, it's probably time.

Dr. Erica: Yeah. Yeah. It's

Molly: time. Probably time to hire a photographer first.

Dr. Erica: Yes.

Molly: Hire Erica. Yeah. I actually just, you know what's so funny, is I just had my podcast producer replay, I'm on episode, this will be like, I think episode 183 or something like that. Ooh. And back on episode like 16, I had, I interviewed my branding photographer, and kind of like what to look for and all that.

And I, so I told my producer- Yeah ... I was like, "It's time to replay this," because I think a lot of times, and this ties into our conversation, social media feels hard because you don't have a North Star to follow, and you don't have any assets to use. Totally. And so when you have the photography, which I always say, like if you didn't listen to that episode, set up a tripod, be filming B-roll while the photographer's there, and then you've got like all this- Yes

and then, then you've got, you know what colors and you, well, you work with Erica, and you know what colors and fonts to use, you know, with, with your new pretty photography. Like, everything gets so much easier, and then you just kind of pick some templates you like and just... Do you do that as part of your service?

Do you give like social media templates or no? Do you just do like-

Dr. Erica: Yeah, it's part of my- Okay ... yeah, so I have a marketing package, and they can pick certain things, and social media templates are in there for sure. But I love what you just said about brand photography, and it's one of those things that I'm like, I actually nudge that first is I'm like, "Do you have brand photography?

If you don't, why?" And like, "How can we get you to the point where you're like ready to do that?" I think like it can feel scary, and you're like, "Who am I to get this like brand photo shoot or whatever?" But truly, like you said, when you have those assets like already in your like Canva brand folder just to like pull from when you're making a post, like you can look like a crazy sloth as you're making a post, and you use your brand photo.

And it's like you don't have to do anything. Like you don't have to make content every time you're making content, you know?

Molly: Yes. We, I mean in our agency, I, I don't wanna say we won't take clients who don't ha- like but they have to at least have plans to get it done like within their first month- Yeah ... of working with us because-

Dr. Erica: Yes

Molly: then like we have nothing to work with. Like I don't know- Right ... do you want me to pretend to be? I'm not AI photoing anybody into an office. I just, that is where I draw my marketing line.

Dr. Erica: Has anyone ever sent you that? Like, like AI photos of themselves, and they're like, "Here."

Molly: Erica, no one has sent it to me, but I know someone else in the space who's like, "Oh, you just use AI photos."

And I'll be like, "No, you don't."

Dr. Erica: No, you just

Molly: don't. Don't. You don't use AI photos of you in your clinic working with patients, okay? Or AI videos. Yeah. You don't do it. That's

Dr. Erica: brand trust in the toilet.

Molly: Yes. Yeah. Uh, my daughter's babysitter's 18 years old, and I was like, "Elena, am I just like an old crotchety wo-" She's like, "No."

She's like, "We hate AI." Talking about like we as in like her generation.

Dr. Erica: Yeah. You can tell. Um- Like

Molly: you can tell ... yeah, they don't like it. They don't like it. So don't do a shortcut. Hire a fricking photographer. See if you have a patient. Like you'll ne- you never know. I mean I'm not a huge fan of trade just 'cause I've had it go the wrong way many times.

Not someone not fulfilling their end, but then it's, like, I constantly felt guilty, like, am I doing enough? You know what I mean? Totally. So trade's not my favorite, but, like, if you are gonna trade, make sure it is clearly spelled out what everyone gets. And it is a pain. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna sugarcoat it.

It's a pain in the butt to have a photo shoot. But if you can just plan it, what I've had a bunch of people do is they'll put out, like, a model call on their stories. Mm-hmm. And they'll be like, "Hey, you get a free adjustment if you come be our model today or whatever."

Dr. Erica: Yeah.

Molly: I love that. And then you just get, like, wear something pretty, like, nondescript, and then you have photos forever.

Like, I'm still using my brand photos from two years ago, four years ago. Now, I will say I did have an experience very recently where I got there to... This was with a new practitioner, and I was like, "Are you the same person?" 'Cause her headshot was so old.

Dr. Erica: Oh, no. I'm like- Why do people do that?

Molly: Yeah, so I'm like, okay, you know, if it's been, like, more than, like, five years, it's probably time to get some updated.

Right?

Dr. Erica: Exactly. And I think it was something for me that I was really scared of doing the photo shoot. I don't really like photos being taken of me. I don't, like, always love how they come out, which I think a lot of people can relate to. But that day for me was the most empowering day. I was like, "I am a graphic designer."

I was like, "I am good at what I do." Like, it was just this huge surge of, like, wow, like, it really made me feel so good and so excited to share what I do with people. And I think that that created a surge of energy within my business. And on top of that, made it so much easier to show up consistently online because I have all of these photos, like, that I can just kind of place wherever I need them and be consistent online.

