You may find some of 2020’s reputation management statistics surprising. More than 90% of consumers report that their buying decisions, including their choices in healthcare, are swayed by online reviews and over 87% admit they comparison-shop ratings before setting an appointment with a medical professional. What you should take-away from these stats is simple: the number of five-star reviews you have matters to your aesthetic practice.
Five-Star Reviews:
· Establish trust
· Increase brand awareness
· Are today’s word-of-mouth referrals
· Allow your practice to outshine the competition
· Do the selling for you
Unfortunately, you can wait a long time for satisfied patients to take time away from their busy schedule to write a five-star review. On the other hand, a disgruntled patient will rush home to write a scathing testimonial.
To achieve the ratings that your cosmetic practice needs to succeed, you must be proactive. Here are five real strategies that will help you acquire more five-star reviews.
1. Train Your Entire Staff
Most of your staff will not have given much thought to 5-star patient reviews. Take time to train your team and yourself on different ways to ask patients to leave a review. Don’t stop here. Decide on who is best poised to ask for the reviews, such as the surgeon, the nurses or the front office staff. Arm this group with additional information on how to handle negative patient experiences to reduce the number of potential negative reviews. Provide them with a guide to know what to say and how to approach someone asking for a review.
2. Frame Your Review Requests Around Your Goals
Set a specific and reasonable goal for your office to achieve over the next month. This number provides a clear number to work towards and makes it easier to assess their progress. While your staff members may be excited about reaching the goal, they will be even more ambitious if there is a reward for hitting the mark. Make your goal attainable; it is unrealistic to set the bar too high.
Your team can also use the goal as a way for employees to request a review. A casual yet enticing way to approach the patient is to say, “Help our office (or staff) reach our review goal.” Remember, the context you use when requesting reviews really matters.
3. Think Twice Before Asking Every Patient for a Review
It is in your best interest not to ask every patient for a review. Keep in mind, not everyone checking out is happy enough to leave a 5-star review and there is no need to encourage low reviews. Your review team should understand how to identify those patients who will leave five stars. There may also be individuals that are not tech-savvy or do not understand how reviews work. Let these patients know that you need a review to meet your office goal and then make it easy by sending a reminder text after checking out with an easy link to Google or Yelp reviews.
4. Start a Review Campaign
Begin the month with a five-star review campaign. Get the whole office involved, creating an environment for success. Brainstorm ideas with a team meeting. Create initiative by providing something special if the office goal is met, such as breakfast for a week or Starbucks gift cards for everyone. Use posters, cards, buttons, handouts to let all patients know it is a special review month. Present those who leave a review with 10% off their next purchase. Make reviews a big deal and see how many you can add. This also gives you a chance to see what works and what doesn’t.
5. Utilize a Reputation Management Software (RMS) and Company
Reputation Management Software is designed to monitor your online social media and review sites, alerting you if anyone leaves a testimonial. This gives you a chance to immediately respond to negative reviews, correcting the problem. Detailed daily and monthly reports let you see all of your reviews and stats in one place. The program can even post an automatic response to positive reviews.
An online reputation marketing company will offer your plastic surgery practice an opportunity to proactively build its online presence. The company will assist in creating an active presence across various review and rating sites. Not only do they grow your five-star reviews, your reputation management company can help to correct and balance new or existing negative reviews.
MD Internet Marketing and You
Click here to read our President’s, Logan Pence, article published in the PRS Journal, on how to help practicing plastic surgeon understand repuation management and review websites.
MD Internet Marketing (MDIM) is an online reputation management company designed to meet the needs of plastic surgery, cosmetic, and aesthetic practices. We are not a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) or web design firm; we are focused on improving your online reputation, giving you more time to focus on your practice. MDIM can create a personalized solution for your practice, driving up positive reviews and increasing ratings.
Contact MDIM at (954) 993-5154 to find out how our services can help your unique practice. Take a minute to learn a little more about what we do by following MDIM on Twitter, Pinterest, or LinkedIn.