Unfortunately, patients are more inclined to write negative comments and post them online than positive ones. Moreover, negative reviews have more impact than positive reviews do. Thus, having a proactive internet reputation management plan is essential for the healthcare sector.
Here are some tips on how to better manage your hospital’s online reputation.
Take Control of The Search Results
Up to 25 percent of search results for most big brands is generated by the users – from review sites to online forums to blog articles. Consumers tend to rely on these online content generated by strangers from the internet when it comes to their buying decisions – as opposed to recommendations and suggestions from family and friends.
Most of the time searches for hospitals, clinic, and other healthcare facilities begin online. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can have a broad influence on the material and content that affect the search results. Thus, these results are critical to the brand recognition and reputation of your hospital.
Create Educational and Inspiring Content
Aside from benefits that good-quality content contributes to your SEO strategy, educational and inspiring content in the form of articles, blog posts, eBooks, and more will establish trust between your practice and your patients.
The content you will produce and distribute online should help answer any questions that your patients may ask about your field of expertise. For example, if someone is looking to go to the dentist to look into getting dental crowns, then they will search for questions such as “how much do dental crowns cost?” or “is it painful to put a dental crown on your tooth?”
By having the answers to these questions, you’ll enlighten your readers and give them an insight into the processes involved in your field. It will also establish you as an expert on the subject.
Foster Good Relationships Within Your Organization
One of the fastest ways to hurt your hospital reputation is when your staff members raise objections to issues within the management. The public can and will be influenced by word-of-mouth comments and internal recommendations.
Thus, you’ll need to nurture the relationship within your organization. Make sure that the brand you are trying to create resonates with your staff, so in turn, they will relay that message to your consumers.
Utilize Social Media
Social media is a good platform to do your brand’s internet reputation management. Engagement and consistency are two key factors when it comes to being proactive in your social media conversations with your customers. To keep updated with your social media mentions, you can set up alerts via Google Alerts to instantly notify whenever you’ve been mentioned anywhere online – be it on social media, online forums, or blog articles. This feature will enable you to respond quickly and engage in conversations surrounding your brand.
While social media is a fantastic platform, it can also breed hate and negativity in the form of negative comments, which, unfortunately, are inevitable. Take active countermeasures to manage your social media reputation. When you do, you will be in a much better position to converse with your customers and other professionals in the medical field.
Encourage Your Patients to Promote Your Brand
Word-of-mouth marketing is still one of the most effective marketing strategies. And with the advent of social media, word-of-mouth marketing has become even more expansive. Use this type of marketing and encourage your patients to build your network for you.
You can do this by listening to customer feedback, and letting your patients know that you value what they have to say. Send them online surveys after their visit. Include an online feedback form on your website. By factoring in your patients’ opinions, you include them in the improvement of your practice. This gesture makes them feel involved and appreciated. When your patients learn that you have made updates and changes to your practice based on their feedback, the patient experience at your practice will be greatly improved.
Additionally, you can even create video testimonials from your patients with success stories to post on your website. This is an authentic and successful way to showcase positive reviews of your practice.
Another tried-and-true strategy to get your patients to recommend your practice is by creating a referral program that gives incentives to your current patients if they recommend your office to people they know. Even something as small as a gift card will get people excited to recommend your practice. Make sure that the referral instructions are easy and straightforward to follow. Advertise this referral program clearly and visibly throughout your website and social media profiles.