Yeah. You know? And I don't have to go searching for that stuff. And

Molly: it is- So, yeah ... it's a subconscious signal to people when you have crisper image. Like I said, I'm not, we're not looking for perfection. We're not looking for-

Dr. Erica: Yeah ...

Molly: pol- super polished everything. But, like, it is a signal to the level of care, whether or not...

Like, you could be the best practitioner in the world- But if what you're outwardly presenting is not on the same par as the care you deliver- Yeah ... it really does make a difference.

Dr. Erica: Yeah. And a lot of my clients, like, and not, not initially, then, then I change their mind about it, but a lot of people, like, come up with a lot of excuses as to why they don't have brand photography, you know?

And they'll be like, "Oh, I'm in between spaces," or, "I don't like my current space," or whatever, and I'm like, "Honestly, screw a space." Yeah. Like, if you have one cute place in your house and a mobile chiropractic table, curate, uh, your own space because it's not even about... Like, maybe those photos aren't gonna be for, like, welcome to my office, if that space isn't in your office, of course.

But some of the best, like, shots and, like, angles that I use for Instagram templates and website are faceless shots. It's like hands on the back with like a white background. Like, of course, we want headshots- Yeah ... and stuff, too, but photos of the instruments, and those can be on, like, a curated, you know, like, um, your granite countertop in your kitchen with some good lighting.

Like, you know, if there's certain products that you sell in your office a lot, like, we want photos of those. Like- Yeah ... there's a lot of shots that you can get that don't necessarily have to be, like, an office tour style because, again, we don't want to catfish. But you can have something done, and you can do it in, in your own home.

And it... You know, and that obviously makes you feel a little more comfortable to do that, too.

Molly: Yeah. We've had people do that, too, or, like, at the gym or in a, um... I've even had... I have one client who, like, did, like, outdoor. Like, they took the chiropractic table outdoors, and they did-

Dr. Erica: Yeah.

Molly: It was, like, so beautiful.

It turned... Like, they turned out so beautifully. So yeah, there's- Yeah ... there's so many ways around it. And we can always come up with excuses all day, every day, but it's either, like, you either wanna do this and you wanna help more patients or you don't. And so-

Dr. Erica: Yeah,

Molly: yeah ... you just gonna have to put, put away the excuses.

But, okay. Yeah. So talk to me about your... Well, hold on one more thing before we go there. We were talking about this before we hit record about I, I've had a lot of practitioners who originally named their practice with their name, and then they're kind of wanting to- Yeah ... like rebrand into, like, a more, like, practice name or clinic name.

And you had some good insights about that, so I was gonna let you kind of talk about that.

Dr. Erica: Yeah. Um, I mean, I have a lot of people DM me and they're like, "Do you help picking names?" And this and that. And like, of course I do, and I can give my insight, but I also think, like, your name should mean something to you.

It should be something that you feel connected to and that is specific to your community. So I think, one, like, that is a big piece of it. I have noticed there was, like ... I think there was, like, this wave of mentors that were recommending having a practice and naming it after your name, your last name. Um, and that's why we saw a lot of that.

And they were saying, they were like, "You'll be successful if you do this." Like, I had a lot of people tell me that that's why they, they did it, 'cause their mentors told them to. And now we're kind of seeing a new wave of younger chiropractors that are naming their office more about the experience that you can, that you can expect when you go into that office, right?

Like, more like Blooming Life or, like, Thrive and whatever, and we're seeing more of that, too. Um, I personally like that. Like, I like ... Like, one of the clients that I did that gets a lot of attention is Soulful. And I just loved her reasoning for choosing that name. I lo- Like, you can tell it has a heart.

Yeah. Like, you can tell that the business has a heart that it's growing from, and it has a story, and it has a mission that is so deep. And you can tell all of that by the name and the brand that we created for them. And I think that is pe- that's what people are buy into. They buy into the version of themselves that they'll be if they are a part of your gym, if they get your service.

Like, that's what they want. So it's like, can you really get that from Erika Chiropractic? I feel nothing when I hear that, you know? So, and that, that is my opinion, right? So it's kind of, it just depends on how, how you view it, but that's, that's how I feel. I feel like it should mean something to you.

Molly: Yeah.

And then I would also just caution from a marketing lens not going too ... Like, marketing 101, you know they always say, like, clear over clever. Like

Dr. Erica: Yeah. Yeah.

Molly: I've never seen this in the chiropractic space, but I have a friend in real estate, and I was like, "I can't even pronounce the name that you ... Like, so, like, maybe start-" Right

like, maybe start there.

Dr. Erica: Yeah. Yeah. Literally. No. I've, I've had that, I've had that too. And I've had some people, like, change it a little bit and it, the name is inspired from their last name, but they, but they know that their last name, like, is kind of hard to, to read, so, you know, they do that too. But yeah, I think it should be very clear.

