How To Get More Dental Reviews

Google and Facebook reviews are only getting more prominent in the dental industry. Collecting reviews is a crucial part of an effective dental marketing strategy. Now more than ever, your dental practice needs consistent, 5-star reviews. And lots of them.

How to get more dental reviews is a question we hear a lot. The good news is, it is not as difficult to obtain them as many people think.

For almost 90 percent of customers, review sites are the first place they look when deciding which business or service to try. For decades, dentists and orthodontists have relied on word-of-mouth marketing to grow their practices. Positive online reviews is the new word-of-mouth marketing. Reviews create powerful testimonials, boost patients retention, and provide your practice with valuable feedback you can use to improve your patient experience.

As obvious as the importance of Google dental reviews, and Facebook dental reviews are, it’s surprising how few dental practices put any effort into collecting them at all. In some communities we have seen, local dentist reviews are almost non-existent.

Maybe it’s just not something they’re thinking about, or it seems too difficult. For the dental teams that do make an organized effort to get patient reviews, it’s a probability they will build a reputation as their city’s premier dental care provider.

The truth is, most dental teams are asking for reviews the wrong way. Once a patient walks out the door, you’ve missed your opportunity to get a review from them. Your practice needs a plan to get patients to write a review from their phone while still in your practice.

After working to help dentists build strong online reputations, we have discovered that the problem of collecting patient reviews boils down to a couple of typical obstacles.

Maybe your team doesn’t want to take any more of a patient’s time after an appointment. Your team could be afraid of seeming pushy or hurting the relationship, or perhaps they simply don’t know how to bring it up. Time constraints, worry over being annoying, and nervousness are all reasons your dental team might not be asking your dental patients for reviews. Achieve reviews success and build relationships by using the smart and easy way to bring up reviews with patients.

If asked the right way, we guarantee a majority of your patients will be happy to write you a review before they even leave their appointment.

We know that asking patients for reviews can be hard, so we have laid out four ways you can obtain more positive reviews. Turn your Google and Facebook reviews sites into one of your practice’s most powerful marketing tools!

1. Ask Specific Patients for a Review

One of the biggest mistakes dental practices make (and the quickest way to burn out in your reviews-collecting effort), is to tell your team in the morning huddle “Alright, everyone, we need to ask for lots of reviews today!” It never works. And we mean, never.

Instead of a general statement at the morning huddle, set your team up for success by pulling up the patient schedule and evaluating who is coming in. Choose one or two patients who are typically happy to be in the office.

If a patient happens to have a good relationship with a specific team member, have that team member ask them to write a quick review while they are still sitting in the chair. Plan for and select dental patients you suspect would be happy to leave you a review. Make specific assignments for your team members to ask for a review and have them report back on how it went.

2. Make it Easy to Find Your Reviews Page

A survey found that 86% of people researching local businesses read their reviews. And, 68% of people form an opinion after reading between one and six reviews online.

That means that your practice can potentially get new patients to trust you before they meet you. Begin by creating profiles on the three most prominent online reviews services. These are Google My Business, Yelp, and Facebook.

Add a profile picture to your review pages, we recommend your practice logo for easy recognition. Add your practice address, hours of operation, and other information that will make it clear where a potential patient can learn more, and contact you. In addition to cultivating relationships with patients, providing detailed information on your page also assures your current patients that they are writing a review on the correct reviews page.

3. Be Transparent

It is a well-known fact that honest feedback and reviews are essential for building a successful dental practice. When asking patients for reviews, communicate to them how much you and the team rely on reviews to find more great patients like them, and improve the experience in your practice.

Tell your patients about the reviews goal you have set for your practice and ask them to help you reach that goal. Most patients are more likely to leave a review when they are asked personally. Remember, dental practices who don’t ask for reviews are likely to only get one when a patient is unhappy. If that happens, here is how to handle a negative dental review.

4. Use a Dental Reviews Software

 

You are more likely to get great reviews if you have an online reviews software for your practice. Reviews software simplifies asking for reviews by allowing you to send automatic texts, and emails with links that go directly to your Google, Facebook, and HealthGrades sites. My Social Practice’s reviews product is designed to make it effortless for your patients to leave you a great review on their mobile device, with just a few taps. Streamline your review process, building your reputation while saving you tons of time.

Set your practice up for success by making assignments for team members to ask specific patients to write a review, making sure your review sites are up-to-date and easy to find and being transparent about where and how you’d like patients to review your practice.

These guidelines are only the tip of the dental reviews iceberg. My Social Practice has your back, download this free guide with additional information on how to collect more dental reviews!

