Every day people are searching online for reputable dentists that can demonstrate delivering a consistent high quality service. One way potential patients are validating your service is by turning to online reviews before taking action.
It’s time to pay close attention to the impact online reviews can have on your dental practice. Without a shadow of a doubt, there’s a big shift in how prospective patients are approaching and making their purchasing decisions before
commencing treatment. It’s no longer sufficient to just appear on the top of Google’s first page, or simply have before and after photos on your website.
Nielsen (a leading global information and measurement company that provides insights and data about what people watch, listen to and buy) conducted a poll with more than 29,000 internet respondents across 58 countries and asked the question, “To what extent do you take action on the following forms of advertising?” The results revealed that consumer opinions and reviews posted online is the second most influential form of advertising in encouraging people
to take action.
Equally important, consumer opinions posted online is the third most trusted form of advertising (68 per cent), just behind having a branded website which has been cultivated over the years (69 per cent).
So it’s crucial to keep your online reputation working for you, and to take action if it is working against you. Let’s explore just three out of several ways to do this.
1) Create ‘wow’ moments
The best way to ensure you’re going to build a five star reputation online is to make the culture of your dental practice reputation focussed. Your staff will play an integral part in making this shift happen.
Each member of staff needs to be made aware of the overall impact their role has on the customer’s journey. The more ‘wow’ moments your staff can provide your patients the higher the chance of receiving five star reviews online. Use newly acquired five star reviews to inspire your staff, and use lower rated ones to improve your practice.
2) Collect your customer reviews
The power for patients to voice their opinions on Google +, Yelp, Facebook and other review sites is here to stay. There’s no point in fighting against it, instead use proven reputation strategies to embrace the change.
According to Local Consumer Review Survey 2014, conducted by Brightlocal, 38 per cent of respondents looked up a dentist in the last 12 months and 88 per cent had read reviews to determine the quality of a local business. Based
on these facts your dental practice should use a reputation system that collects and encourages your patients to write reviews about your service delivery online.
Collecting feedback is invaluable and you can use a variety of methods to encourage this activity such as postcards, emails or a private feedback page. The secret to success is to ensure that your practice is being consistent in
collecting reviews and that they have a current date. It’s not as impressive to see the last online review dated back two to three years.
Aim for a minimum of six to 10 five star reviews online, and prospective patients will think you are trustworthy and credible, encouraging them to take a leap of faith and do business with you for the first time.
3) Marketing your five-star reviews
Once you have received five star reviews from your patients you will want to ensure you’re marketing them online. Genuine five star customer reviews can help to convert cold leads into hot prospects.
Think of your five star reviews as referral agents that are working on your behalf 24/7. The benefit of having five star reviews online is that they are not one-to-one, like a private referral, but one-to-plenty. You should market your five star reviews on social media sites, this will definitely boost your online reputation, visibility and search
ranking.
There are even more steps available to you when thinking about building a five star reputation online but these three steps lay the basic foundation.