It should be easy to understand and say so that ... 'Cause people are confused, like, they're gonna pick something else unfortunately.

Molly: Okay. Let's talk about your process, though. So, like, okay, somebody comes to you, because I think there also can be And I mean, like, your design process. Like, I know you have a process- Yeah

when it comes to, like, the inspo and the mood board, and then you kinda go from there. I feel like in the wellness space, like, I, I don't wanna call it a trap, but, like, something I think a lot of practitioners can fall into is, like, "Oh, well, I have to go with, like, muted and tan and green and..." You know, co- like, it's almost like they feel like, "Oh, I have to fit into this mold."

So first, like I said- Yeah ... I'll have you talk about your process, and then kind of like using your visual- brand, like a visual identity to kind of like truly represent who you are.

Dr. Erica: Yeah. I mean, it's funny 'cause I actually attract a lot of clients that don't want that. Of course, it's kind of a mix, but I have a lot of like really fun, bubbly chiropractors that really want to exude like life into their brands, and I think that's so fun and I always encourage them to do that.

And that too goes along with my branding and like my brand voice and my brand messaging really attracts a certain type of person. It's usually a female chiropractor. She's usually like around my age, give or take, you know, 10, 15 years, and we're just on the same page personality wise. And I think it's really important to find a graphic designer that gets you, that knows the type of business that you work in.

That's something really unique that I bring to the table, is that like I've been a chiropractor, so I know what you're using it for and I know like realistically like what you would need. Like it's gonna be so different from what a restaurant would need a brand for- Yeah ... and where they're gonna show up in their community.

But, um, when someone comes to me, like that is the first thing, is we just hop on a call and I'm just like, "Are we vibing? Do we want the same things?" And I'm the first one to be like, "Okay, like, I think what you're looking for, like you might be looking for a type of designer that does X, Y, and Z," you know?

But I think on that call, like most of the time when women are coming to me, I'm like, oh my gosh, like where has this girl been my whole life? Like I always just feels like so fun, and that is just a testament to what a good brand does, is it draws in the perfect people for you, and that makes my job easier, that makes happy clients, right?

And then we get into, of course, the mood board, and I help inspire them. Um, I add them to my mood board of a bunch of like vibes and colors and things, and then they make their own board. Fun. Yeah. So it's like, it's so fun. Like we call it homework, but it's like so fun. I'm like, I always, I'm like, "Grab a glass of wine, like light a candle, like have yourself a night and like make your vision.

Like what do you want? And like really put a lot of like love and time into it." And, um, we go over that together, and most of the time it's pretty like you guys have a good, um, theme running through it, and sometimes it's a little hodgepodge and I'm like, "Okay, we gotta reel, we gotta reel it in." I was like, "You have- Yeah

all these conflicting themes," and I kinda help you reel it in before I get to designing. And by the time we get to that point, I've, I have a really clear idea of what you want, and so it's very rare that I create something that is like off the wall because it is very specific to who you are trying to attract and who you are as a person who I was able to get to know.

Molly: Um, I did a rebrand a couple years ago, and it didn't end up being the

Melissa: best experience. But

Molly: one thing I learned the hard way is I saw this inspiration that I loved. It was almost this, like, bright blue indigo color, and I was like- Mm-hmm ... "Ooh, I really want that." And then once we started using it, like, in graphics, I'm like, "Oh my God, this looks like the old school hyperlink color," you know?

And I was like-

Dr. Erica: Yeah ...

Molly: dang, I was so excited. You're like, "Is that

Dr. Erica: why I picked it?"

Molly: I was like, but it looked good on, like, the inspo logo that I saw on my mood board, you know? And then once- Yeah ... I actually saw it in practice, I was like, "Womp, womp." Yeah. Like this is not translating.

Dr. Erica: Yeah. And, you know, colors matter, you know, when it comes to, like, Target.

They're, they have that Target red, and they want it to be red because they want you alert and ready to shop in their office. Like, there's psychology behind the colors that we're picking. Like, Hulu green is kind of crazy and disgusting, but you know it's Hulu green, you know what I mean? Oh, yeah.

Molly: So not s-

Dr. Erica: not saying that that's, like, what you should do for your practice, but I always encourage my clients to have, like, one pop of color that's really unique shade.

Like, like I've been doing a lot of, like, really cool, like, pinks and, like, pukey greens, and, like, I love a pukey green. Like, you know, just something that's like, "Oh, that's her." So when you see the colors, you're like, "Oh, this is, this is this brand," right? It creates that, that recognition. So I love a funky color, so.

Molly: I'm gonna, I'm gonna put that as the cover slide of this podcast promotion. I love a pukey green. No,

Dr. Erica: I'm just kidding. I love a pukey green. It's too brown.

