How to Respond to a Negative Review
Picture the scene:
Imagine you are on a beautiful tropic island, basking in the sun, listening to the waves crash, and wondering how life could get any better.
Suddenly, a dog runs up and pees on your leg. At the same moment, a bird soars over and poops on your head. How are you feeling right now?
Similarly, is this how you feel when business is running smoothly, happy guests are leaving your practice with smiles, and all of a sudden someone leaves a negative review about your practice online? You have worked hard to build a good reputation and to create a business that you are proud of, so this can be initially devastating.
Once the initial astonishment has worn off, how do you respond? Take a minute and read over these three main tips for resolving the issue…and then you can take a breath and relax again.
Acknowledge the Issue.
First, let your customers see that you are paying attention to the issue and that their concerns are important to you. Your prospective clients will be reading your reply with great interest. Write this for them. Help them see that when someone has a problem, your business will hear them. It doesn’t matter if the reviewer lied or only told half of the story – acknowledge the issue they wrote about.
Stay positive.
Reviews are invaluable feedback and it’s good to use that information to fix what’s wrong. Use these pieces of public information to build good customer relationships, improve customer service, and improve your services.
Look at it this way: negative reviews give businesses a chance to respond and show how awesome they really are. So, write about your company’s commitment to customer satisfaction. Tell your prospective clients that you have actively made changes to ensure this issue will not happen to them. There is no need to dispute the facts; apologize for the negative experience and then emphasize the incredible services that you and your team are excited to provide. Invite the reviewer and prospective customers to come in to see for themselves your commitment to a positive experience.
It’s a good idea to send a copy of your response to an outside source, ideally someone that doesn’t work at your practice. Ask them to review your response and make sure it doesn’t sound defensive or combative.
Offer to correct the issue.
Never ignore the review. Open up the opportunity to resolve the issue with your unsatisfied customer. Offer to have him or her come in and talk to you personally; tell the individual you will be happy to address his or her complaints. If the situation is resolved successfully, ask the individual to update their review.
When all is said and done:
Once you have acknowledged the complaint, invited customers to see your commitment to their satisfaction, and made any needed changes to ensure a negative review doesn’t pop up again, look at the experience as something that will make your practice better than ever before…and then take that needed vacation.
Reviews are a vital part of successful online marketing, especially in the medical and dental field. Whether searching for a dentist for a regular cleaning or researching to find a cosmetic dentist to redesign a smile, individuals are presented with a plethora of choices on the internet. If a practice has no reviews, this can raise a red flag in the eyes of a potential patient. However, if the patient finds several reviews, this increases credibility, puts the patient’s mind at ease, and increases the probability that they will pick up the phone and make an appointment.
Roadside Multimedia’s Local Services team actively provides recommendations and tips to help you get more reviews. Additionally, the team regularly monitors the major review sites for our Local clients and alerts them to negative reviews so that they can respond right away. They are also available to assist with responding as needed. If you are not currently a Local Services monthly client, call us today to learn more!
January Special: QR Code Printed Materials
Yesterday we posted about the momentum we are seeing in mobile marketing and the use of QR (quick response) codes. Use of printed QR code materials in your dental practice can result in increased Facebook likes, continual engagement with patients online, and a steady rise in positive patient reviews on sites like Google and Yelp.
How can you use these marketing tools to maximize results?
The team here at Roadside Multimedia is thrilled to introduce several options for QR printed materials, specifically designed with dental marketing in mind. Here are a few of our new products that you could use in your own practice:
QR Displays: These beautiful displays are designed to stand freely and to take up minimal space at your front desk or in other high-traffic areas in the office. The most ideal location for at least one of the displays is on the front desk or near where guests check in or check out. Get your staff involved in encouraging patients to scan the codes with their smart phones! As they check a patient out, they can point to the display and encourage the guest to write about their experience on Google. Or, point to the Facebook code and mention that your current promotions and specials can be found on Facebook once the guest “likes” the page!
