Whether your dental practice is growing or shrinking, the trust and credibility you build with potential clients is an ever-present concern. Reputation management strategies like reviews, listings, and surveys help to cultivate a positive reputation.
Reviews from Google, Yelp, and health-specific websites such as Healthgrades play a critical role in your online image. This article focuses on proactively encouraging positive reviews, monitoring them for problems, and responding to negative feedback in a way that builds trust.
Social media
A solid online reputation is a must if you want to attract and keep patients. In fact, a recent study found that one bad review can cost you 22% of your customers. That’s why it’s important to monitor online reviews and comments regularly. A good way to do this is by setting up alerts using social media tools that notify you when your business name or brand is mentioned. This allows you to respond quickly to negative feedback and promote positive reviews.
Another key aspect of dental reputation management is keeping your online directory listings up to date. Potential patients often search for local dentists in directories like Google My Business and Yelp. If your directory listings are outdated or contain inaccurate information, it could negatively impact your reputation. A reputable reputation management agency will ensure your directory listing are updated and accurate on a regular basis.
Lastly, it’s important to respond to online reviews promptly and personally. This is a great way to show that you care about your patients and are committed to improving their experiences. In addition, it can also help to mitigate negative feedback before it gets out of hand. For example, if a patient leaves a negative review due to a misunderstanding, you can contact them directly to resolve the issue. This will help prevent the negative review from going public and having a significant impact on your online reputation.
Yelp
Online reputation management for dentists is essential to attracting new patients. While word-of-mouth recommendations still remain a powerful marketing tool, the internet has changed how people spread the word about local businesses. Instead of recommendations coming directly from family and friends, consumers are making them in public via websites like Yelp.
When a potential patient sees a negative review of your dental practice, it can make them less likely to schedule an appointment. A reputation management service can help you counteract these negative reviews and build a positive online presence for your business. However, it is important to find a reputable reputation management company that does not engage in shady practices. As the Wall Street Journal reports, many reputation management services engage in misleading tactics that can damage your reputation and make it harder to convert leads.
Using a high-quality photo of yourself in your online profile can make a big difference in how potential patients perceive your dental office. It also helps to keep your profile up-to-date by adding current information such as your hours of operation, location, and contact information.
When a patient leaves a review, you can respond by sending them a private message to address any concerns that they may have. This allows you to communicate with your patients directly and shows that you care about the feedback that they have given you. You can also thank them for their positive review by featuring it in a carousel on your website.
Google My Business
A Google Business Profile, formerly known as Google Places, is an essential tool for any dental practice to manage their online presence on search and maps. It provides a way for potential patients to find information about your practice, and it is also an important ranking factor. To improve your Google ranking, it is important to make sure that all of the information about your practice is accurate. This includes the correct address, phone number, and website, a suitable category configured, appropriate practice images and videos, and positive reviews.
The Services section on your GMB listing is an excellent place to add a list of the dental treatment options your clinic offers, and a description of each. It also helps to add your service areas to your listing, as many people search for businesses by location. This is especially useful if you want to show up in voice search results on a smart speaker like an Alexa or a Google Home.
Posts and Messaging are great ways for dental practices to connect with their audience. They can showcase special offers to new patients, provide free consultations or stories about their practice, and share updates that will appeal to current and prospective patients. They can also engage with their audience by allowing them to ask questions and respond directly to reviews.
Reviews
Often, the biggest difference between a dental practice that makes it and one that doesn’t is the quality of its online reputation. Online Reputation Management (ORM) is a set of marketing practices that generate positive reviews for a brand, helping it establish a pleasant and likable brand identity. ORM also helps push negative information (reviews, ratings, articles) about a business lower in search results, making it harder for people to find.
The quality of a dentist’s online reputation is influenced by the number and nature of patient reviews. Reviews help potential patients understand how a dentist works, and what to expect from the experience of a visit. It’s no wonder that more than 80% of consumers read online reviews to make a decision about what healthcare provider to choose.
To amplify your online reputation, you need to make it as easy as possible for your happy patients to share their experiences with the world. Reminding them to do so after each appointment is a great way to get started, but you can make it even easier with a practice management platform that takes a centralized approach to communication and includes a simple review tool.
More than just a form of marketing, reputation management for dentists can transform the way your clients view your business and increase conversion rates. So, what are you waiting for?