Molly: No, that's so funny. I, no, I know exactly what you're talking about. Let's just, like, one more thing I kinda wanna take this to, which is you talked about your brand messaging and your brand voice.

Because I think when people hear branding, they just think about the aesthetics and not- Yeah ... the messaging. And, like, going back to the whole not naming a practice after yourself, well, I guess anybody who's been following me for any amount of time knows that, like, I'm huge on humanizing everything, right?

Mm-hmm. So you wanna talk about how you can still humanize, like, a brand- Without it being like, like I don't think your practice's brand should be like this giant departure from who you are, 'cause you're like, "This is my clinic brand voice." Like, I'm not saying it has to be- Yeah ... you exactly, but I don't know.

I don't know if you want to talk about- Yeah ... especially when you have multiple practitioners, I know it's hard to kind of hone in on that. So what's your process for that?

Dr. Erica: Yeah, I mean, I think brand voice is something that is really important right now because everyone's- Mm-hmm ... brand voice is ChatGPT. So it's like, okay, am I talking to a robot?

Like, who am I talking to? So I think, like, even if you are using chat to, like, kind of condense and concise and whatever, like you can ask it to, like, put your brand voice back into it as well. Like, for me, like, my brand voice is really casual. Like, I like to talk like I'm talking to a friend. It's like no judgment and a little real and, like, some jokes here- Yeah

and there. Like, that is my brand voice, and so I attract people that are really cool and casual as well because I don't... Like, I don't really jive with, like, someone who needs this, like, super strict and talks really, like, I don't know, just more rigid, I guess. Like, that's just for me personally. So I figured out, like, who I want to attract.

And a lot of times when it comes to being a chiropractor, we're seeing our patients a lot more than most healthcare providers are, so people are choosing you because they like you, and they... We want to like you. So I think having your brand voice be something that is authentic and natural to who you really are is really important.

It doesn't mean it has to be unprofessional. It doesn't mean it has to be casual. That works for me 'cause I'm in a, a creative world, but- Mm-hmm ... I think for an office, like, you can be approachable and, like, still instill your personality in it while also being professional. Like, I have some- Yeah ... clients that when they make their social media posts and stuff, like, they talk very poetically, and it's, you know, always...

And, and I love that for them, and that makes sense because they're a very, like, soul-driven, mission-driven, community-based, like... And it just i- you have to figure out, like, who it is that you're trying to talk to and, like, really instill that- Yeah ... into all of your marketing materials.

Molly: Yeah. I'm like, 'cause I, yeah, you can't be like this major departure.

Like you said, you get there and you're like, "Wait, I thought y'all were like..." I, I just, um, was on, like I do these one-on-one pick-my-brain calls. The... I was on with a chiropractor's wife, and she's just, like, so lovely. And- Mm-hmm ... she was like, "Well, we really see like..." 'Cause they, she's in Spain, actually. She's like, "We see s- native Spanish speakers, and we see English speakers and expats.

We see babies. We see old people." And I'm like, "Okay, well, I'm not saying you have to pick a demographic, but we do have to pick kind of your unique-" you know, lens. Yeah. And what we came up with was, like, her husband, who's the chiropractor, is like the nerd chiropractor. Like, if there's research- Yeah ... he knows it.

Like, if there is- Yeah ... like, you know what I'm like? I'm like, "That's your niche. Like, that's kind of your unique, like, lens-

Dr. Erica: Yeah ...

Molly: and brand that you can lean on, is like the nerdy chiropractor, essentially.

Dr. Erica: Yeah.

Molly: You know what I mean? So,

Dr. Erica: um- Exactly. I love that. Like, pick your strengths and, like, use them.

Molly: So I think people get really in their head about niching that it has to be, like, a demographic.

And I'm like, "Not, not really." Like, you can be- Right ... do you know Lona Cook?

Dr. Erica: No.

Molly: Okay. She's a chiropractor up in, um, is it Minnesota or Wisconsin? Sorry people who live in Minnesota and Wisconsin, I mix up the two of your states, right? And she's had... I remember meeting with her and she was like, "Yeah, we see, like, infants to, you know, elder, like, everybody."

But her, she's still niche because she's, like, this very spiritual, like, very grounded person. She talks a lot about natural law. You know what I mean? So it's like-

Dr. Erica: Exactly. Exactly ... yeah, like,

Molly: and that's gonna repel some people, right? And then other people

Dr. Erica: it's gonna be this like- Totally, which we want it to

Molly: right. Yes. And then for other people it's gonna be this magnet where you're like, "This is exactly the type of healing experience that I'm looking for."

Dr. Erica: Yeah.

Molly: And then some people do want the more clinical, like- Yes ... I wear a white coat and I... You know what I mean? Like, everybody has their own flavor of what they want.

