What is the Value of a Great Online Review?
By Podiatry Content Connection
Each potential patient who chooses another Podiatrist over you because of negative reviews or too few reviews means $600-$1800 that will not land in your pocket (and that’s just for the first year).
Stars and Comments are a Research Shortcut
Most people are not doctors. They lack the medical expertise necessary to truly discern a great doctor from a merely competent one. So they rely on other people, even strangers, to provide anecdotal information and give context to the information publicly available about your practice. 83% of people read online reviews before choosing a podiatrist.
Most Potential Patients Will Eliminate Any Doctors With Less Than Four Stars.
Stars and fractions of stars indicate the average rating awarded to you by all the patients who review you. According to The Harvard Business Review, one additional star in an online review generates an average 5 to 9 % increase in revenue.
The Number of Reviews
A five star rating doesn’t mean much if only one person has reviewed you. (After all, your cousin probably wrote it!) Having a low number of reviews does not promote trust that the experiences described are universal. Many Podiatrists actually have No Reviews—no stars, no comments. That is Bad! There is no reason for patients to put any more effort into researching these doctors.
Comments
Online, everyone is a critic. Cranky Cathy can give you a poor review on Yelp, as easily as Grateful Greg can sing your praises on Healthgrades. Taken overall as a whole, comments help potential patients find their personal “plus and minus” points in order to discard or keep you on their list.
You Cannot Delete Or Alter Bad Reviews
Bad reviews can weigh you down for years. But you can do something: Ask more real (happy) patients to review you. More reviews have a hopefully positive effect on the average number of stars you are awarded.
_____________________
TUSPM’s partner Podiatry Content Connection, offers expert Reputation Management programs for Podiatrists. For a free Practice Acceleration Session with our Reputation team, just call or text Randy at 917-572-5088 to set up an appointment.