The Who and Where of Online Patient Reviews
Focus on Effective Online Patient Reviews
The Rosemont Review recently sat down with our social media expert and Senior Marketing Consultant Sarah Dawber for a few online patient review questions.
Check out the transcript below, and then visit the Rosemont Media Facebook page to post your own questions and comments for Sarah and the entire Rosemont Media Team.
Rosemont Review and Sarah Dawber Talk Online Reviews
Rosemont Review: Who can leave patient reviews?
Sarah Dawber: Anyone and everyone…including your competition. More specifically anyone that has an account on the wide array of review sites.
RR: Do these review sites regulate comments and reviews?
SD: Some review portals allow users to be anonymous, which is often the greatest source of anxiety for healthcare practices. But for the most part, a login or handle name is required to ensure the person really is who they say they are.
RR: What review sites should I focus on?
SD: Off the top of my head, sites we are concerned with are Google Maps, Yelp, Vitals, RateMDs, HealthGrades, and Citysearch, to name just a few.
RR: Are all of these sites really necessary? If a practice has a solid presence on one or two, would that be all right?
SD: I would suggest having an all-encompassing review strategy because some individuals are drawn to Yelp specifically, while others don’t know what Yelp is, preferring instead to research practices on Google Maps. Because it depends on user preference, we recommend being active on these 5 or 6 sites in the very least.
Additionally, there are so many niche specific sites and review portals, an expansive approach will not only reach potential patients and improve performance online, but also help practices create a proactive approach to online reputation management.
RR: What is the ultimate goal for patient reviews?
SD: The ultimate goal is to connect with patients, both current and potential. Improved online performance is another.
Reviews are free to the practice and they can help the doctors and their teams stay connected with their patients, so why not have a great presence in several places to diversify the practice’s performance and online reputation management strategy?
Rosemont Review Online Patient Review Series Continues
We’re now in our second week of the month-long online patient review series. Be sure to stay tuned as we cover the importance of online reviews, how a proactive strategy can improve brand awareness and create practice advocates, and help you improve online performance and reach new patients.