In a recent press release, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) confirmed that the Internet plays an important role in helping plastic surgeons make a good first impression on potential patients. Many people now depend on online reviews and ratings to make an informed decision about cosmetic surgery and also a plastic surgeon. According to the BrightLocal local consumer survey 2013, the proportion of people looking for doctors using the Internet rose from 27% in 2012 to 35% in 2013. Moreover, the survey reveals that 32% of people read online reviews to select their physician, up from 21% in 2012. There is also another angle to this issue – in a 2013 Brigham Young University (BYU) study), more than half of the respondents said that while they consulted online reviews to choose a physician, only 10% said they actually wrote reviews! That’s why plastic surgeons need to use the right tools to manage their reputation, practice, repeat patients and referrals.
Positive Reviews V/s Negative Reviews
Positive reviews can make patients trust your practice and consult you for treatment. Positive feedback works better than ‘before’ and ‘after’ pictures. Suppose your website has ‘before’ and ‘after’ pictures of a hand reconstruction surgery you performed. People could doubt their authenticity and wonder if you performed the procedure. However, if a patient who has actually consulted you or had a procedure posts a positive online review about the experience, this will surely catch the attention of potential patients. Good reviews and ratings from the satisfied patients on social media sites such as Google+, Facebook and so on work much better than pictures. Negative reviews can drastically affect the online reputation of your practice. Negative reviews can even wreck a promising career in plastic surgery. Proper reputation management can help overcome negative reviews.
Manage Online Reviews to Build a Positive Online Image
- Avoid Posting Fake Reviews – Hiring someone to write positive reviews for your practice and/or negative reviews for your competitors is known as astroturfing. This kind of practice is the violation of Endorsement and Advertising Guidelines set down by the Federal Trade Commission and your plastic surgery group can get penalized monetarily due to this. Moreover, people are now more conscious about the authenticity of online reviews. So avoid positing fake reviews and remove review spam from your sites and applications.
- Encourage Satisfied Patients to Write Reviews – Keep track of the patients who are satisfied with your practice and services, and encourage them to share their experience so that you can increase the number of positive reviews. You can ask them to post their experience on your website or rate your practice on popular social media sites. Collect their e-mail addresses and send periodical mails asking for feedback along with a link to your review section. However, don’t offer them any discount, gift, or money in exchange for a review as this could have legal implications.
- Thoughtfully Address Negative Reviews – You should respond to the negative reviews that you receive as soon as you can. Be cautious about how you respond – don’t overreact, answer politely. If you can, provide factual information to counter the criticisms. If you can’t do that, apologize and assure the patients that you are taking efforts to set things right and improve your service. This can help reduce the effect of negative reviews and develop a positive attitude in patients.
- Get Professional Support – It is obvious that you may not get enough time to monitor and manage your online image. Find a professional SEO company that has experience in social media optimization and reputation management for plastic surgeons. The right company can provide your practice with a strong social media presence to enhance your organization’s visibility and image. It is important that they understand your practice, your patient type and the importance of your reputation.
Social Media can be a boon or an Achilles heel. How you manage it will determine your success and your practices reputation.
