Your brand only has one opportunity to make a good first impression on potential patients. In dermatology, word-of-mouth referrals are one of the most valuable ways to grow a business. However, not all of your patients are going to come from referrals from existing patients. Sometimes, you have to rely on online reviews instead. When you can’t get in-person word-of-mouth referrals, online reviews can do the same thing. Online review management involves monitoring and responding to online reviews so you can make them a valuable marketing tool.
Why Online Reviews for Dermatology Practices Matter
Online reviews are vital to growing a dermatology practice for a couple of reasons. First, people go here to find information about new service providers, like dermatology clinics. Four out of every five patients who are looking for a new doctor will use online searches to find one, and reviews play a large role in that decision. Second, when used well, reviews show that you are real, have real patients, and take the time to interact with them.
Proven Tips to Get More Online Reviews for Dermatologists
Before you can manage reviews, you must get some. While extremely satisfied patients will naturally leave reviews, people are busy, and you may find that you need to do a little work to generate reviews. There are specific strategies that will spark people’s memories to encourage them to leave more reviews.
Claim Your Profile Pages
First, you need to have pages on the various review sites before you can generate reviews. The first and most important is your Google Business Profile, but that is just one of many. For dermatology practices, you will also want to sign up with ZocDoc, Healthgrades, and other medical-based directory sites.
Once you have claimed your directory sites and, if needed, verified them, make sure all the information matches. Each site needs the same name, address, and phone number to avoid confusing people when they want to leave reviews.
Finally, make the most out of these sites by optimizing each one. Include photos, local search terms, and information about the services you provide. The more information that you can offer to visitors, the more likely you will be to gain new patients.
Exceed Expectations
The first step in getting reviews is providing a level of service that generates them. People need to be wowed by your dermatology services before they will leave five-star reviews. If they aren’t, they won’t leave a positive review. When people feel their needs are supported, and their results are excellent, they are more likely to leave a review.
Create and Share a Google Review Link
Next, use your Google Business Profile to create a link directly to your Google reviews. To do this, log into your profile and click “get more reviews.” Then, click “share review form.” This will generate a link that you can share with your patients.
Start by sharing your email link with patients after receiving services. Encourage them to leave a review, but don’t stop there. You can also post your review link on the footer of your website, share it on social media, and leave it in the email signature of other emails you send. You never know when one of those links will lead to a review.
In addition, you can create a QR code that links to your review page. Then, post this around your dermatology practice. People will be prompted to leave a review when they leave your practice satisfied, and you limit the risk that they will forget once they get back to their normal lives.
Ask for Feedback
People like to share their opinions. Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback. Satisfied customers will often respond in a positive manner, and patients with concerns may share them. This, in turn, allows you to address areas of concern so that you can improve your service. Either way, this will prompt some people to leave reviews, which is your ultimate goal.
You can ask for feedback through an email after your patient receives services from you. You can also create text messaging systems that ask for reviews. Another option is to ask in person when a patient is at your clinic. No matter how you ask, asking will create more reviews.
Give Instructions
People aren’t going to spend a lot of time trying to leave a review, especially if they are happy with the service. Make it easy for them by providing step-by-step instructions. Let people know exactly how they can leave a review, even including images of the process.
How to Manage and Respond to Online Reviews for Dermatologists
Once you get some reviews, you need to use them well, which means responding to them. Every time you respond to a review, you show website visitors that you are a legitimate business that wants to please your customers.
For positive reviews, thank the customer for taking the time to review your services. This builds relationships with your customers and shows potential customers that you are an active dermatology practice that takes an interest in your patients.
Negative reviews are more challenging, but they still provide an opportunity to showcase your professionalism. Remember that no business will satisfy all patients at all times, and your practice is no exception. If someone leaves a negative review, respond with an apology and outline the steps you wish to take to make it right.
If the review is unfounded, gently explain what you did and why. People who read these responses will understand that you are doing what you can to satisfy your unhappy patient. They will also see that you are able and willing to learn from feedback.
Analyze Sentiment
In addition to using reviews as an opportunity to interact with past patients and impress potential new patients, you can use them as an opportunity to reflect on the services you provide. A good dermatology practice will look for ways to improve and grow in its practice. This doesn’t happen accidentally. Use your reviews to analyze the sentiment of your local community about your practice.
If you notice negative trends, determine what you need to do to change the sentiment. For example, if people repeatedly comment on impolite reception staff, take a minute to improve the training for your front desk personnel. If people express discontent that you don’t offer a particular dermatology service, consider adding it.
If you notice a particular aspect of your service gets rave reviews, then focus more of your marketing on that service to bring in more satisfied patients. If you notice a particular staff member is getting positive comments, honor that staff member and highlight their service on other online marketing venues, like your social media pages.
Consider an All-in-One Marketing Tool to Make Review Management Easier
As you look for opportunities to improve your marketing through online reviews, you may find that tracking consumer sentiment on various review platforms is challenging. One way to save time and energy is to invest in an all-in-one marketing tool that puts your review management in one place.
Surefire Local is one such tool. It connects you to over 70 online directories and review platforms, including Yelp and Google, and shows you reviews in real-time in one dashboard. Through the platform, you can claim and verify all of your pages, ensuring consistent name, address, and phone number. This will help people find you and leave reviews.
Once you have your profiles set up, you need to monitor the reviews that come in, and Surefire Local makes this simple. Through the built-in tools, you can respond to reviews directly within Surefire Local, so you don’t have to spend time logging into the directory and responding to it. You can quickly get a handle on the sentiment about your business, do what you need to protect your reputation, and then go about your day serving and treating your patients.
Surefire Local also connects other important online marketing to your dashboard. Easily share positive reviews on social media or set up email campaigns that request reviews through email marketing tools. Monitor your other online content and pages, create conversations on social media, and run your pay-per-click campaigns from the platform as well. By connecting your marketing efforts in this way, you keep your brand messaging consistent while also using your reviews to create positive buzz about your business.
With the integrations built into Surefire Local, you can market more effectively, draw in more leads, and improve your use of reviews to grow your practice. Learn more about how Surefire Local supports the growth of local dermatology practices by scheduling a demo today.