Online Reputation Management For Doctors - A Quick Guide

Physicians are in a tough position because we hold them to higher standards than everyone else. Imagine how much a negative reputation can hurt them. 

Take a plastic surgeon as an example - just one unhappy patient spreading their unfavorable experience online can erase years of hard work and tarnish the doctor’s name.

This is why doctors should take a proactive approach to grow their reputation and manage the discourse around their practice online.

What is Online Reputation Management for Doctors?

Building a positive reputation takes work. Consider how much an average doctor needs to do - not only do they have to offer an extraordinary medical service, but they also need to handle every in-person interaction with care and professionalism.

Unfortunately, many physicians and other types of medical professionals believe providing a high level of personal care is enough to maintain their reputation. In reality, since there are multiple channels potential patients can explore to learn more about your practice, online reputation management for doctors is mandatory.

In simple terms, online reputation management for doctors is the practice of controlling the discourse around your practice online. It’s about gaining insight and managing the sentiment about your brand on different online channels to ensure your reputation and presence are as positive as possible. 

Why is Online Reputation Management for Doctors so Important?

Most people rarely reach the second page of their online searches, which means that the information presented on the first page is all they will ever see. Not only do you need to make yourself stand out among other physicians, but you also need to make sure that the info about your practice on the first page is nothing but positive material.

Some things will likely be beyond your control. For instance, you may have a dissatisfied patient, get sued, or receive bad press. 

You can significantly minimize their impact on your reputation by taking a proactive approach. You can respond to reviews or any accusations, and that way, demonstrate your professionalism even in the face of disaster.

It’s not just about crisis management, however. With online reputation management for doctors, you can lean in on the positive sides of your practice and promote your past successes, which can ultimately help build authority and trust.

What Are The Main Components of a Doctor's Online Reputation?

Your online reputation consists of multiple things that together contribute to a solid online presence. The main components are as follows:

• Patient feedback

Most patients read up on online reviews before choosing a physician. This means that your star ratings ultimately do matter.

• The website of your practice

When conducting online research, most patients will also look at your site. To make a lasting impact and build credibility, your website needs to look professional and show off the positive aspects of your practice.

• Your social media profiles

Building a strong social media presence is an integral part of online reputation management for doctors. The interactions with your patients on social media build a lot of trust. At the same time, posting engaging content also helps you demonstrate your expertise.

• Your content

All the content that you post can be used as a chance to stand out. This applies to everything from medical research papers to blogs on your website.

• Your Google Business Profile

Despite Google being the most popular platform for online reviews, many physicians still haven’t leveraged this extremely valuable tool. This means that opening your listing and accepting customer feedback on this platform can help you stand out from the competition.

How To Manage Your Online Reputation?

Even though it’s so important, many physicians don't know where to start. This is why we compiled a list of basics for online reputation management for doctors. You should begin by doing the following:

1. Assess your current reputation

Before you start proactively managing your reputation, you first need to know where you stand. That way, you’ll have a baseline with which you can compare the results later.

Start by reviewing all comments on different platforms such as Google, WebMD, Yelp, Healthgrades, etc. 

We also suggest performing a search for your practice from a fresh Google account and noting down what you can see on the first page. By doing so, you can get a glimpse of what your potential patients will see once they do the same.

2. Collect patient feedback

To increase your online standing, you need to find a way to generate positive reviews. The most effective way is to simply ask.

Now, there are different ways to do it. You can ask them in person by using a QR code that leads them directly to your Google reviews page, or even better, send them a review request using a text message or an email after their appointment.

3. Respond to all reviews

By responding to reviews, you demonstrate to all patients that you care about the experience you offer. Respond to every piece of feedback and make a bit more extra effort when handling negative feedback. Validate the reviewer, invite them to resolve the issue offline, and really try to offer a solution. 

Thankfully, a negative review is not a catastrophe if you approach it with care and understanding. It’s a chance to find areas of improvement if you’re open to criticism.

4. Train your staff

As you know, a medical practice is more than just the main physician -  all the staff involved should be dedicated to delivering the best patient experience. 

This is crucial if you want your reputation to be squeaky clean. Patients care about details such as the politeness of the staff, ease of scheduling, office cleanliness, and so on.

This is why you should train your team members and introduce policies that see to it that your patients have a positive experience throughout the entire patient journey.

Consistency is Key

Online reputation management for doctors is important if you want to be head and shoulders above the rest. While it seems at first look you need to keep in mind that managing one's reputation takes a significant amount of time and consistency.

It is not something you can shut off once you see some results. That’s the thing about the internet - your reputation may shift without notice in an instant.

To make the entire process easier and maintain consistency, you should use the right tools. One such tool is ReviewArm. 

It allows you to automate your review generation efforts by sending automated review requests through email or text. ReviewArm also allows you to monitor and respond to reviews from a single dashboard.

That way, a lot of manual labor is taken out of the equation, making it easy to stay consistent with your online reputation management strategy.

Try ReviewArm by signing up for the free trial and grow your online reputation with a new level of efficiency.