Dr. Erica: Definitely. Like, my dad would probably be less drawn to the trendsy, the trendy, like, kombucha office, and he would probably wanna go to the one where it's just, like, a dude wearing a polo- Yeah ... that has, like, very bare bones. Like, he probably would be like, "Yeah, I don't need all the f- the frills," right? Yeah.

So, and there's someone for everyone, but I think a lot of practices are scared to, like, really, like, pick somebody, like, a profile of a person that they love to see. Like, don't be scared to pick that. Like, when I was practicing, there was a very particular type of patient that when I saw them on the schedule I was like, "I got this in the bag."

Like- Yeah ... I know I'm gonna connect with her, I know I'm gonna get through to her, and i- I know I'm gonna love... Every time she walks in the door, I'm gonna love taking care of her. And, like, that made my job more enjoyable going into a practice full of those people than it was trying to appeal to just anybody, you know?

Molly: Yes. And I'm by no means a business coach, nor have I ever owned a practice of any sort. But as someone- ... who works with a lot of clients, I can tell you, and you know, even more energetically draining 'cause you've got your hands on people all day. Like, it's so-

Dr. Erica: Yes ...

Molly: energetically draining to, talk about burnout, not be aligned with the type of...

I had this student who I loved in one of my, um, masterminds once, and she was like, "God, well there's, like, one type of patient who, like, tends to make me more money, but then there's, like, another type of patient who I, like, really want to see." And I'm like, "The one who, like, quote, tends to make you more money, like, is not going to make you more money because you're just gonna hate-

Dr. Erica: Right

showing

Molly: up

Dr. Erica: for

Molly: work every

Dr. Erica: day." It's not sustainable. It's not. Yeah. No, I've, I've experienced that, too. Like, the practice I was working in kind of had a shift in services- And, um, kind of attracted, like, a completely different demographic that I had a hard time communicating with, that the expectations were always off.

They were always negotiating prices. They were always very confused, and it was just so different from the family practice that we had been a part of for a long time. And, and so that really does matter, and obviously there's money there. But it's like how sustainable is that when it's clearly, like, not a smooth process anymore?

Yeah. So... Yes. And so,

Molly: and I would say, like, even me as being someone who is pretty creative- I still get stuck in my own br- like, I was even talking to you. I was like, "Will you help me?" Like- ... but sometimes you can't see the label from inside the bottle, right? And, like, even, like- Yeah ... I'm sitting here looking.

You should see my chaos around me right now. We just, like, painted my dining room, and I just ordered a new desk, so there's, like, a giant box right here, and I've been, like, thrifting and... 'Cause I'm redecorating because... And I love to decorate, and I'm g- I feel like I'm, like, semi-good at it, but I've reached the point where I'm like, I need an outside.

Like, I've looked at it too long-

Dr. Erica: Yeah. Yeah,

Molly: yeah,

Dr. Erica: yeah ... and I need

Molly: someone

Dr. Erica: else. You keep connected to it. Yeah.

Molly: Yes. And so I think that's why it's so valuable to hire someone like you-

Dr. Erica: Yeah ...

Molly: to kinda come in with, like, fresh eyes 'cause you're just like, "Okay, here's what I see."

Dr. Erica: Yeah.

Molly: So I don't know if you wanna talk about the process.

Like, well, obviously, you have your posters, but then you have your design services, so I'll let you talk about both.

Dr. Erica: Yeah. So obviously, I s- I still have the educational artwork that I sell. That is a big part of my business. When it comes down to the brand and website design, like, we do the brand first. And the first part of it is really diving into everything that you and I have talked about today, is like, who do you wanna see more of?

Like, describe your practice to me. Like, what is the experience like, and how can we really make sure that the brand is in alignment with that? And then I create the, the visual identity, so I'm talking about the brand fonts, the brand colors, all the logos, the different logo variations. Um, I create all of that with that brand strategy in mind, so it makes sense.

So it's not just, like, random. It's not just like, "Oh, I like this font." It really is strategically created to attract more of the people that you love to see and to really reflect the expertise that you have and make it look really professional. So we do the brand suite, and then my most popular package includes the marketing designs, where they can pick the things that make the most sense for them, like social media templates.

I do a lot of rack cards, so they're completely custom of just, like, whatever you need. If you need something to bring into your report of findings, I'll make that for you. If you need something, you know, to bring to a marketing event, I'll make that. And just having... And then the business cards, of course.

So having everything match when you're ready to launch just, like, makes it so you have, like, a starting point after we've created this brand. And then, uh, the last piece of the puzzle is doing the website, which I know you said you like to, um, make sure that your clients have brand photography. And for my website clients, I have given them that homework before we get to the website design.

