Dentist
How to Get Patients to Leave You More Online Reviews

How to Get Patients to Leave You More Online Reviews

If you’re running a dental business, then it’s important that you know all the marketing techniques.

The competition is stiff, almost all dentists have some kind of a virtual presence. You need to up your game if you want to gain the attention of your potential customers.

A very good way is to leverage customer reviews. A customer review is basically a small piece of writing developed by your patients highlighting their experience with your practice. It may be negative or positive, but you should try to get as many positive reviews as possible.

Let’s look at some stats that highlight the importance of customer reviews:

The importance of online reviews is obvious. They help you bring more customers. Furthermore, according to the experts at Titan Web Agency, online reviews can even improve your SEO.

“When customers leave you a review, they typically use keywords such as the dentist’s name, location, the practice’s name, and adjectives such as good or cheap. This can be very good for SEO and help you gain more organic traffic,” said one of the experts.

Since about 84% of users trust online reviews as much as they trust personal recommendations, you cannot neglect reviews. But, how do you ensure that your patients leave you a review, especially a positive one? Here are some tips:

Provide An Excellent Experience

Customers are more likely to write a (positive) review if they are truly impressed with your services.

“Dentistry is a service-based industry. The kinder and professional you are in your dealings, the happier will be your clients,” suggests Dr. Grady L. Lembke.

So put your best foot forward and provide your clients with an experience that naturally makes them want to write about your business.

Ask them to Leave a Review

There’s no harm in asking your patients to leave a review, especially if they appear to be satisfied with the experience. This serves as a call to action and can make all the difference. In fact, about 70% of people will leave you a review if you ask them.

Your customers do not know how important a review is to you. Some may not even care until you highlight it. So mention it to them, ideally at the end of the treatment when they appear happy and satisfied.

A good tactic is to provide customers with a feedback form to fill out before they leave and ask them to submit their opinion online as well when they return the form to you.

Offer Something in Return

This can be a simple but effective tool to ensure your patients leave you an online review and come back for a second appointment.

Offering them a simple discount of 5% as a reward for leaving you a review can get people’s attention. If you don’t wish to give discounts, then you may try other rewards, such as a fridge magnet or pen. They’re also more likely to leave a positive review if they’re receiving a reward. Plus, with discounts, there is a high chance of a patient coming back to take advantage of the discount, which may end up giving you a loyal customer.

So consider this tool as it has several benefits, for you and your customers.

Automate the Process

Asking your patients for reviews does not have to be a huge increase in workload, for you or your staff.  There are online reputation management tools to send follow-up emails to patients and help them find online review sites so that they have no trouble

This has two main benefits.  One, it makes it easier for you to collect reviews from patients.  Two, it makes it easier for patients to find the right place to leave good reviews.  It’s important that your customers can find the right sites to leave you their feedback.  Imagine giving a patient a wonderful experience, but not knowing where to share their story! 

Warning: Don’t be a Pain

“Don’t be the person who hovers over your head constantly asking you to leave a review,” suggests Dr. Monica Neely.

Such behavior may put off your customers and also prevent them from leaving you positive feedback, even if they were originally planning to.

Be subtle. Ask for it. Send a follow-up email or give them a call to check their health and mention the review in a positive manner. Lastly, thank your patients when they leave you a review and have a clear policy to handle negative feedback.

Nathan G. Russell, DDS, MBA
Dr. Russell, DDS is a practicing Dentist in Bainbridge Island, WA. Dr. Russell grew up in the farm country of Southern California and moved to the Seattle area in 1995 after marrying his sweetheart, Brooke. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Washington in Cell and Molecular Biology and Finnish. He also earned his dental degree from the University of Washington School of Dentistry.
Nathan G. Russell, DDS, MBA

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