Online reputation management is really just a fancy word for ensuring you have positive reviews online! You need to ensure that you have a positive presence online. It is very important. Actually, it is one of the most important aspects of your niche practices marketing campaign!
I often hear from nurse practitioner entrepreneurs who are struggling with getting new patients in the door. A common theme amongst these nurse practitioners is their lack of positive online reviews and testimonials. This is one of the TOP reasons for their practice being slow.
Think about it this way:
When you go to a new city and you open your phone up to look for a local restaurant, what is one of the first things you look at? THEIR REVIEWS! Are you going to go to the restaurant that has a 3.4-star rating on Google or the one with a 4.9-star rating? You are going with the 4.9 rated restaurant. Your niche practice is NO DIFFERENT.
Your reviews on Google, Yelp, Bing, and any other site your practice is listed on is very important for you to keep an eye on and manage. You also need to have testimonials on these sites and even your practices website. Potential patients need to know you are real and most importantly, they need to know if you provide excellent care and customer service.
The more positive reviews you have, the more business you will get.
The more positive reviews you have, the better your chances of beating the competition.
I have over 70 5-star ratings with my men’s health practice and over 50 5-star ratings at my medical cannabis clinic. My ratings ALONE drive business through the door. We hear time and time again from new patients “I chose you because of all the great reviews on Google!” And the best part? This cost me nothing! Additionally, the more reviews you have, the better the chances are that you will rank at the top of searches.
So, I need you to start getting as many positive reviews as you can on your Google Business Listing, Bing, your website, etc… It is the foundation of your online reputation and critically important for the health of your practice.
Quick tip: Strive to get as many reviews as you can because every once in a while you might get a bad one, but if you have dozens and dozens of 5-star reviews, then the one bad apple would do nothing to your overall average!
4 Responses
How do you get reviews? Ask? Or is there a software you recommend to generate them?
I don’t advise putting bogus reviews up, but yes: just ask your patients each time you see them. Incentivize them to give you reviews!
I was told we cannot respond to reviews. I got a bad rating because I don’t take Medicare. But that shouldn’t allow a review when no care received. I got another bad review because we told the patient she needed a medication follow up and she insisted she can have the medication without a visit. It’s seems passive aggressive and petty! I almost don’t want to encourage it.
Christine,
You are not responding to reviews… You are just monitoring them. You are asking for reviews from SATISFIED customers. There is no harm in that.
In terms of the petty reviews like that, you can report them to Google for being inaccurate and out of your control. You should not be penalized for providing good care or not accepting Medicare. That is ridiculous….