In my last post, I talked about how trust throughout society is dwindling, and trust of physicians and healthcare organizations are no exception. In general, consumers have become more skeptical of everyone and everything, including traditional marketing and advertising.
So who do people turn to when making purchasing decisions?
In just about every sector, including healthcare, people are increasingly turning to their friends, family members, neighbors and colleagues for recommendations. This is because they trust their experiences and opinions.
And thanks to social media, these opinions are more readily available. We even turn to the opinions of complete strangers who happen to share our life experiences, health challenges or purchasing decisions.
Like other businesses and professionals, physician practices should be aware and engaged with online reviews and sites that can affect their reputation:
- Ensure your online profiles are active, current and updated on the most popular review sites.
- Take full advantage of online profiles offered through your specialty association or other professional memberships you may have.
- Monitor what others are saying about you.
- Encourage your patients to leave reviews on the most popular sites.
- Respond to reviews — both positive and negative (more on this in my next post).
And most importantly, build trust in your practice from the inside out. Do the right things, and your patients will share their experiences.
An investment in relationships is always the best marketing strategy.
Want to learn more about sparking and nurturing these relationships? Check out Andrea Eliscu’s latest book: It’s Personal: The Art of Building Your Practice.