When I am consulting daily with doctors and other small business owners on their online marketing efforts it is almost inevitable that the subject of online reviews naturally comes up.  Typically, this conversation starts out somewhat fear-based, for a majority of doctors feel they have a large lack of control in this arena and in most instances they are correct. Word of mouth marketing now happens in an online setting and for many people that can be unsettling. However, it is a huge opportunity to market your practice well if your marketing efforts are done proactively and not reactively. Read: you must get your heads out of the sand for Pete’s sake!

Today, patients feel it is a given that each practice has their own website. However, many more patients are looking to third party sub-search engines to view a more unbiased angle on your practice and level of care. Where can these reviews on your practice be found? Many of the popular review sites are Google+, Yelp, Yahoo!, Doctor Oogle, Angie’s List, Vitals, and the list goes on. These sites give consumers access to photos of the outside of your practice, the inside patient waiting area, operatories, friendly staff photos, and reviews from current and past patients. In this Amazon crazed society we are living in, reviews are a part of our daily purchase paths. I study my husband’s purchase paths all the time without him knowing. What plumber did he chose when I clogged our drain full of potato peels last month? How did he know that the lamb chops were excellent at a nearby restaurant prior to even being seated?  You guessed it. Online reviews.

But what should you do if you have current negative reviews? First and foremost, it is important to not take a negative review personally. Once you’ve taken a few deep breaths, respond to the review as graciously and as kindly as possible. I would advise having a second person examine your response before posting it just to make sure it’s free of anger.

Your second action item would be to encourage other satisfied patients to leave reviews to essentially “bury” that negative review. Review sites rarely, if ever, allow a review to be fully removed even if it’s medically unfounded. That’s why a proactive response is needed so you’re not left playing defense. For our clients, we implement a review marketing program that is a much more aggressive and proactive way to manage and syndicate patient reviews online. Might I mention that the search engines love when your patients interact with your brand online. This enhances your local search marketing efforts (or Google places elevation), but is not the only indicator for how you’ll show up either.

Truly, in this wild west we call online marketing, there is no substitute for a great online partner who will help guide you in this and take the worry of it all off of your plate. Go find them and win at this online review thing!

About the Author

This article was written by Cassi Niekamp, who works for a digital marketing agency by the name of RevLocal. If you have any questions or concerns, you may contact Cassi Niekamp directly using the forms located on her page.