Online reputation is gaining more important with each passing year, especially if you are a doctor. However, many still don’t comprehend the basic guidelines of online reputation management. Successful online reputation management for doctors lies within an understanding of the elements of a doctor’s reputation. With a majority of people resorting to online sources for doctor and healthcare information, having a well-founded online presence is a must. You could be the best doctor in town but if your online reputation doesn’t live upto it, you will be unable to attract new patients. There are many factors involved in this – from asking for reviews to monitoring them.
Why is a strong online reputation management strategy important?
Creating a strong digital presence is key to successful healthcare practices. With patients looking for practices online by perusing your practice’s reviews, the feedback available plays a big part in their decision-making. Many practices today consider their reputation management as a key marketing component for long-term practice growth.
However, this isn’t as mysterious and difficult as it may seem. With a few straightforward steps, any doctor’s online reputation can be boosted while also increasing their online presence and bringing in potential patients.
North Rose Healthcare has years of experience in dealing with online reputation management for doctors and medical practices. In this blog post, we will discuss some tips to protect your reputation and keep your practice running smoothly!
1. Collecting Patient Feedback
Online reviews for doctors are the first thing any potential patient looks for. The more positive you receive, the more appealing and trustworthy your practice seems. Reviews truly reflect the patient experience your healthcare practice provides and what one can expect from you. This is why it is important you ask your existing patients to leave behind their reviews – whether it’s asking them to do so in person or setting up a QR code patients can scan that would lead them directly to a review form. The best time to do this is right after their appointment or in a follow-up email. If this method isn’t already part of your online reputation management strategy, then it’s high time to start focusing on it. There are several tools available online that will make this process automatic and efficient.
2. Responding to reviews
Doing so demonstrates that you care about the experiences your patient have and your reputation. While it is not possible to respond to every review, interacting with even a few prove to be beneficial. Be sure to not just respond to positive reviews but a few negative ones as well. One of the best ways to respond to them is by giving the reviewer the option to contact you directly offline. It can be difficult to read them but, offering support and an opportunity to fix a problem implies you do not take your patient’s criticisms lightly. Many times, patients just want to be heard and they’ll be happy with a simple apology.
3. Having a search engine optimized website.
Today almost every business has found a space online. If you haven’t yet then it could definitely hurt your practice’s reputation. If you don’t have a website, this can hurt your online and offline reputation as patients won’t be able to find or verify you. Taking advantage of a digital space to showcase your expertise and practice is the way to go. Having a professionally developed and designed website boosts your credibility, engagement, and patient base. Search engine optimization (SEO) for doctors is a technological way to land high in google rankings – making your website more visible to potential patients. This is most valuable for small healthcare practitioners.
4. Stay aware on social media
Another great way to protect your reputation is to build a positive online presence proactively. It is one the most useful sources for gathering unfiltered, honest opinions of your patients, especially the unhappy ones. Therefore, it is important to use social media tools to keep a track of what is being said about your practice and monitor all feedback. Having this knowledge easily accessible to you allows you to make subsequent changes and learn what works for your practice and patients. It is also important to stay active on these social and be connected with your followers. Make sure to post interesting and engaging content that will resonate with your patients.
5. Publishing articles
Writing articles on issues relevant to your field and what you offer is a great tool for doctor reputation management and building trust. It is best to directly quote and even recommend suggestions as it makes the reader feel as though you are speaking directly with them. Reading about your opinions on important health issues makes them feel confident about putting their health in your hands.
All these online reputation management tasks play a great role in setting your practice apart from the rest. While they may seem fairly easy to follow, they require consistency. There are many tools available online that make this process more manageable so as to not take up too much of your time. A positive online reputation has a beneficial effect on your patient acquisition practice growth – you just have to be willing to put in the work. Also, remember – one of the best ways to protect your reputation is to simply keep your patients happy. If your patients are happy with your services, then they’re less likely to leave negative reviews. Provide high-quality care and always be available to answer any questions or concerns that your patients may have.
If you have any questions about online reputation management for doctors, please feel free to contact us at North Rose Healthcare. We are a healthcare marketing agency dedicated to promoting your practice and increasing your footfall. We would be happy to help you protect your online reputation!
