Going to a dentist can honestly be intimidating; some people are more frightened than others when visiting their dentists. A huge part of this fear is because most people find it hard to pick a dentist. In the good old days, people chose their dentists based on word of mouth. However, today’s generation greatly depends on online reviews before they try any type of product and before they purchase any kind of service.
People tend to trust other people’s opinions; they need to know that someone else has tried out this particular dentist. They need to know that they can trust their dentists before ever seeing them face to face.
The internet has changed our ways of living; thus, it is rather essential that dental practices keep up with these modern ways to get more customers. Getting more reviews for your practice can help your practice grow and prosper.
Below are some strategies for dental practices to apply for getting more reviews.
With over 20 years of experience specifically helping dentists and orthodontists, Ortho Marketing is here to help you with reputation management, helping you see more positive reviews, feedback, and recommendations.
1- Make It A Luxurious Experience
Before attempting to get more reviews for your practice, the first step should be to genuinely provide a great service that people would actually recommend.
Show up with a friendly face and let your patients feel at ease; it is important to remember that a good number of people are afraid to go to the dentist. For example, being warm and inviting to a child will make their parents extremely satisfied that they feel obligated to leave a good review.
Another example is to give your patients giveaways and gifts, such as a toothbrush or toothpaste. These incentives will help your practice get more reviews; people would feel as if they “owe” you to leave a good review.
A pro tip: Put on soft music to make the patients feel as if they are in a recreational spa. Music is a great way to set a luxurious mood.
2- Ask Patients for Reviews
Don’t be shy to kindly ask your patients to review your services. It is preferable to ask your regular customers because if they didn’t like your service they would not keep coming back. That does not mean that you can’t ask your first-time customers; you can simply ask them for their feedback on your performance. Feeling like their opinion matters is a huge part of making it a luxurious experience.
You can ask the patients to leave a review by following the methods below:
- Printed material: By the end of their visit, give your patients a piece of paper that has a couple of questions for them to answer.
- Google reviews: Google is a brilliant way to collect your patients’ reviews. A bonus tip: Google has an algorithm that makes your practice pop at the top of search results. This way, more people can find you just by searching online.
- Social media: Social media platforms are another online method to collect patients’ reviews. Facebook is a huge platform and it is used by people of most ages. Newcomers can read people’s comments and take into account their great reviews.
- Phone calls: Although using the phone to collect data is a traditional method, it has never failed in proving its efficiency.
- Follow-up emails: You can send your patients a follow-up email by the end of their appointment. It is an easy and quick method to collect data.
3- Build on The Feedback
Don’t collect good reviews just for the sake of getting more patients; do it to build on that feedback. This feedback can be a great way to show you the strengths and weaknesses of your practice. Use it to keep up the good work, and to improve your weak points.
Enhancing the quality of your services will bring you even more customers, and build you a solid fanbase.
For example, a patient would complain that they were not provided with adequate information and details regarding a certain procedure. Patients need to learn all the details before, after, and during any dental procedure. They need to know what to expect and to be prepared for any case scenario. If a patient just had his or her wisdom teeth taken out, they need to know the exact steps to recovery.
4- Consider Hiring A Professional
Not all dentists have the ability to conduct marketing strategies; it’s a relatively new world that’s constantly coming up with novel methods. Moreover, most dentists do not have enough time to fix that root canal and take over the modern world at the same time.
It would be a good idea to hire a marketing guru who would take the responsibility of properly marketing your dental practice. This guru can be in charge of following up with emails, speaking on the phone, creating online surveys, and updating all social media platforms as required.
Ortho Marketing can help orthodontists and dental professionals include positive reviews in local search results. Contact us today for a free consultation.
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5- Between The Visits
Most dental practices would emphasize the need to provide good service during the patients’ appointments. What dentists should not neglect is the importance of communicating with a patient between the visits as well.
Calling the patient between the visits to ask them about how they are doing after an oral surgery, for example, is essential. Never underestimate the power of communication; it will make your patients feel like you truly care about their health and well-being.
Also, providing the patients with a phone number is important. The patient might have a particular question or inquiry, or the patient is starting to experience side effects as a result of that root canal.
Keeping this line of communication would grow the patients’ trust, and entice them to leave wonderful reviews.
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Reviews – In Conclusion
Getting reviews of great quality is a definite way to get more customers and expand your business. There is no shame in asking your patients for their reviews and feedback. Do not underestimate the powerful role of online presence in growing your practice.
Reviews make your practice seem trustworthy, and investing in all these methods and strategies will have fruitful outcomes.
With help from the pros at Ortho Marketing, dentists and orthodontists can focus on healthy smiles while our team responds to reviews across multiple platforms. Contact us today for a free consultation.
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