So- Yeah ... some of them, I'll make a mood board for them of what they should Where and the poses and the shots they should do to make it, like, super easy for them. And then they can use that for their brand shoot, and then I'll... That way I have everything that I need to create a beautiful website that is strategic, that really speaks to that particular patient that they want to bring in, and it's user friendly.

And the websites that I use, I like to make them easy for the chiropractor to be able to go in and make tweaks to. It's not this, like, crazy WordPress website that, like, it looks like a maze that nobody knows how to do. If you touch anything, the whole website goes down, right? Like, it... Like, that's not what we want at all.

So I always, I try to, like, have this off-boarding process so you know exactly how to use your website. And, and then you just have a graphic designer on your side. Like, um, all of my clients always come back and they're like, "Hey, can you make me a matching X, Y, and Z for my brand?" And I'm like, "Duh, 'cause I already have all your stuff."

Yeah, it's just, it's so fun to see the transition and then see how those chiropractors are showing up more confidently after we've worked together and they have all of their brand assets and they know exactly what to do with them. And it's just really, really fun to see. And it's like- Like a

Molly: makeover.

Like a fresh start.

Dr. Erica: Yeah. It really is. And I know, g- it feels so good because I did the same thing for my park app. Got a little facelift in the last couple years too, so... And it made me feel really good. So, uh, but I, I know how daunting it can be because I was- Yeah ... literally there, so.

Molly: Well, and even if people have a website service that they already use and are, like, already happy with, like, they could still use you for the branding, and you can just be like, "Here's my new assets."

Like, it doesn't have to be, like, the

Dr. Erica: whole-

Molly: Yeah,

Dr. Erica: exactly. And so some people though, they're ready to let go of, they're ready to let go of their whole brand- Yeah ... and kind of start fresh. And some people are like, "I really love these colors," or, "I really love this font. Can we make this work?" Or whatever. And, you

Molly: know- Like a refresh.

Like a facelift.

Dr. Erica: Yeah. Yeah. I'm a- I'm always open as well. It really just depends on, like, what is your goal- Yeah ... and what do you, what do you... Like, I, I just got a new client that started this morning actually, and they have a really big practice and base in their community, and they're very well known, so, like, they don't wanna do anything too off the wall and crazy, 'cause they don't want it to seem like it's under new management.

Like, they just wanna kind of like create something that actually reflects, like, how big of an impact they're making in their community, which is really important too.

Molly: Yeah. Yeah. Um, can we talk about how weird Instagram's new logo, like, word mark is though? Have you seen the

Dr. Erica: Yeah. It looks- I saw it. I saw it.

Molly: It looks like a Z. I'm like, who, how did this... Yeah, I just pulled it up. It looks like- Instazrem

Dr. Erica: I know. I saw that, and I was, like, kind of surprised because I thought it was a little trendy, and that's another thing, like, that I've learned a lot in this brand world, is being able to recognize trends, and it, it's trendy, so I think in a couple years they're probably gonna look at it and they'll probably re-simplify.

But yeah, I saw it. I thought that was so interesting. Like, it- it's crazy, 'cause you can rebrand in the wrong way. Like, I think I was talking to you about this when I was talking about Cracker Barrel. Remember?

Molly: No.

Dr. Erica: Cr- so Cracker Barrel rebranded- I

Molly: mean, I remember the whole, like-

Dr. Erica: Yeah, it was

Molly: this whole thing

we were actually on a road trip. Like, we were like, "Oh, Cracker..." Like, yeah, so

Dr. Erica: Yeah, like Cracker Barrel, like, like gray-washed their whole brand, and basically their, their, um, loyal demographic was like, "You're not speaking to us anymore. Like, you're not calling us in anymore." And that's literally what people are saying.

They were like, "I used to love Cracker Barrel. This new brand does not, does not hold the essence of what Cracker Barrel is about." They literally bullied them into putting it back, which is crazy. And, you know, there's some cult classic brands like that that, you know, you could lift it up and make the, maybe their, their graphic of, you know, the person on the barrel or whatever.

Like, you could make that a little more modern without losing its identity. But they literally just, like turned it into, like Arial font and, like lost all of its down-home, country- Folksy.

Molly: Yeah. They... it just lost all of it.

Dr. Erica: And- Get

Molly: the old

Dr. Erica: timers breakfast. That's what I used to always get.

Molly: Yes, yes. And it's like you're not going in

Dr. Erica: there for a curated- Like, I don't

Molly: know

Dr. Erica: buffet breakfast. Like, you're going in there for your biscuits and gravy, and you wanna look like a slob while you're doing it. Like, that's like-

Molly: Yeah, on a road trip with your family- Right ... and everybody slept in a crappy hotel last night. Like, that's- Yes ... Cracker Barrel, okay?

Dr. Erica: That's, that's the Cracker Barrel we know and love.

