Using Reviews to Build and Maintain Your Online Reputation. How Managing Online Reviews Can Lead To a Stronger Practice

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Geoffrey Douglas
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1 Using Reviews to Build and Maintain Your Online Reputation How Managing Online Reviews Can Lead To a Stronger Practice getweave.com

2 Table of Contents 1 Your Reputation Matters 3 Restaurants First, Then Dentists 5 Online Reviews: The First Step To Choosing a Provider 7 Build a Balanced Presence On Review Sites 9 Getting Started With Online Review Management 11 Using Weave To Manage and Boost Your Online Reputation 13 Your Reputation Is a Worthwhile Investment getweave.com

3 1 Your Reputation Matters It doesn t matter what people think! is something many of us heard from our mothers growing up. Usually spouted off to insecure teenagers, our well-meaning mothers tried to instill in us that the opinion of the masses doesn t matter. Sorry mom, but you were wrong. Your reputation matters, a lot.

4 2 If you are one of 90,000 dental practices in the United States¹, your practice is fighting to stand out from the competition to attract and retain patients. How your practice is reviewed online is playing a significant role in your current success. Online review sites like Google and Facebook have made it easy for patients to share their thoughts about the quality of service and overall experience. This has created transparency that hasn t existed previously and shifted more power to the patient. Practices that aren t actively seeking ways to incorporate online reviews into their overall digital marketing strategy are missing out on a huge opportunity. Attempting to solve the how s and why s for maintaining a stellar online reputation isn t for the faint of heart, but is necessary to stand out amongst the thousands of practices competing for customer mindshare and ultimately customer dollars. The following is a detailed exploration of the value online reviews play in modern practices and how you can benefit from an online review management platform. *Respondents were asked to select as many answers as they want **% figures displayed are the 2015 results 1

Second to this are reviews for doctors and dentists (35%).

5 3 Restaurants First, Then Dentists Recent data from BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey, has shown that the majority (60%) of business types that people have read online customer reviews for are restaurants and cafes². Second to this are reviews for doctors and dentists (35%). This tells us two things: First, people are loathe to get a bad taco, and second, people rely on online reviews when selecting their doctor and dentist. 2

4 Which of these business types have you read customer reviews for? Customer reviews are among the first things people see when they search your business category on Google or Google Maps.

6 4 Which of these business types have you read customer reviews for? Customer reviews are among the first things people see when they search your business category on Google or Google Maps. For small businesses, like many dental practices, online reviews bring the benefit of social proof to the table they help increase (or decrease) the degree of trust felt for an unfamiliar business based on feedback from other people with similar needs. In fact, 92% of consumers regularly or occasionally read online reviews (vs. 88% in 2014) and only 8% of consumers don t read online reviews (vs. 12% in 2014). Traditionally consumers have relied on their friends and families for recommendations for everything from which restaurants to eat at, where to buy a car, or which dentist or doctor to visit. But since review sites have reached a critical mass, consumers are leaning more and more on their online community to help make these day-to-day decisions.

7 5 Online Reviews: The First Step To Choosing a Provider Even though plenty of people are reading online reviews, you may ask yourself if these messages are actually influencing their decisions. The answer is yes.

8 6 According to a survey conducted by Software Advice, reading online reviews is the first step patients make when selecting a provider³. Seventy-seven percent of respondents report using online reviews before selecting a doctor, while 16 percent use them to validate the choice of a doctor they ve tentatively selected. When Patients Use Online Reviews Sites These results show that online reviews often create the first impression for potential patients and could be the determining factor in whether or not they make a first appointment. This is encouraging news as review sites can be leveraged as marketing channels and used to help grow your practice. 3

collecting as many positive reviews as possible.

