MedEsthetics magazines offers business education and in-depth coverage of the latest noninvasive cosmetic procedures for physicians and practice managers working in the medical aesthetics industry.
Issue link: https://medesthetics.epubxp.com/i/367774
BUSINESS CONSULT | By Ryan Miller 18 SEPTEMBER 2014 | Med Esthetics Beyond Five Stars Follow the six R's to boost your online presence and counteract negative online reviews. Reading a negative online review of your practice can feel like a personal attack on you and your staff members. Not only is it hurtful, it is also scary. Practitioners often vacillate between anger and concern about what impact this very public rebuke will have on prospective patients. Their fears are supported by a recent study from Digital Assent showing that, for 72% of patients, negative reviews can be a deal breaker. But these numbers are not the whole story. Online reputation involves much more than star ratings, and— when managed consistently—one negative review will not derail a practice. In fact, physicians who are rated heavily— with a mix of both glowing and mediocre reviews—may be at an advantage. The information provided on the following pages will help you expand your understanding of online reputation beyond star ratings, and show you how to reduce your vulnerability and leverage online review sites that attract prospective patients. ODDS ARE, YOUR ONLINE REPUTATION IS NOT REPRESENTATIVE In two separate studies conducted in 2014 by Etna Interac- tive and RealSelf, data showed that more than 90% of practices have fewer than fi ve reviews on each of the indus- try's most visible online medical rating websites. Given this information, the odds are that your online reputation is an incomplete and unbalanced representation of your practice. While your portrayal online may be incomplete, the exposure of both ratings and reviews is widespread. Pew Research, a nonpartisan fact tank, revealed in their 2013 report on peer-to-peer healthcare that more than one in fi ve Americans actively seeks physician reviews to inform their healthcare choices. That number is signifi cantly higher among more affl uent and more educated patients. Consider also that Google currently features star ratings alongside nearly all local search results on its fi rst page. This means that even patients not actively seeking data about your reputation online will likely encounter it. What is a practice to do? Start by acknowledging two points: The perception of your reputation is infl uenced by more than the fi ve-star rating system; and you can take action to ensure a representative portrayal of your services and patient satisfaction online. YOU ARE MORE THAN THE SUM OF YOUR STARS Star ratings are certainly infl uential, but they are not the only factor that infl uences patients. Consider this restaurant analogy: You overhear someone say, "I had dinner last night at that new Café Asclepius, and it was just horrible." There's a good chance that you will avoid dining there. © GETTY IMAGES