Think about the following scenario: would you choose a hairdresser to cut your hair if you couldn’t find any reviews of them online? Probably not!
When it comes to most services, including dental care, having reviews online for all to see is the best way to attract new patients and build up your dental clinic’s online reputation.
So, how can you build your dental clinic’s reviews online?
Prompt patients to leave reviews
It’s time, to be honest; there are very few people who enjoy seeing their dentist! So, whenever possible, you should encourage satisfied patients to leave a review. You can do this by sending a follow-up email or text message containing a link to an independent website where they can leave reviews and thank them afterwards for doing so. This is an easy part of dental marketing, which will usually pay dividends, so patience is key here!
Make the process simple
In some cases, leaving a review can be tricky, as the company may be small or brand new. But even if you have a dental clinic in the middle of Gloucestershire, England, as long as you have a website, you can get patients to leave reviews. You can make it easy for patients to leave reviews by providing links to your preferred review sites, such as Google or Yelp, in your follow-up email or website. Easy!
Respond to both positive and negative reviews
There may come a time when you come across a review of your dental clinic that isn’t glowing. It does happen and can be due to a difficult patient or a communication issue between them and your team. You need to acknowledge positive reviews, show appreciation and address any negative reviews with empathy and a commitment to improvement. Do not ignore negative reviews, as that would be unprofessional.
Offer incentives for leaving reviews
This is generally not recommended for very small dental surgeries, but if you can, consider offering a small reward, such as a discount on future services, for patients who leave a review. This will prompt patients to review you and come back to your dental clinic in the future.
Make sure your business is listed correctly
You will need to check that your business information, including address, phone number, and website, is accurate on review sites to make it easier for patients to find and leave reviews. And, as odd as it sounds, make certain that your clinic does not have a similar name as another clinic in a different part of the country! And if it does, it is even more important to provide a link to your dental patients for them to leave reviews!
Foster a culture of exceptional patient care
Of course, when it comes to patient care, you will want to ensure that it is at the forefront of everything your team does. By providing top-notch service and delivering high-quality dental care, you will likely get more positive reviews, a longer list of patients and a good reputation via word-of-mouth.
