How to Use Reviews and Testimonials to Recruit New Patients

How to Use Reviews and Testimonials to Recruit New Patients.
Patient reviews and testimonials have a significant influence, especially on new patient acquisition. As consumers do when they shop online before making a purchase, potential patients also look to other experiences when deciding which healthcare provider to trust.

As healthcare adopts digital marketing tactics, patient reviews have become a marketing tool for recruiting and retaining new patients.

Here, we will discuss the role of patient reviews in healthcare, how to solicit good comments, and how to efficiently leverage testimonials to promote new patient acquisition.

The Effect of Patient Reviews

Patient reviews are digital versions of word-of-mouth recommendations. Trust is essential in healthcare, and many patients turn to others for advice on where to get treatment.

In fact, nearly 84% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. This reliance on reviews directly impacts provider-patient acquisition.

Advantages of positive patient reviews:

1. Building Trust: Reviews serve as validation for potential patients. Positive feedback from others builds confidence in your practice’s ability to deliver quality care. Patients are more likely to select a provider with a positive history of reviews.
2. Improved SEO: Local search engines like Google consider reviews when ranking local search results. Larger practices with more positive reviews are more likely to rank higher in search results, increasing visibility and the chance of being discovered by new patients.
3. Social Proof: Reviews are social proof. Seeing other patients’ positive experiences with your practice increases their trust and appointment likelihood.

Encouragement of Positive Reviews

Healthcare practices must encourage patients to leave feedback to gain maximum benefit from patient reviews. Satisfied patients are often willing to share their experiences, but few do so unless prompted. 

Here’s how to encourage reviews in a few ways:

Ask for Reviews: Simple, direct approaches may be most effective. Ask patients following an appointment if they are willing to leave a review of their experience. You can request this in person, follow-up emails, or appointment reminders.

Automate the Process: An automated system that sends follow-up emails or text messages after appointments can request reviews. Links to review sites such as Google, Healthgrades, or Yelp make it easier for patients to leave feedback.

Get Involved in Feedback: Responding to reviews, whether positive or negative, shows you value patient feedback. Thanking patients for positive reviews reinforces their experience, and professionally responding to negative reviews shows you are committed to improving patient satisfaction. Engaging reviews also provide opportunities for other patients to share their experiences.

Provide Multiple Review Platforms: Encourage patients to leave reviews on various sites. This could be your practice website, Google My Business, social media, or healthcare-specific sites like Vitals or Healthgrades. The more platforms your reviews appear on, the bigger your reach and credibility.

Showing Patient Testimonials

When you have a stack of good reviews, you must market them in ways that draw in new patients. Testimonials can be powerful marketing tools if presented well. 

How you can use them:

Feature Testimonials on Your Website: One way to create trust with potential patients is by highlighting customer reviews on your site. Put a testimonial section on your main page or a “Patient Stories” page. This immediate visibility can leave a lasting impression on visitors.

Social Media: Social networking is a fantastic way to post patient testimonials. Create posts with snippets of positive reviews or video testimonials from satisfied patients. These platforms reach a wider audience and lend authenticity to your marketing efforts.

Use Testimonials in Marketing Materials: Integrating testimonials into your marketing can help you gain new patients. For example, include patient quotes in e-mail newsletters or brochures. Using real experiences humanizes your practice and appeals to prospective patients on a personal level.

Google My Business: Make sure to include reviews on your Google My Business listing. Positive reviews here will help improve your practice’s local SEO and reassure potential patients when they search for healthcare services in your area.

In-Office Displays: Display positive reviews in your waiting room or office space. Placing patient testimonials on posters, brochures or digital displays reminds current patients of the positive experiences others had and encourages them to leave reviews as well.

A Key to Growing Your Practice and Bringing New Patients

Patient reviews and testimonials can help you attract new patients and expand your practice. By encouraging reviews, responding to feedback, and featuring testimonials on multiple channels, you can turn satisfied patients into advocates for your services.

In a highly competitive healthcare environment, these reviews can help you differentiate your practice from the pack with new patient acquisition efforts.

Utilizing patient testimonials to build trust with potential patients, you additionally develop a loyal patient base, which supports your development as a practitioner.