Why are Testimonials and Reviews So Important?
Highlighting authentic patient testimonials and reviews is one of the best decisions you can make for your healthcare practice. It’s easy for you to speak highly of your practice, and patients recognize this. Therefore, they are more eager to listen to and believe patient reviews.
Patient reviews and testimonials are the most effective way to influence potential patients. These are especially important for smaller, local businesses with no notable identity or reputation. While bigger businesses have developed a status over time, it is often challenging for small businesses to get the same recognition. This is where patient reviews and testimonials become not only important but completely necessary.
Patients spend more time considering healthcare providers than other business services due to the importance of the job. For this reason, they tend to cover all bases when researching different practices. This means that your Google Business information, social media, and website should be updated. One way to further develop these mediums is by implementing patient reviews and testimonials.
These will give potential patients an inside look at what the patient experience may look like at your medical practice. Continue reading to learn more about using reviews and testimonials as part of your marketing strategy.
Is Your Practice Utilizing this Tool?
According to Doctor, It has been found that 80% of people have used the internet to search for something relating to healthcare, and 60% have chosen one provider over another due to a better online review. Therefore, it is very important that your practice, whether that be pediatric care or healthcare for women, has a detailed Google Business page.
When potential leads search for healthcare providers nearby, they will be given a list of the most prominent ones in the area. To head towards the top of this list, your practice will need a modern, updated website and a collection of positive reviews. After patients see this list, they will look at the ones with the best overall review.
Is your practice getting any reviews after patient visits? There is nothing wrong with encouraging patients to leave a review after they finish up with an appointment or service that your practice offers. There are a few ways to do this:
- Ask them after their appointment
- Print instructions
- Send post-appointment emails with links to write a review
- Ask for a review during any follow-up calls you make
Encouraging patient reviews is essential if your practice plans to grow a collection of them. Once you have acquired patient reviews and testimonials, there are various ways to utilize them to best benefit your practice.
How to Find the Best Reviews and Testimonials
There are a few factors that go into a compelling patient testimonial. Consider these three checkpoints before deciding on a patient testimonial to highlight or feature.
1. Is it relatable?
With permission, patient testimonials can be used in most mediums, including on your website, social media, and even sponsored advertisements. However, the content of the testimonial is more important than anything. Testimonials should be relatable and give potential patients a solution to a similar issue they are facing. Whether this is chronic pain or another condition, people like to hear that others are in a similar situation and can seek help. If patients do not see that a patient has experienced something similar, there is a chance that the testimonial will not resonate with them.
2. Does it highlight your strengths?
When writing a testimonial, many patients describe their condition and how their life changed after a particular service. These reviews are excellent because they emphasize how effective a visit to your practice can be — allowing patients to see a before and after can give them an inside glimpse of the patient experience. You may be wondering – how can you ensure that your patients are writing reviews that will drive potential patients to schedule a visit with you? The best way to do this is by suggesting they answer specific questions to guide their thoughts.
Some questions you can suggest are:
- How did your condition affect your life?
- How did you feel about the service you received at our practice?
- What made our practice stand out amongst others?
- How has your life improved since your visit with us?
By providing your patients with questions, they will follow a more streamlined template. Additionally, when asking questions, you can focus on ones that will highlight the best parts of your business. For example, if your practice has more time slots open than your competitors, you can ask questions relating to how simple and convenient it was to make an appointment. Overall, calling attention to the unique focal points of your business can help it become distinguishable.
3. Does it emphasize your quality service?
Most importantly, a good patient testimonial should emphasize a high level of customer care. This is especially important for healthcare practices because most patients want to feel comfortable when stepping into any health-related facility. In healthcare, every team member is technically a customer service representative, including the doctor. When patients walk into a room at your practice, they want to feel heard, understood, and valued. By ensuring your team is composed of thoughtful workers, you will see this reflected in your reviews.
How Can I Maximize Testimonials?
Testimonials are good for more than just your Google ranking. With permission from the patient, they can be used on your website, in social media posts and stories, and even as part of ad campaigns. By adding testimonials throughout your marketing strategy, potential leads will have more trust in your practice. Here are some ways you can incorporate testimonials into your marketing:
- Add a dedicated reviews section to your healthcare website.
- Feature reviews in your advertising campaigns – this is a great way to attract new leads and make them more likely to further look into your practice.
- Incorporate testimonials in your social media content – Many people have a negative connotation with healthcare social media marketing. Legitimize your healthcare practice by adding in real reviews!
- Add testimonials to your blog posts – if your practice is not already making blog posts for website content, it’s time to get started. Adding testimonials to these blogs can elevate them and reinforce what makes your practice so unique.
How Can NewGen Marketing Help?
NewGen is a modern healthcare marketing agency that focuses on growing engagement, and ultimately leads. We utilize a multichannel approach to maximize your practice’s outreach online. Staying updated on healthcare marketing trends is a job in itself as new ways to promote your healthcare practice emerge everyday. However, NewGen understands that not all of them are necessary or effective. Skip the trial and error period and get ready to see measurable growth with NewGen. Contact our team today to learn more about our services.