Scott Childress, Executive Director of Smile Savvy, provides stats for online reviews along with tips for dentists and dental practices who want to build their positive reviews.
Note: Raw presentation slides without notes.
25. They want to know
if they will like you
and your practice.
• Online Reviews are now the first impression of your
“practice personality”.
• A few random, negative reviews won’t harm you…but
several negative reviews about the same topic will.
26. How can I build relationships
in my community -
to drive more positive reviews?
31. Work best in smaller
markets, but with
some creativity you
can generate valuable
links and mentions.
Newsworthy
Stories
32. Some are free, many
are paid, all require a
little leg work…but
they're worth it.
“Best of”
Lists
33. Point your audience to
the best in your
community. Generate
inbound traffic,
shares, etc.
Use your
blog as a
community
resource
34. How can I optimize my website
for a positive patient experience?
35. 48%
of internet users
said that if a site
didn’t work well on
their smartphones,
it made them feel
like the company
didn’t care about
their business.
39. Look at your website
assuming visitors will
never see it
anywhere other than
a smartphone.
• Is there enough info to
make a “purchase”
decision?
• Does it present the
image you want?
• Is it simply “good
enough”.
41. Use Mobile-
Friendly Forms
• Make certain your
forms look good (and
work) on all devices.
• .PDF printouts are not
“mobile friendly”
• Fill them out yourself.
Understand the
patient experience.
42. Replace your
stock photos.
• Use kids you know
• Take photos in your
community
• Use landmarks
• Take photos inside
and outside of your
practice.
• Use pictures that
wouldn’t make sense
on anyone else’s
website.
44. Add Driving
Directions
• Even if your practice is
easy to find.
• Use street numbers,
names, landmarks, other
business names
• Consider alternative
names for areas.
• Get hyper-local.
46. Consider
language
accessibility.
Is your staff bi-lingual?
Prominently display this
on your website.
Consider adding bi-
lingual forms to your
site.
Many browsers include
language support.
Make certain your
English pages are being
translated properly.
50. Walk through the patient
experience - from
Google search to post-
visit. What is it like to
visit your practice?
Be a Visionary:
See What Your
Patients See.
51. Ask your staff, read
reviews, listen to your
patients.
Be OPEN: Listen to
criticism and
advice.
52. If something (or someone)
isn’t working out -
change it.
Be HUmble:
Don’t be afraid to
admit that you
don’t know
everything.
53. A happy staff creates
happy patients. Build
time into your schedule
for team building and
fun.
Have fun with your TEAM:
Take time relax and unwind together.
63. SSL
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer)
is the standard security
technology for establishing
an encrypted link between a
web server and a browser.
This link ensures that all
data passed between the
web server and browsers
remain private and integral.
64. Encrypted Email
• Choose a system that is
easy to use for the recipient.
• Generally, only one
encrypted email is needed
for each practice.
All ePHI should be
sent through secure,
HIPAA-compliant
encrypted email.
66. Protect your
Practice
Make certain your virus
protection is active and
up to date.
Have backup protocols
in place and followed.
Train your staff on basic
email security.
From malicious
email attacks
67. Your weakest link is
simply human error.
Most “hacking”
is low tech.
69. Attachments
Beware of “spoofing”, emails
coming from people you
know.
If you didn't request it- it
probably isn’t real.
Go old-school, if in doubt call.
Don’t open any
attachment you
aren’t expecting.
70.
71. • Check for spelling and grammar errors.
• Hover over links to see where it truly goes.
• Be wary of urgent emails that say things like “Account Suspension” or
“Respond now of Lose Your Account”.
• Log in to bank accounts and sensitive websites manually - don’t click
a link to do so.
• Don’t open attachments you aren’t expecting.
Spot a malicious email:
74. How can I overcome key
obstacles to building reviews?
75.
76. A business directory is
an online list of
businesses within a
particular niche, location
or category. One way
local businesses can get
found by online
searchers is through
inclusion in business
directories.
Local Search
Directories?
80. Google My
Business
• GMB visually dominates
the top half of local search
results.
• Top 3 listings can see a
217% increase in request
for driving directions.
• 56% of local businesses
have not claimed their
GMB listing.
86. No one goes to
social media to
LIKE a business.
Use pictures
Let people know YOU
Showcase your staff
Let people “in the club”
Use social media to
build relationships.
91. Yelp
• More popular in certain
locations than others.
• important because it feeds
reviews into Apple Maps,
Bing Places, Yahoo & YP
• The most frustrating
website on the internet
92. Yelp
• Ads play a prominent role on
Yelp.
• Ranking appears to be
based on an algorithm that
looks at three primary
factors:
• Overall quantity and
quality of reviews.
