The dental business can be unsustainable. The frequency of patients may differ occasionally and this might affect the income you generate. After setting up your dental business; the primary step is to reach patients. Oral health professionals spend about 4 to 7 per cent of their annual revenue on marketing. Sometimes the percentage invested is even greater. But how does one ensure the marketing done always drives traffic?
One of the most significant tools in marketing your digital business is online reviews. Reviews serve as authentic proof of your efficiency. When reluctant patients go through online reviews about your service, they can be more confident about visiting you. Social proof is a great determinant of decision making for most people, and online reviews of patients who have availed of your service are the most reliable source of social proof.
Now that we are acquainted with why online reviews are important; let’s know about 5 most prominent ways to double your online dental reviews:
1] Ask for a review
One of the simplest ways to get online reviews is asking your patients directly to leave a review. If the customers are happy with your service, they will most readily provide you with feedback. This can be done by sending a “Thank you for visiting” email to the patient and asking them to provide a review. Make sure the request is clear and open-ended for the patients.
2] Make it user-friendly
No one will go out of the way and struggle to provide a review for your services. An easy to access review page will ensure patients will drop reviews readily. Since people are always running short of time, make sure your form is not elaborate and doesn’t contain many fields to be filled. Only incorporate the important information that validates the customer as real and not a bot.
Give your patients the liberty to leave reviews as convenient for them. Provide them with alternatives like websites, Google, or social media platforms and let them choose the accessible option. Don’t limit your customers by providing a time frame and allow them to fill in the review in their own time. However, make sure to follow up on your request in a way that doesn’t bother the patient.
3] Incentivize your patients for providing reviews
With incentives, you can get patients to write good reviews for you. Sounds forceful? It isn’t! Incentives are distinctively different from bribes. However, this has to be made clear in case patients aren’t aware or else it is unethical. Incentives provided could be in the form of discounts or credits. You can offer patients discounts for their treatment, gift them a dental care kit, or a gift card for providing positive reviews. Another way to incentivize the patients is by contributing to charity or for a purpose. For instance, if your patient is an environmentalist, you can ask them to leave a review on your page and promise that you will in turn donate an amount to the protection of the environment. This will be beneficial for three entities. You, because you receive an additional review, the beneficiary charity or purpose and the patient. Incentives work on the principle of reciprocity. Patients will feel obliged to write a review for you since they are receiving something too.
If you are informing the patient about the incentive through email, make sure to mention it in the subject line and highlight it. Additionally, keep the email precise so the main point doesn’t get ignored.
4] Right time
It can’t be emphasised enough how much timing matters. Requesting at the right time will get you a genuine and well-written review; on the other hand, a wrong time request can lead to a superficially written review or disregarding the request entirely. Know your customers, segment them into groups, research their behaviour, and then appeal for a review accordingly. The service availed also plays a role. If the treatment gives instant results like a root canal, you can ask for a review right after the treatment while it’s fresh in the mind. For treatments that require time for effective results like teeth whitening, you might want to wait until time has elapsed. You can pre-inform your patients that they should expect such an email and politely request them to provide you with a review.
5] Utilize the waiting period
Another great strategy to get a review is asking for it while the patient waits for their treatment. This works best for regular patients or patients who have visited you at least once. Usually, when waiting patients have nothing to do, they can spend this time filling out the review. You can create a QR code that directs them to your website or review profiles easily.
These ways might be great for increasing your online reviews but they won’t work if your services are not up to the mark. So, your main focus should be on the quality of your services; rest everything will follow. Curate membership plans that will benefit every patient in terms of the number of services, their quality, and affordability.
According to research, 91% of people read reviews and 84% trust them as much as they would a personal recommendation. This is enough to prove how fruitful reviews can be. However, in the end, it all boils down to the seamless and compelling experience that you provide!