Guides for the United States
Brand strategy guides for the US
In the United States the federal layer sets the floor and each state adds its own rules on top. A practice meets both when it writes a testimonial policy, a health claim or a practice name. These guides take one of those decisions each and cite the rule behind it.
15 guides in this lane
- State registration and federal trademarks: what protects a US business nameAn LLC filing registers an entity name under state rules. Trademark rights require a separate review of use, existing marks and the protection available through state or federal registration.
- What US therapists can say in practice marketing: testimonials, reviews and case examplesThe APA, ACA and NASW codes each limit how therapists ask for testimonials, describe results and share client stories. Here is what the wording says, and what it means for a group practice website.
- Responding to online reviews under HIPAA: what three OCR settlements show a practiceThree US practices paid settlements to the HHS Office for Civil Rights after replying to online reviews with patient information. Here is what each reply got wrong, and a review reply policy a small practice can adopt.
- Naming a US group therapy practice: the words state law reservesWords like psychological, psychotherapy and mental health counselor are reserved by state law for licensed professionals. Here is what New York, Florida and California say, and how to choose a group practice name that fits every license on the team.
- Rebranding a group practice that has outgrown the founder's nameA practice named after its founder works until clients start booking the practice instead of the person. Here is when to rename, and the US records to update in order: state filings, IRS, NPI, Medicare, payers and Google.
- Made in USA claims: what the FTC requires before you print itAn unqualified Made in USA claim means all or virtually all of the product was made here, and the rule allows a civil penalty when a business stretches it. Here is what the standard covers, when a qualified claim is the honest option, and how to keep an origin claim defensible.
- Testimonials, reviews and influencer posts: the US disclosure rulesThe FTC expects a material connection to be disclosed clearly, and its 2024 reviews rule bans fake, bought and insider reviews outright. Here is what a small business has to show, how the disclosure survives a fast scroll, and where the penalties land.
- What brand strategy costs in the United States, and what decides the pricePublished starting prices for United States projects, the three tiers they map to, and the scope decisions that move a quote. These are the practice's own figures, read against the published price book rather than a market average.
- HIPAA marketing rules: when a US practice needs patient authorizationThe Privacy Rule splits patient communication into two piles: messages about treatment, which a practice may send, and marketing, which generally needs written authorization. Here is where the line falls, what counts as payment from a third party, and the two exceptions that survive it.
- Health claims in US advertising: the evidence you have to holdAn objective health claim needs competent and reliable scientific evidence before the advertising runs, and the bar rises with the specificity of the promise. Here is how the standard works, what the December 2022 guidance changed, and why a disclaimer rarely rescues a claim.
- Law firm advertising in the US: what the model rules requireMost states build their lawyer advertising rules on the ABA Model Rules, which police misleading communications, paid advertising, solicitation and specialization claims. Here is what each rule covers, where state versions diverge, and the checks that keep a firm's marketing inside them.
- Fair housing advertising: the words a property ad has to avoidFederal law bars a property advertisement that signals a preference about race, religion, sex, disability, familial status or national origin.
- What a US dental practice may say in its advertisingThe ADA Code sets one standard for dental advertising: a communication that is false or misleading in any material respect.
- Text marketing in the US: what the TCPA requires before you sendFederal rules require prior express written consent before a marketing text, and the consent has to be specific, signed and documented.
- Website accessibility for US service businesses: what the ADA asks forThe Department of Justice reads the ADA as covering business websites, and names the barriers that block visitors, from alt text to captions.
See how the United States engagement works, or read the whole editorial library.