When was the last time you and your phone took a break from each other?
If you’re like 25 percent of smartphone owners age 18 to 44, you can’t remember the last time your phone wasn’t close to you. And if you’re like 79 percent of this same group, you keep your phone with you all but two hours a day. It’s quite the love affair we have with our phones!
It’s no surprise, then, that businesses’ online reputations are more important than ever. Especially for medical practices, a positive reputation is vital. The good news is that social media marketing can increase competitiveness, engage younger potential clients, and improve relationships between patients and medical professionals.
Rising above the Competition
Does your practice have a Facebook business page? If you answered “no,” check again—you might be wrong.
When enough people talk about a business on Facebook, Facebook may automatically create a page for the business. The public is then able to post information and reviews about the business without the owner’s knowledge. Don’t worry—it’s easy to claim and take control of such pages.
The point is that over 50 million businesses use Facebook business pages, responding to reviews and getting exposure. Another 93 percent of marketers use social media as part of their strategy, reaching audiences as they can in no other way. And 92 percent of consumers read online reviews, gaining a real-life idea of what the company does for their clients. If your business isn’t taking advantage of online reviews, you’re behind the curve.
With so many platforms to use—Facebook, Yelp, Google My Business, Pinterest, and Twitter to name a few—the thought of even starting may be overwhelming. But with persistence, a little know-how, and helpful tools like SocialClime, getting ahead of the competition is easy.
Increasing Potential-Patient Engagement
Times are changing. This year, 81 percent of Americans are using social media, a 3 percent increase from last year. Of those who have a social media account, 28 percent would rather interact with an organization on social media than visit the organization’s physical location. While this statistic might have some business owners rolling their eyes, ignoring the trend risks alienating a key group of potential patients, a group that is growing.
If you’re not aware of it already, your business may have a flood of feedback online. It’s daunting to respond to negative reviews at first, but responding well signals to potential clients that you take feedback seriously.
In fact, negative reviews (along with your responses) may help you in the long run: “Most customers won't write you off based on one negative comment. Many, however, will gain respect for your business if you respond to the comment in a pleasant and helpful way.” Because of this increase in respect, you may gain patients you never would have without participating in social media. Take that, negative reviews!
Improving Your Medical Practice
Social media has certainly made communication faster, but it doesn’t stop there. One researcher has described the internet as creating “a new spatiotemporal zone—the zone of the ‘there and now.’” This might sound like science fiction, but the reality is that this spatiotemporal zone is the best case scenario for medical practices.
Online reviews allow clients over there to broadcast their feedback now, and it’s so easy that more and more people are doing it. As of February 2017, there were 121 million Yelp reviews. One benefit of this high number of reviews is that business owners can get plenty of helpful, unbiased feedback. They can become aware of problems that patients have unique insight into and maybe even discover solutions.
Additionally, social media platforms allow business owners to respond right now to complaints over there. Of the UK adults with a social media account, 56 percent say that customer service via social media makes it easier to resolve questions and concerns. Immediate responses to negative reviews can help repair relationships with unhappy clients and solve what could become a PR disaster, if left to fester.
Becoming a Review Responsive Practice
Responding to reviews is a key way to maintain positive relationships with patients and rescue negative ones. But how should one go about it? Here are some practical tips that will help you be confident about the responses you post.
1. Invite every patient to leave a review, and make reviewing easy, mobile and quick for them.
2. Respond to all reviews—positive and negative. When responding to negative reviews, own up to your mistakes, but don’t be a pushover.
3. Respond to reviews quickly (within 24 hours, if possible). There’s no better cure for angry patients than a prompt reply that aims to truly help.
Growing your medical practice’s positive online image is paramount. Doing so helps you move head of the competition, increase patients’ engagement, and improve your medical practice. Additionally, using social media and online reviews intelligently can help your practice become more holistically helpful. You will make your patients happier than ever, but only if you put sincere effort into it.
Not even a smartphone can do that for you.
The views, opinions and positions expressed within these guest posts are those of the author alone and do not represent those of Becker's Hospital Review/Becker's Healthcare. The accuracy, completeness and validity of any statements made within this article are not guaranteed. We accept no liability for any errors, omissions or representations. The copyright of this content belongs to the author and any liability with regards to infringement of intellectual property rights remains with them.