Are you familiar with the concept of reputation management? It seems like an odd thing to have to worry about beyond the confines of your close knit community of family and friends. But the advent and exponential growth of the internet and social media outlets has made reputation management a necessity, something dental practices cannot ignore or devote less than serious attention to.
Reputation management entails encouraging digital “word of mouth” referrals and improving internet search results. According to VivioSites data, more than 70% of dental referrals come from social media. Billions of people are using Facebook and Twitter to share their experiences, follow trends, and find information. They are no longer just discussing their experiences among friends - they are posting, liking, and sharing information at the speed of light in a very public way.
Reputation management is about sending positive messages out into the universe. Social media is the perfect platform to get your own message out to your patient pool as well as your community. There are numerous ways to communicate with current and potential patients through your website, Facebook page, and other social media. One of the most effective is patient reviews.
Don’t be afraid to ask a patient to review his or her experience in your office and the type of treatment they received. A review should be just a couple of sentences or a short paragraph, not a tome. Most people will be amenable to contributing a comment or two. The best time to ask for a review is before patients leave the premises. They may be happy to do it right then on a waiting-room computer, or would prefer a follow up email, including some tips on what points to hit in their review, so they can write it later. Invite patients based on the type of service they received whether it was a routine cleaning, a very esthetic and quickly delivered direct restoration, solving an emergency problem, or providing an implant or full mouth reconstruction. Choose reviews to post on your website from a variety of people: adults who had a smile makeover; young adults; parents with kids undergoing orthodontics or replacing a knocked-out tooth; older adults with aging issues; parents of special needs patients, etc. This will showcase the variety of services and situations in which you excel, and attract a diverse pool of future patients. Also consider videotaping patient reviews and testimonials but if you go this route, be sure to get a signed consent form to publish the video online. Prospective patients are very likely to watch videos these days, which keeps them on your website longer.
Patients who are internet savvy may be willing to take the extra step and post their online reviews on Yelp, Google, and other outlets, increasing your visibility in the community. As these are viewed and shared, Google will increase your inclusion in search results more often. If your name and reputation become recognizable, not to mention familiar, you’ll be building your patient pool organically.
Think of patient reviews as the new word-of-mouth marketing, and be sure to thank patients for providing their valuable feedback.
If you need help incorporating patient reviews into your web presence or with social media, VivioSites is an industry leader in dental web design, SEO (search engine optimization), and social media marketing services. For more information, visit their robust website full of videos, design options, blogs, and more.