Are Patient Reviews That Important?
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Attracting new patients is critical for practice growth, not only to mitigate naturally occurring attrition and related production loss but to also add strong new-patient production and referrals back into the practice. Not only do positive reviews – either on Google, social media, or your website – help attract these new patients, but they also help with web ranking, practice visibility, and solidifying your practice’s reputation in the community, which further boosts new-patient acquisition in a patient journey that comes full circle.
At Patient NEWS®, our experienced team of dental marketers knows how to help you improve your online presence and achieve the goals you have in mind. Call to discuss your situation today!
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Understanding the patient journey and considering the appropriate strategic thrust for each touchpoint is a key component in building a practice that patients are eager to share with others.
The patient journey begins with awareness. Awareness of a dental need or desire, and awareness of your practice and its solutions that solve their pain point(s). So how do consumers become aware of a dental practice? The primary awareness-building tools for dental offices are direct mail sent to targeted homes – the only way to reach 100% of households – and paid media/PPC campaigns, which ensure your practice is visible when search is triggered.
Of course, awareness can also begin with referrals from friends and family who’ve had a positive experience at your practice and spread the good news to others.
Next comes patient research, where prospective patients form opinions about your practice through visiting your practice online and reading reviews on social media and/or Google to decide whether or not to patronize your business.
The patient then makes a buying decision and books that all-important first appointment.
A superlative patient experience secures brand loyalty.
By creating that “loyalty loop,” you then have patients who refer your practice to friends and family and post stellar reviews that others will read to form opinions of your practice. This helps them decide whether or not to choose your team.
It’s a beautiful, streamlined process that is really quite simple. For more information about how the team at Patient NEWS can help you attract and convert more new patients, just go ahead and schedule a free consultation.
There was a time not so long ago when word-of-mouth referrals were the only way to get the news out about your practice. Although they still hold an important place, online reviews are the way to go in today’s digital age. The vast majority of consumers look to reviews when selecting a healthcare provider, such as a dentist. Even after a personal referral, reviews influence 97% of consumer buying decisions!
And who are these people reading your reviews? Ninety percent of the time, it’s the female head-of-household who is responsible for making the healthcare decisions for her family. Seventy percent of these decision-makers consider a positive online reputation to be an extremely important factor in whether or not they’ll book that first appointment.
Most people are pleased and delighted to write a review when asked. But, like you and I, they may lead hectic lives and have busy schedules that can place posting a review of your practice on the back burner. If enough time is allowed to elapse, they may forget altogether. They often need a gentle nudge to get them to post that all-important review.
According to Review Trackers analysis of over 48,000 business locations:
94% of consumers say a bad review has convinced them to avoid a business
53% of consumers expect businesses to respond to a negative review within a week
63% say that at least one company they reviewed never responded
45% of consumers say they’re more likely to visit a business if it responds to negative reviews
Customers don’t trust businesses with lower than 4-star reviews, and 70% filter those out completely.
When you manage your brand reputation as a strategic part of practice growth and you let patients know you welcome referrals and appreciate their positive review, more patients will refer friends and family, and you’ll create a steady flow of great reviews.
How Review Booster Can Help
Review Booster is an automated, all-in-one reputation management system in Practice ZEBRA® that’s designed to make your practice more efficient, increase patient satisfaction, and boost production through reviews.
With Review Booster, you can:
Send out review requests by text and email, which can be automated or sent to select patients
Redirect patients who are not completely happy back to your office instead of a review site, allowing you to effectively and quickly address dissatisfaction
Manage and respond to new reviews in real-time within the Practice ZEBRA dashboard
Reduce the number of no-shows with text and email appointment reminders
Add value and create reciprocity in patients with oral health articles included in each email
Increase your steady flow of positive patient reviews. Our clients get 3X reviews after implementation!
Review Booster allows you to respond to reviews – both negative and positive – on all platforms in real time. This shows current and prospective patients that you care, which is important as 45% of people are more likely to visit a business that responds quickly to reviews.
And don’t be disheartened by those negative reviews! Even the best practices are prone to having a less-than-favorable review occasionally. With Review Booster, you can turn that negative review into an opportunity by immediately addressing the patient’s concerns. As a great dentist with a skilled team, more people need to learn about your practice!
Patient reviews are so impactful, not only because they help build a great reputation and provide terrific insight to new patients considering your practice, but they also bolster your website ranking by strengthening the credibility of your practice. In addition, they increase click-through to a website by 35%, and they feature keywords that patients naturally use, increasing the likelihood that your site will come up in search for prospective patients. You can also feature your great reviews on your website, in email/social campaigns, and in direct mail campaigns to demonstrate your expertise, which will help convert more new patients.
Studies show that 90% of consumers trust online reviews as much as a personal referral. Reviews are crucial and provide an excellent means of showcasing the exceptional work you and your team perform, the outstanding individuals you collaborate with, and the patient-centric care you offer. The best part is that your patients are eager to leave you a positive review.
It’s a win-win for everyone! Schedule a free consultation to find out more about Review Booster, our WebLift website programs, and how we can help you attract more new patients!
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