Molly: Yes. And, uh, what's the, um, the game, the pegboard game, you know?

Dr. Erica: Yes, yes.

Molly: Um- I

Dr. Erica: don't know

Molly: what it's called ... and I'll re- never forget when I was a kid it used to say, like, if you had more than four you're an eggnoramus, and now it says, like they've made that one nicer too. It's like... And I'm like, "Oh, come on."

Dr. Erica: Yeah, yeah. Like, we're not that sensitive. It's fine. No, they did that to Ruby Tuesday's too. Like, Ruby Tuesday's used to be like this really cool, like sports bar vibe with, like these really cool, like mosaic lights above the bar. Yeah,

Molly: I remember- And it had- ... the Tiffany lamps. That's what I think of- Yeah, the Tiff-

when I think of, the salad bar and the Tiffany lamps.

Dr. Erica: Yes. It was so cool, and it was so nostalgic. Like, my dad used to take us there, like every Wednesday and when we were younger. And then I remember when they rebranded, and they kinda shift to, like modern American cuisine, and I was like, "What is

Molly: this?" I

Dr. Erica: was like, what?

Molly: That's not Ruby Tuesday. It's

Dr. Erica: right. Or

Molly: when you see people stealing brand reputation, like, oh, I'm gonna make, like the off-brand. I'm gonna make this look, like really close to the Dove soap or like Tide logo so you maybe- Yeah ... get fooled into thinking, like people kind of like- Right ... borrowing that brand authority, you know?

Dr. Erica: Yeah, yeah. I mean, I just think truly, like- If you're starting a brand with that, like sneaky- Yeah ... like, I don't think that's ever gonna go anywhere. I'm a big, like, energy person, and I think, like, if you truly just put your all and make it unique and authentic to you, like you have no choice but to be successful because, like, that came from you.

But I think when you have this, like, weird intention of, like, trying to be something you're not, it shows, and people can see that. Yeah, people know. You know? It just has a different energy

Molly: So exhausting.

Dr. Erica: Yeah, yeah. Like I don't even, I don't even have time to be myself. I don't even know how to pretend to be someone else.

Like I don't even know. It took me a long time to even just show my face on my Instagram. When I was doing posters, I didn't put my face on it for like three years. And now, like you guys see my face all the ... People thought like I got bought out by someone, 'cause they were like, "

Molly: Who are you?" Well, I think that's actually when I started mess- Like I remember seeing your posters in everyone's office, and then when you, I started seeing your face, I was like, "Oh, I'm gonna message."

Like that's when I messaged you for the first time and was like-

Dr. Erica: Yeah, yeah ... "We

Molly: should collaborate."

Dr. Erica: No, I remember that. No, and I'm, I'm glad you messaged me again, 'cause sometimes I, I just get a little like it, trying to have all, wear all the hats, you know what I mean?

Molly: Like where- Oh, don't even get... Yes.

Dr. Erica: Yeah.

Molly: I-

Dr. Erica: It's a lot ...

Molly: I have a million ideas every second, and so it's like really-

Dr. Erica: I know.

Molly: It's just like, yeah, I'm like the queen of fo- I'm like, 'cause if you don't follow up with me, it's not gonna happen, so I know. I just assume people are like me. Yeah. Like if I text a friend and they don't text me back, I think nothing of it.

I'm not like, "Oh my God, they hate me." I'm like, "Oh, they saw it while they were in line at the..." You know what I mean? Yeah. Like I don't think anything of it, so I t- I totally get it. But okay, so people, you talked about your brand package, but also you talk about your posters real quick too?

Dr. Erica: Yeah. So I offer like a lot of educational artwork.

A lot of them are just like holistic quotes, and then there's some like diagrams just to like help make your office look pretty, but also educational at the same time. So I have like over like 70 different designs. Like I have like merit charts and things like that. And I really made them based on my experience as a chiropractor of what are the things I'm talking about the most, and how can I create a visual.

I'm a visual person obviously. Yeah. So like I love making all of those. So yeah, I have a ton of those. Um, and I actually have a discount code for you guys too. So if you guys wanted to look at, um, any of the posters, um, you can use code MCM and get it- Oh ... a little discount.

Melissa: Yeah, I made one just for you.

Thank you.

Dr. Erica: Um, so yeah, MCM, and you can get a discount on the posters. But I also have, if you're like thinking about rebranding or you wanna start somewhere, I have a, a free resources tab on my website, parkfprints.com. And it's just some freebies. There's like an, a couple designs on there that, um, are Canva designs that you guys can just make your own and just to help start that branding process 'cause you might not be there yet, and that's okay.

Um, but yeah, I'm gonna be constantly adding more resources to that of just a lot of things we talked about today and just things that... 'Cause we don't learn this stuff. Like a lot of business owners, we don't learn any of this back-end- Yeah ... information about how to make a brand and what that even means.

