We here at MDidentity love the folks over at Brightlocal. They are a smart sophisticated group that are constantly striving to keep the rest of us current on many issues in the online profile realm. Some of the most important online profiles are, of course, review sites and a practice’s medical reputation is shaped by reviews. Every year they publish a wonderfully in-depth study of how people use, trust and interact with online reviews. As this is a large part of what we at MDidentity focus on, this is incredibly important information for us and we’d like to share our thoughts on the 2016 study. You can read the entire study by clicking on the link at the very end, but in the meantime here is our meta-view on what the study demonstrates.
Online reviews are a highly effective way for potential consumers to explore and find out about a business’ reputation, particularly medical practices. While online researchers do not mind taking a few extra minutes to dive deep into a business’ reputation they will inevitably go for the path of least resistance; meaning that for the most part, they’re not going to dive past page one of the search results on Google. So making it easy for them to find your business’ information and putting your reputation front and center only assists you in attracting more potential patients. With that in mind let’s talk about some of the trends in review interactions this year.
More people are turning to reviews to help them make their decisions and for the medical profession even more so. The days of trusting in word of mouth to discuss how amazing your practice is has morphed into the online realm. This makes complete sense as this is where the majority of conversations are happening between people now are online. So if you want people to continue to talk about you and spread the word of what amazing doctors you have and the excellent level of care you provide, you need to be online and make sure your medical reputation is top-notch.
What is online is a huge factor in how people choose to spend their time and dollars. The study clearly demonstrates that if your online presence is not in tip top shape your practice will be passed on for the competition down the street. So take a look. What does your online medical reputation look like? If your presence is overwhelmingly negative, then you need to take action yesterday.
While the medical field has always had issues with getting people to write reviews, it is clear that this is changing. People are willing to talk about their positive experience at your practice, you just have to ask and make it easy. Having a system in place, like MDidentity, is a step in the right direction. Make it easy for your patients and your practice to help get the word out about how awesome you really are.
What is amazingly clear from this year’s study is that more and more people are turning to the online world to make their decisions about who they choose for their doctor. Folks are actively searching for people discussing your practice and if the information is not positive, they are moving on. Ensuring your online presence is an accurate representation of the practice, and how you want the practice to be seen, should be a top priority for every medical practice. At MDidentity we would be honored to do a free assessment of your existing medical reputation and provide some suggestions to improve if necessary. Please call us at 207-887-2211 to arrange a time!
https://www.brightlocal.com/learn/local-consumer-review-survey/
619 Brighton Ave. 202B
Portland, ME 04102