When you’re marketing a medical practice online, it’s also critical that your reviews be at the highest rating level. According to one report for Doctor.com, most patients looking for medical services online will disregard any practitioner who has less than a four-star rating. Your goal should always be five-star ratings.
So how do you get more five-star ratings online? Obviously, it starts with the services you provide. But that may not be enough. You can do everything right when a patient comes to see you but never reap the benefits of their positive experience.
In most instances, when a happy patient doesn’t give you a review, it’s because they’re too busy, they don’t know the process for completing and posting a review, or the process is too complex. The first step to garnering more five-star reviews is to make the process as simple as possible:
Step #1—Don’t wait for a review—The best way to get a positive review is to ask for one. Typically, the best time to do that is when you’ve given your patient a clean bill of health or concluded providing services to them. In most instances, if the patient had a good experience and a good outcome, they’ll be willing to give you a review. Consider installing a station at your practice where they can sit down and complete the review immediately or else give them a form to complete.
You may feel uncomfortable making a direct request that a patient provide you with a glowing review. That’s okay. There are a number of approaches that can help you get the review you want. You can have patients fill out pre-registration materials online, giving you an email address where you can send a follow-up thank you message that includes a request for a positive review. If you provide your patients with a billing statement or receipt for services, include a link to your online review page.
Admittedly, putting together your own system for increasing your positive online reviews can be a lot of work. With an online tool like Catalyst™, the process can be significantly streamlined. Catalyst offers the ability to:
To learn more about how we can improve the digital marketing of your medical practice, contact us online or call our offices today at 866-952-7045.