You’ve probably heard the term “online reputation management” from your colleagues or office manager, but do you know how important it is?
When I first came across this term I thought, how can you manage your online reputation? You can’t control what people write on the internet, how can you possibly control your online reputation?
The truth is you can to a certain degree. The key word is “management”, not “control”. And to manage something you need to understand it, and be aware of what’s happening there.
The Importance of Your Online Reputation in Dentistry
There’s no getting around it, the internet is where people go to find things. That includes finding a new dentist or orthodontist.
People look at reviews on Yelp, Facebook, Google, and other social media sites to gather information about services they need. Many of these sites have a star rating, from 1 to 5 stars, and it’s important to try and keep your ratings as high as you can. It’s pretty intuitive to skip ahead to the next site, when the one you’re looking at only has a 3 star rating.
The great thing about social media platforms is they’re free. You don’t have to spend too much of your marketing budget in order to utilize them.
People tend to have a short attention span when doing research on the internet. If something looks irrelevant, unfavorable, or just plain boring, they’ll keep scrolling until they find what they want to find.
You want your online presence to be the thing they want to find! And there are ways of doing so. Here are some tips for managing your online reputation favorably in order to generate more business for your practice.
Tips for Improving Your Online Reputation
- Keep your professional social media presence separate from your personal social media presence
Facebook is almost unavoidable (many of us have tried!), especially if you’re trying to create buzz about your business. It’s really a very efficient tool for getting the word out about your practice.
You want your professional page to be all business though, people looking for medical care of any kind don’t need to know your opinions about politics, or see pictures of your kids!
You should absolutely have a separate page for your business. It’s very simple to go to “Privacy Settings” and “Who Can See My Stuff” in order to privatize your information on your business page (or any page for that matter!).
- Consistently Review and Improve Your Reviews
Keep an eye on your social media platforms. Utilize the good reviews, and find positive reviews to offset the negative ones.
If you receive an excellent 5 star rating on Google, for example, make sure to post that review on your Facebook page. And conversely, if you receive a negative review, be sure to ask patients to post some positive ones as soon as possible to offset the low rating. For tips on responding to negative reviews click here.
It’s not necessary to wait for a negative review to ask your patients for a review on your website or Facebook page. You should always be requesting your patients to write you favorable reviews, if it’s appropriate of course. It’s important to stay current with this. A dozen five star reviews don’t carry much weight if they’re 2 years old.
- Make Your Website User Friendly
Again, people are impatient about getting the information they need online. Make sure that pertinent information, such as your phone number, address, and business hours are easy to find. If it is necessary to dig around and visit various pages in order to contact your practice, you risk losing business.
Remember, your website will likely be the first impression your business makes on a potential patient. Make it a good one, and make it count!
If you’re looking to improve your practice through your online reputation, we can help you! ClearEdge Innovation excels at marketing and branding dental and orthodontics practices. Contact us today and let’s make your business thrive!