So that's a big part of my mission is- Yeah ... to just like help people take little baby steps until they're ready.

Molly: Yeah. If I were to summarize this whole thing down to like two main points, I would say it's, one, it's gonna make things so much easier for you to already have, like I said, like the photography and the assets.

Because that's one of the like biggest pushbacks I get in any of my programs. You're like, "Oh, I sit down to make something and I'm like-" It's like, 'cause you're trying to like create something new every time. Yes. Whereas I, like I just go in and just duplicate something I already have and like change the words.

Like it's not-

Dr. Erica: Yeah, yeah ... yeah,

Molly: it's just so much faster. And then two, just like think about, like, like you said, that trust, that loyalty, that reputation, and kind of that like, ooh, this is what I'm getting when I... Like, that level of service. Like it's-

Dr. Erica: Yes ...

Molly: that's what your brand can convey to people.

Dr. Erica: Yes, definitely.

Especially with Instagram, I've learned like, like yes I h- I'm a graphic designer, so like I will make a curated post, and I don't know how to not do that. But what I've found is that you can mix in like a carousel curated info post with like a video of just like adjusting humor or something about your office or office tour.

Mm. Like there's like easier th- there's easy ideas out there too. Yeah. So you don't have to like ghost your Instagram, which happens. Not to say that I've never ghosted my Instagram, but what I've learned after ghosting the Instagram is that it doesn't have to be so hard that I want to ghost my Instagram.

Molly: Yes, yeah. Well, that's what I tell people too. I'm like, once you, like I teach this like batching system in my program, in my membership, and I'm like, once you've done this for like two or three months, the first two or three months are gonna be hard. I'm not gonna sugarcoat it. Yeah. And then after that it's, oh my gosh, it's so much easier

Dr. Erica: Yeah.

I know. I finally feel like after all these years I finally have figured out a system. I have my templates for my different things. Yeah. And-

Molly: You just plug and play.

Dr. Erica: Yeah. And I just swap out the photo with a different photo. Yeah. And, you know, I'm kind of like, "What do I wanna say today?" And then I- Yeah ... you know, create it.

I will get to the point where I strategically write out the different things and, like, batch content. I will get there one day. I'm not in the batching content-

Molly: Let me know when you get there ... phase right now 'Cause I'm, uh, well, you're, you're further in than me, but I literally do this for a living, and I am like...

Dr. Erica: I know, I know. That's why I'm-

Molly: I can't... I don't think I've ever actually, like, scheduled a post.

Dr. Erica: I mean, I-

Molly: I don't think I've ever

Dr. Erica: gotten there ... I make it, and I'm like, "I worked hard on this. I'm posting it." I'm like-

Molly: Yeah. I'm doing it right now. Well, and then, like, yesterday I had something planned, and then I, like, got pissed off about, I bought this online course that had like five bump up, up-sells.

And it wasn't the bumps that really made me mad or the fact, but it was the fact that, like, the course was sold as a solution, and then every bump was like, "But if you really want to get X, Y, Z done, then you need

Dr. Erica: this." Right,

Molly: right. It's like, you just bait and switched me. Like, the

Dr. Erica: truth- I know, yeah. I don't, I don't like those either.

I, that's why I'm

Molly: not- A $27 carrot when it's like that wasn't even what I really needed, so.

Dr. Erica: Yeah. But it's like, if you really, really, really wanna show up professionally, add

Molly: this $5 to it. If you're really half serious, just get this. But if you're really serious, buy this thing.

Dr. Erica: Yeah.

Molly: Come on, get out of here.

Um, Erica, thank you for coming on, and I really appreciate your time. And thank you for making the, the brands a b- more beautiful place.

Dr. Erica: Yes. You're so welcome. This has been so fun to talk about branding. I feel like I'm usually talking to myself on Instagram, so it's fun to talk to a person.

Molly: No, we're happy to have you.

All right, we'll put everything in the show notes, and I'm sure people can DM you if they have questions.

Dr. Erica: Yes. That would be amazing. Come find me on Instagram, parkfprince. That's where I live.

Molly: All right. Sounds good. Thank you, Erica. Thank you for listening to Holistic Marketing Simplified. And hey, you know how every podcaster at the very end of their episode asks you to rate and review their podcast?

Well, that's because it's super important. These podcasts take a lot of time and heart and effort to produce to bring you free information. So in order for me to be able to continue doing that, we need more people to find out about the show. So if you could, please just take, like, two minutes out of your very busy day to leave me a rating and share this on your Instagram stories, and tag @mollyacahill.

That's C-A-H-I-L-L. I would greatly, greatly appreciate your support. I know your time is valuable, and I can't wait to see you in the next episode.