The post How To Get More Dental Reviews appeared first on My Social Practice - Social Media Marketing for Dental & Dental Specialty Practices.

Why Dentists Need Social Media Marketing

Everyone in your community needs a dentist. So, how do they find your practice? If new patients do find you, what will make them want to call your practice to schedule an appointment? Since you see most patients just twice a year, how do you maintain strong relationships with your current patients?

Did you know that small businesses, like your dental practice, actually see more benefits from using social media than large businesses with big budgets? That is because social media marketing success depends not on how many followers you have, but instead on the amount of engagement your posts generate. Dental practices tend to be community-focused, which means it is much easier for your dental practice to be authentic and connect with local people online. Many people use social media as a place to ask for advice and recommendations on services and products. If your dental practice has an active voice online, you’ll be a part of those conversations too.

How do dentists advertise? Does social media marketing work?

Dentists across the country are discovering the power of social media, and they are not disappointed in the results. After all, 77% of prospective patients do their research through search engines online, and 44% of patients searching on a mobile device end up scheduling an appointment.

Because of its ever-increasing possibilities, social media is quickly becoming the most useful tool available to dentists. Practices that have a solid social media strategy in place are witnessing increased reach to new patients and improved appointment numbers. Dental social media marketing is ultimately helping practices meet their bottom line. The good news is that it has never been easier to connect with patients and build a reputation online.

As a local dentist, you can easily foster connections with local individuals using social media. Social media is excellent for small businesses like dental practices because social posts get shown to a high number of local users. It’s designed as a platform for self-promotion and gives you the ability to reach and connect with new patients. Not only is social media marketing the absolute best way to reach new patients and improve relationships through communication and engagement, but it is also the most useful tool dentists can use to ease the fear that many people feel when they face the possibility of visiting the dentist.

Your potential patients get a glimpse of your practice culture and the kind of experience they will have in your practice right on your social pages. Dental social media marketing provides a way for you to make your patients feel welcome and comfortable before they take one step into your practice. Through sharing light-hearted, fun, engaging content, you let patients know that they are in good hands.

By posting pictures, you are giving your practice an online personality, which eliminates scary “visiting the dentist” stigma for nervous patients. Remember: you are selling the good experience people will have in your practice, not your clinical care. Your dental social media pages are not a medical journal. Although great clinical care is important, your patients are more interested in finding a trustworthy, compassionate dentist that they feel comfortable with.

Attracting and retaining new dental patients is about trust and relationships. Social media is the place to show your community that you care about people, not just teeth.

What does My Social Practice do to help dental practices?

We know dental social media because, well, we created it. In the early days of social media, My Social Practice saw that every strategy for building a successful business was going to drastically change in the wake of the social media revolution. We became laser-focused on mastering the capabilities of social media marketing for dental, orthodontic, and specialty practices.

We wanted to create a service that would be just as effective as hiring a social media marketing specialist but easy enough for dental professionals to do themselves, right in their practice, without breaking the bank. Why did we choose to focus on dental practices? Because few businesses have the type of personal, intimate relationships that dentists and orthodontists have with their patients. We know that effective social media strategy excels at leveraging those relationships to transform and grow a business.

The dental industry is projected to reach $35.7 billion by 2023. That is a lot of opportunity for your team, practice, and family. If your practice wants a sound portion of that profit, you need a dental-specific social media marketing plan.

It cannot be overstated how significant social media content is to the success of your practice, and the value of social media marketing to dental practices is only growing. The trouble is, not many practices have the time or resources to hire a full-time social media specialist. That’s where we can help.

Over ten years of trial and error, we’ve packaged everything our experts understand about dental social media marketing into a seriously powerful solution for dental practices. My Social Practice won’t stop until your dental practice establishes a dominant presence on social media in your community. By sharing loyalty-building patient experiences, using organic online word-of-mouth marketing, and tailoring our tactics to fit your specific objectives, My Social Practice will help your practice outshine your competitors and reach your goals.

Should you hire a marketing expert or do it yourself?

Our pro-managed package takes social media marketing completely off your already full plate. Everything from posting new photos to engaging with users and responding to comments is handled by your personal social media manager. Your manager is an expert on how dentists are using social media to attract new patients, what to post on a dental Facebook page to get attention, how to make Instagram content for dentists, and more. They will plan, strategize, and report on your social media efforts so you can focus all of your attention on your practice and patients.

You can rest assured that your manager is sharing photos, creating opportunities for engagement, and carrying out a plan for your Facebook and Instagram marketing. You can also rely on your manager to advertise your practice by promoting selected posts and running regular social media giveaways on your page to reach more people. The pro-managed package allows you to build an awesome online presence, whether your busy schedule allows you to stay engaged or not. You can participate as little or as much as you like.

