Damage Control: Overcoming a Poor Online Reputation

14 Aug Damage Control: Overcoming a Poor Online Reputation

Most medical practitioners get one or more negative reviews at some point. As you know, positive outcomes just aren’t a guarantee when you are dealing with medicine, illness, injuries and operations. Also, when you work with people during tense times, emotions run high and personality clashes can come into play.

While having a few negative reviews is understandable, it’s prudent to take steps in order to minimize the amount of damage that they can cause your practice. Read on for some tips on practicing damage control as you try to boost your online reputation.

Have an Active Internet Presence

If there’s anything as bad as having a poor reputation, it’s having no reputation at all. Starting off with an active Internet presence can minimize the amount of chaos that a few bad reviews can cause. If you don’t already have a functional website, now is the time to get that set up. You will need a frequently updated blog and active social media accounts, too. Interact with your readers and followers, and before long, you should have a more solid reputation to fall back on.

Encourage Positive Reviews

Have your staff members get into the habit of encouraging patients to leave reviews. You can do this automatically by printing a reminder at the bottom of all invoices. You can also provide a link on any email correspondence that you send out. Link to Yelp, HealthGrades, Google Reviews or even your Facebook business page. Every review is not going to be five stars, but if you can get several dozen or a hundred mostly positive reviews on these pages, they will far outweigh the handful of negative reviews that you might get.

Be Alert for Incorrect Information

If a disgruntled former patient (or even a past employee) has written a review that is not only negative but also blatantly untrue, it might be possible to have it removed. Contact the webmaster of the site in question and let them know what the situation is. Be aware that many times, a patient might be telling the truth from his or her perspective; in this case, you probably can’t do anything about it. If it’s a situation where the patient has you confused with a different doctor or has made up an incident that you are sure didn’t happen, don’t hesitate to address it with whomever is in charge of the website.

At HealthCare Marketing Group, your online reputation is important to us. From proactive positive strategies to damage control, we can handle just about anything that’s thrown your way. Give us a call at 800-258-0702 to discuss your online reputation during your free consultation.