DIY Reputation Management – Easy Tips for Taking Control
Maintaining your reputation as a top-quality medical or dental services provider is more essential in today’s world than ever before. With the rise of review sites like Yelp and RateMDs, plus social media platforms such as Facebook and Google+, there are more and more avenues for people to say positive (and negative) things about you and their experience at your practice online. While advanced technological tools can help, one of the best things you can do to have some control over your online reputation is to take a proactive role.
Monitoring Reviews
Courtney Humes, the Director of Product Development here at Rosemont Media, says staying on top of what people are saying about you in online reviews is key to taking control. “It’s your name, your website, you should know what’s being said about you. While a lot of emphasis has been placed on generating reviews, the importance of monitoring your reviews and the results of your efforts cannot be understated. This can be done by taking some very simple and easy steps.”
The graphic below offers a guide to bookmarking your review sites. By setting a weekly reminder on your calendar to read the latest reviews of your practice, you can take a big leap toward effectively managing your reputation in a free and convenient way. It’s a great habit to get into, and it should take only a short amount of time each week.
Find out how to manage Yelp Reviews and read our Buyer’s Guide to Online Reviews here.
Taking a Proactive Approach
One study suggests that 88% of consumers have read online reviews before they decide upon their choice of a local business, and a large portion of that percentage read reviews on a routine basis. While word-of-mouth is still the most popular way that people are referred, internet referrals are close behind. Courtney says, even though there are paid tools with review monitoring components available, it’s still a good idea to keep tabs on yourself in real time. “It’s extremely important. We all know how much online reviews can affect the decision-making process for patients. Monitoring your own reviews is practical, free, and can be incredibly valuable in the long run!”
In addition to diligent monitoring of your online reputation, here are some of the best ways to get more reviews for your practice and to increase the potential that those reviews will be positive. Our blog also has a number of posts relating to management of patient reviews and your online reputation that offer further insight.
- Take excellent care of patients and give them the best possible experience.
- Talk to patients in your office about their experience – this should be a priority for all staff members.
- If patients say they are pleased, ask them to write a review and explain that it’s not only helpful to the practice, but can also educate other viewers who are considering treatment.
- All staff should be familiar with how to walk a patient through writing a Google review.
- Simple conversation with the patient, as well as surveys, cards, texts, or emails can all be effective tools to make it easier for patients to write a review. Don’t incentivize patients to write reviews, but you should definitely incentivize your staff to use the tools.
- In most (if not all) cases, it’s best not to respond to negative reviews.
- Maintain informative profiles on your social media sites that provide a good introduction to you and your practice.
- Keep your practice active on social media and engage with the online community.
To learn more about DIY Reputation Management, or to explore ways that you can make it easier and more convenient for your patients to review your practice, please contact Rosemont Media today.