If you are more of a DIY person, My Social Practice’s self-managed social media package equips you with the resources and coaching your dental practice needs to be successful while allowing YOU to choose what you post, when you post, and your level of engagement with your fans online. Fill your dental Facebook and Instagram pages with creative, out-of-the-box posts in just a few clicks. Never again ask “What should I post on my dental Facebook page?” or “How do dentists use Instagram?” Let My Social Practice develop creative post ideas and a solid marketing plan while you stick to what you love: dentistry.

Your personal social media consultant will help you set effective goals, give you marketing strategies and ideas, train you on your social media platform’s best practices, and provide your team with continual direction. With My Social Practice’s self-managed package, we hand YOU the reins while supporting you every step of the way.

To keep the engaging social media ideas flowing, we ship you a box full of props, signs, and instructions to create two months of lively in-practice social media content in a snap. We’ve discussed how patients think more about how comfortable they are with you and your team than they do about anything else. When potential patients check out your practice on Facebook or Instagram, your posts should show your practice is friendly and inviting.

By posting fun and engaging content online, you boost retention and keep top-of-mind awareness. Our clients report increases of up to 30% in their new patient intake since starting to utilize social media. The materials we send you are specifically designed to celebrate your patients, introduce your team, showcase your practice culture, and ultimately bring in new dental patients. Everything that comes in your box is directed toward building trust and relationships with current and potential patients online.

Over ten+ years in the dental marketing industry, My Social Practice has developed the ideal hub for busy dental practices looking to make waves online. As a client, you’ll have your own dental marketing app and website. Our engineers have made it incredibly easy to use and personalize. Your app and member site are packed with example posts of what’s working for other real dental practices, a massive library of dental social media posts, calendars to schedule content and stay organized, and of course endless tips and tricks from our dental marketing experts. Your hub will be regularly updated with trending ideas, content, and instructions.

Why work with My Social Practice?

Dentists have found it so easy to work with My Social Practice because unlike traditional marketing agencies, we concentrate on the dental industry and the dental industry only.

You won’t need to explain the significant importance of HIPAA or why some days you just get too busy to even give a single thought to social media. We get it, we know what dental professionals’ lives look like in a busy practice. We also acknowledge that the purpose of dental social media marketing is more than just a fun addition to the practice. We understand that your marketing efforts need to increase your bottom line, and we’re here to help. Check out what dental practices have to say about us here.

What happens when I request a demo from My Social Practice?

When you fill out a demo request form or contact form on our website, a dental marketing expert will reach out to you on your contact phone number and email within two business days. Our experts will reach out to schedule a time to talk with you about your dental marketing needs. Don’t worry, your private information is kept on a secure server. We never share any of our data with third parties.

The purpose of a demo call with a My Social Practice marketing specialist is to discuss your particular marketing goals and where we can help you achieve those goals. Our experts analyze your practice to identify weak areas that we can help improve, and also to see where we can best leverage your strengths. My Social Practice will tailor a personalized dental marketing strategy based on your practice size, patient needs, personality, staff, and location. We want to know everything we can about your practice to create the best possible course of action.

How much should I pay for dental social media marketing?

On the low-cost end, many patient management services offer “social media” as a bonus or add-on. This type of marketing typically consists of a pre-made image posted automatically once or twice a week to your Facebook page. While this is certainty cheap, we’ve seen dental practices social media pages flounder with this type of impersonal, auto-posted content. Unfortunately, this is how many dentists use Facebook, with no successful results.

These kinds of posts are uninteresting, and they do not allow you to create an online personality for your practice or spark an engaging connection with your patients. Stock images and infographics have a place on social media, but if that type of content clutters your page, it ends up looking like spam. Remember, the purpose of social media is to be social!

On the other end of the marketing scale, you can hire a marketing agency to design and develop custom content and ad campaigns for your practice’s social media pages and website. The problem for small businesses like a dental practice is that the cost of hiring a full-scale advertising agency can easily cross into several thousand dollars every month. For most, this solution is not realistic.

Our exclusive focus on helping dental practices has allowed us to provide smooth, innovative dental marketing services at a low cost. Depending on your practice needs (Do you need a new, modern dental website? Do you need more Google reviews?) and growth goals, the cost of your unique dental marketing package will fall somewhere in the middle of the scale.

Chat with us and get set up with what your dental practice needs — no fluff or extras, just a custom marketing plan that fits your practice. My Social Practice offers the most valuable, out-of-the-box dental social media marketing solution on the planet. That’s it. That’s all we do.

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