• Review score compared to
number of reviews
• Number of reviews.
95. Yelp
1. Avoid flooding Yelp with
reviews.
2. Don’t request reviews
from your practice wifi.
3. Target Yelp users with
signage, emails or
messages to friends on
Yelp.
4. Slow, consistent asks.
Getting past
the troll.
97. Apple
Maps
• Apple maps receives
70% more map traffic
than Google Maps.
• Reviews are pulled from
Yelp.
• mapsconnect.apple.com
98. Apple
Maps
• Verify listing
• Fill out listing as much as
possible
• Verify that map pin is in
the correct place.
• Changes generally take
3-5 days for verification.
99.
100. Examine Trouble Spots
Common Complaints:
•Staff friendliness
•Dentist “bedside manner”
•Billing issues
•Wait time
•Second opinions
•Policies
104. Examine Trouble Spots
Pretend you’re a patient.
•Scheduling an appointment.
•Completing paperwork.
•What is a visit like?
•How friendly is your staff?
•What hurdles are you putting up?
107. Don’t worry…
you don’t
have to beg.
• Use phrases such as,
“We would love to have
your feedback” or,
“Your thoughts are so
important to us.”
• If you target your
“cheerleaders”, they
want to give you praise
anyway.
• Your patients expect it.
108. Use
signage
• Consider review cards
with your website
address.
• Have “Tell us how we’re
doing…” signs in the
waiting area.
• Busy check-out areas
are not always best.
109. Be Careful
With Review
Incentives.
• Incentivizing reviews
may violate FTC rules.
• You definitely do not
want to incentive Yelp
reviews.
• POST-review incentives
are best. Send a note
with a small gift and ask
if they would also leave
a review on another
website.
111. Ask for Reviews:
Get a system…
and use it.
• Almost all systems will
work…but none of this
is “set it and forget it”.
• If you have Review Pro,
see if it connects to
your current
appointment or patient
management system.
• If you use another
system make sure it
primarily sends people
to Google, Yelp or
Facebook.
124. Ask for
Reviews.
• Be on the lookout for
smiles!
• Parents of previous
patients might be
asked for “feedback”
while they wait or
before treatment.
• Dentists often feel
awkward asking for
reviews. Just like with
payment - choose
someone else.
125. Can you
use a tablet
or kiosk?
• Do NOT have patients
leave reviews directly
on your kiosk.
• DO use a tablet to
make it easier to send
review requests.
• If patients regularly
post reviews in-office,
you may want to turn off
your public wifi.
128. Always
respond to
positive
reviews.
• Keep your responses
varied.
• Be “vaguely specific” -
don’t violate HIPAA.
• Try to naturally add
keywords into your
responses.
• Put someone in charge
of this.
132. Responding
to reviews
can be tricky.
• Never reveal any
information that isn’t
already given in the
review.
• Avoid confirming or
commenting on
specific treatments.
• Some reviews
shouldn’t be
responded to.
133.
134. Respond to Feedback
When you get a Negative Review:
• Don’t freak out.
• Don’t respond immediately.
• Evaluate the situation. (Can this
person be reasoned with? Is there any
chance to turn this around?)
• Sometimes…no response will work.
135. Responses to Negative Reviews Should:
• Brief (Don’t write a book)
• Generic, non-specific to the patient
• Conciliatory (Not apologetic)
• Written with the public in mind
• Seek to take conversation OFF-line
• Work towards satisfaction (if possible)
• Never disclose ANY additional information.
• Respond like a person, not a business
148. In 2018 “the internet of
things” will continue to
experience extreme
growth and its adoption
into our daily lives will
be solidified.
Top trends…
Tech moves
faster than our
adoption of it.
149. Voice Search
1. Apple just released
HomePod.
2. “Semantic” search is far
more common than it ever
has been.
3. Your online presence needs
to move towards meeting
those needs.
Products such as
Amazon Echo & Apps
like Siri have made
voice search common.
150. Voice Search
• Begin rephrasing your
dental topics and blog posts
as FAQ’s - direct answers to
common questions.
• Lower the reading level of
your website even further.
www.webpagefx.com/tools/
read-able
How can you
prepare?
151. Voice Search
• Be mobile-optimized.
• Be localized.
• Have a strong local-search
presence.
• Prepare for more difficulty in
reaching patients outside of
your immediate area.
How can you
prepare?
152. Chat Grows
We’ve already seen the
adoption of text appointment
confirmations.
Facebook Messenger has been
working hard on strategies to
get you to use it more.
Two-way messaging will
become even more common in
2018.
Prepare for
more texts &
messages.
