As the saying goes; people do business with who they like, know and trust! As you may have all the bells and whistles in your practice but your online reputation is poor, then you are already losing the battle. It doesn’t matter the type of business, having an excellent reputation undoubtedly will strengthen your business. For instance, most customers will readily reach out to a practice with positive reviews over those with negative ones. So regardless of the channel through which your patient discovers your practice, they will at some point want to know about other people’s experience with you. All it takes is a simple search. What they discover will determine if they become a patient or not. A doctor’s or a business’s reputation is critical to  success, as revealed in the image below.

Getting reviews for your practice, especially on Google, is going to help rankings and it will encourage others to visit your store. A good strategy for dealing with reviews is vital. 

Here are some ways to manage reviews:

• Designate resources to handle reviews for your practice.
• Encourage positive reviews by asking customers when they are checking out or paying for services.
• Send patients a letter or postcard in the mail, asking for a review after you provide services.
• Monitor and respond to reviews through our effective internal system.
• Incorporate a link on your website and other places where customers can leave a review.

According to research by BriightLocal, 50% of respondents read online reviews regularly. For patients looking to get the best deals and highest quality of service, how else would they do this if it wasn’t online reviews? Therefore now more than ever businesses have to put in place a reputation management strategy to grow their businesses

People can talk about your practice anywhere. However, when you start building an online presence for them, the value of a well-managed reputation increases. This is due, in part, to increased visibility. 

NEGATIVE REVIEWS HAVE A DIRECT IMPACT ON YOUR BUSINESS

Imagine a local search for anything. The searcher sees reviews for you and your competitor. What they see here will have a significant impact on where they spend their money.

If it’s a 3-star review for you and 4-star review for your competitor, their chances don’t look great. You negate this by requesting reviews. There are a ton of stats that back up the simple idea that people prefer businesses with at least 3.5 stars or more. There are no stats to suggest otherwise so why would you flounder with a terrible average rating?

How Reputation Management Grows a Practice

We are all familiar with at least one variation of the sales funnel. What we all may not know is that our reputation online can be a significant factor in whether a potential customer progresses through the stages of discovery, consideration and then loyalty.

Discovery: It is the relevance of the websites that increase the visibility of your practice. Furthermore, having accurate information and positive reviews helps you more effectively reach potential customers for your business.

Consideration: Without positive reviews and consistent engagement, turning your leads into prospects is more difficult than necessary. The best website, the most beautiful office, the greatest pitch – all of these will be followed by a Google search which usually yields reviews for local practices. What will your potential customers see?

Loyalty: Your happy customers are your brand ambassadors – if you’re savvy enough to use them that way. 7 out of 10 consumers will leave a review if asked. When they leave a glowing review of your business, that helps move people along the buyer’s journey at every stage. 

Reputation management is important now more than ever. With this, our goal for our customers is to ensure positive information is highlighted and customers are supported effectively – after all your customers are the foundation of your company. 

Monitor your online reputation, then respond promptly and objectively to poor reviews. More importantly, engaging with the patientbuz program to set your business apart and drive growth.

Get in touch with us and have our team help you implement a great reputation management strategy for your practice.

About The Author:

Andre Wright has more than a decade of experience in the field of digital marketing. Andre through Patientbuz has managed various successful campaigns for dentists, chiropractors, pain clinics, and other healthcare professionals. He is certified in all Google Ads competencies as well as Google Analytics and was a part of the formative years of Google Ads, developing its platform. 

Andre is a co-host of the Podcast, “Your Company Health”, where he speaks with healthcare professionals and leaders in the business community. He holds an MBA in Marketing and Management and is the author of “Visibility” a digital marketing book published earlier this year. Andre has been a featured speaker at business conferences around the US and beyond.

When he’s not working to help doctors make the important transition to cost-efficient digital media, Andre can probably be found spending time with family, watching sports, or playing golf with friends.

Contact: info@patientbuz.com or andre@thewrightconsult.com

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