Reputation Management For Dentists…Be Proactive NOT Reactive!

Complaints about private dental treatment are up by 17%. (source: DCS)

Dentists have dealt with more than 1,800 complaints in this year.

There were over 14,000 calls in just 11 months; that involved complaints about private dental care.

The REAL moral of this story is what are you doing to protect yourself online? Your online practice reputation impacts every form of marketing whether it’s direct mail, radio, TV, reactivation campaigns, EVEN internal referrals! Because the first thing someone does when they get a piece of your marketing is they “Google your name and business”. Period!

If you look disorganized and have little to no Google reviews, the prospective patient is gone. If you look professional and have LOADS of raving reviews, with videos of your best patients on page 1 of google, and your Google + page has mobile coupons etc… you get my point 😉 .

You get the patient, NOT the doc down the street! It’s free money.

Let me ask you a question….

  • Do you have a Google reviews system that proactively gets you “5 star” online reviews?
  • Do you have a automated internet alert system that tells you when someone’s talking bad about you online?
  • Do you have a video testimonial system that generates videos of your best patients bragging about you online?

I can certainly tell you that almost 99% of the 1,800 complaints this year went on line and went “nutso” bashing everyone in sight, leaving nasty reviews, posting on blogs and forums and in some cases making videos about there bad experience. But I guarantee none of the practices even knew about it. This is total destruction for a dental practices reputation.

Now everyone has a bad day and can get a bad review, BUT this is 100% preventable. Here’s how….

      1. Give your front desk and staff a script to say to every patient that filters out who will leave a bad review and who will leave a good review. This allows you to be proactive in getting more good ones than bad ones. (BTW- it’s near impossible and not worth the time and energy to get a review removed)
      2. Get more “5 star ” Google reviews than bad ones. Google reviews TRUMP all other reviews online. Unfortunately most dentists have been lied to by DemandForce, Smile Reminders, 1-800-Dentist and Light House, telling them that they can post reviews on Google. That is completely false. All you have is “virus, spammy” looking link at the bottom of the Google + Local page, that no one clicks on or reads. You need Google reviews, it’s what patients read first and trust most.
      3. Create a video testimonial system that collects 40-60 second videos of your best patients talking about how you changed their life for the better. There is nothing more powerful than 3rd party social proof talking about how amazing of a dental practice you are.  I actually did this for my own company to show you how powerful it is.Click here after you read the rest of this blog to see how I rank 🙂
      4. Syndicate and rank the videos to Youtube and dozen’s over other video sites that Google endorses. Now, this will require some internet marketing skills , but can be done and should be done because if no one sees the videos when they “google your name and practice” they’re worthless!
      5. Get articles and press releases written about you and your practice that “talk you up” and load them with patient quotes talking about the amazing practice you have and how great the staff is. Then what you do is syndicate them on the web, using PR web services, so that the whole internet can see, and anyone Google’ing around for you can read first hand from a 3rd party site that you’re a trustworthy dentist. They will definitely call you to book an appointment after reading one of these!

These 5 steps should get you started. Your online reputation is all you have when someone is trying to decide whether or not to pick up the phone and call you VERSUS the doc down the street.

So put your best foot forward and be the doc EVERYONE trusts and calls!

PLEASE POST A COMMENT OR QUESTION BELOW. I’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU 🙂

Always watching your back,
Graig Presti