9 7 Build a Balanced Presence On Review Sites Securing a prominent position on review sites is more than just collecting as many positive reviews as possible. There are a number of important factors that make up the local search algorithm, including

10 8 the quantity of reviews, the review velocity (meaning how often reviews are coming in), and the diversity of reviews. If all other ranking factors are equally addressed and implemented, Google tends to favor local business or products with legitimate reviews over alternatives that are lacking feedback. Ranking high on Google and Facebook is important, but it shouldn t be the sole focus of your online review strategy. Your practice should also identify industry-specific review sites that are relevant to your business, such as HealthGrades, RateMD and ZocDoc and direct your customers to fill out reviews on those sites as well. Industry specific review sites are excellent resources for a targeted searcher. This individual usually knows what they want and is extremely focused. They also are most likely to have preexisting knowledge of these sites and are further along in the purchase process as well. Just because these sites are more narrowly focused doesn t mean reviews there won t have value to your overall SEO strategy. Reviews from these niche sites can also show up in Google search engine results. Deciding what approach to take with online reviews can be difficult, but having a diverse presence across multiple review sites will maximize your exposure and increase the likelihood of future patient appointments.

9 Getting Started With Online Review Management Clearly, online

operations, and gaining a better understanding your customer.

result, collecting them on a regular basis should be a priority.

to automate and streamline the collection of reviews.

11 9 Getting Started With Online Review Management Clearly, online reviews are critical in increasing revenues, improving business operations, and gaining a better understanding your customer. Online reviews are a valuable resource to any business and, as a result, collecting them on a regular basis should be a priority. Although this seems like a daunting task, technology is available to automate and streamline the collection of reviews. When researching online review management platforms here are a few things to consider:

12 10 Mobility: With the explosion of mobile devices and smartphones in recent years, the biggest factor to consider is whether or not the platform caters to this trend toward mobile devices. This will make it easier for your staff to send review invitations and makes it easier for the customer to leave a review. Urgency: Sending a review invite to your customer via text message while they are still on site results in a much higher click through rate than batching invitations and blasting patients all at once. Patients are more apt to respond if their visit is still top of mind and what better way to ensure that than to invite them before they leave. Compatibility: Providing a seamless experience to review your practice on the top three review platforms Google and Facebook is a must. Requiring your patient to create an account to leave a review is a sure way to antagonize your patient and significantly reduce the odds of securing a review. Single Pane of Glass: Consolidating all of your reviews into a single dashboard simplifies the management of the online review process and allows you to quickly and easily track new reviews as they come in regardless of review platform.

To help curb this problem, Weave created a review platform specifically designed for dental

13 11 Using Weave To Manage and Boost Your Online Reputation Unless managing your online review strategy is easy, chances are it s a task that can easily fall by the wayside. To help curb this problem, Weave created a review platform specifically designed for dental offices. Weave captures all reviews both online and private and displays them in an easy-to-use screen.

14 12 As patients are checking out, the office staff is encouraged to invite them to take the review. Once they say they will participate, the staff can send an invite though Weave s schedule app. The patient will get a text asking them to leave your office a quick review. Weave will filter responses directing positive reviews to a public online site such as Google, Facebook and Yahoo. If they don t want to leave positive feedback, the link directs them to a private feedback screen. The messages are only seen by the office staff using the Weave review app. The office will be able to instantly see negative feedback and identify problem areas remediating them quickly before problems become systemic. You also have option to have review invites sent out automatically, although participation isn t as high if there isn t a verbal invite.

15 13 Your Reputation Is a Worthwhile Investment Spending a little time and money upfront encouraging your patients to share their thoughts on online review sites not only fosters loyalty, but it can also drive significant increases in revenue⁴. Just one more star in your business rating can give you a 5-9% jump in revenue. This alone should be enough incentive to be proactive about your online review strategy. To ensure your practice isn t left behind, seek out and implement an online review management platform to guarantee you are getting the maximum value from your online reputation because, as we all know, it really does matter what people think. 4

COMPLETE GUIDE TO ONLINE REVIEWS

COMPLETE GUIDE TO ONLINE REVIEWS 1 Contents SUMMARY REVIEW GENERATION Online Reviews and How They Work 4 Why Online Reviews Matter 4 Focusing on the Most Effective Sites 6 How to Ask for Online Reviews