QR Take-Home Cards: For guests that don’t have smartphones, send them home with one of these convenient cards. The URL for your Facebook page and for your Google review page are listed out on these compact, business cards to allow people to find your page easily once they go back to their home or their office. Consider placing these cards in take-home goodie bags as well.
QR Appointment Cards: These convenient appointment cards contain appointment and contact information on one side, and a QR code and URL for your Facebook page on the other side. Since patients are likely heading home with an appointment card anyways, these are an effective tool to “continue the experience” – encourage patients to interact on your Facebook page and keep them engaged with excited promotions, enticing special offers, and opportunities for last-minute bookings.
The new year is a great time to implement these new tools and to get your staff excited to use them, and so Roadside is excited to share QR SPECIAL OFFERS for the month of January! Choose from one of the packages listed below:
PRO CUSTOM QR package
The Pro Custom package includes:
- 2 displays, custom-designed to coordinate with your website branding. Display will feature your logo, color scheme, and QR codes for your Facebook page and your Google review page.
- 100 take-home cards, featuring codes and URLs for your Facebook and Google review pages, custom designed to match your website branding.
Retail: $400 | January special: $250
PRO QR package
The Pro package includes:
- 2 displays, using one of our beautiful stock designs and featuring your logo and color scheme. The displays include codes for both your Facebook page and your Google review page.
- 100 take-home cards, using one of our stock designs, featuring your logo, color scheme, and codes and URLs for Facebook and Google.
Retail: $350 | January special: $150
PLUS QR package
The Plus package includes:
- 1 display, using one of our beautiful stock designs and featuring your logo and color scheme. The display includes codes for both your Facebook page and your Google review page.
Retail: $150 | January special: $75
QR Appointment Cards
- 250 appointment cards, in one of our beautiful stock designs, featuring your logo and QR code and URL for your Facebook page -OR- your Google reviews page (choose one) on the front, and appointment reminder information and contact info on the back.
Retail: $250 | January special: $150
Discount pricing valid January 1, 2012 – February 1, 2012
As always, the Roadside team is ready and happy to answer any questions you might have about the value of printed QR materials and how to best make use of them in your practice! For additional information or to place an order, contact your Account Representative at Roadside today, or email us at team@roadsidemultimedia.com!
QR Codes: Take Your Dental Marketing to the Next Level!
QR (short for quick response) codes are steadily gaining steam as an extremely effective marketing tool. These simple yet ingenious bar-codes work by allowing anyone with a smartphone (nearly a third of the population) to instantly access whatever URL you designate directly from their mobile device with a free QR code scanning application. Major brands are utilizing QR codes in print ads and fliers to direct more web traffic from mobile users to their sites and social platforms, and you can too!
Two exceptionally exciting uses for QR code marketing in the dental office involve directing traffic to Facebook and Google Reviews. A common concern among Roadside’s valued clients is, “How do I get my patients to find me on Facebook and click ‘Like’?” Or, “How do I get more positive online reviews to enhance my SEO?” Well, QR codes can help you to bridge the gap!
By prominently displaying QR codes and then getting your team members involved in actively encouraging the patients they treat to utilize those codes, you can see a drastic increase in your Facebook fans and positive online reviews!
With smartphone adoption increasing, more and more of your patient base will be able to make use of these displays in your office. For the patients who don’t yet have a mobile device capable of scanning a QR code, it would be wise to have some print marketing materials on hand. This way, when they are intrigued by your QR code display, but unable to scan the code right there, you can avoid causing a feeling of alienation by simply handing them a small card which allows them to find the same URLs from the convenience of their home computer.
At Roadside Multimedia, we’ve seen terrific results with clients integrating QR codes into their in-office displays and print marketing materials, possibly in conjunction with incentives for the patient (such as specials or promotions), and always with a willingness to engage patients in a discussion about how and why to utilize such codes.
For help with making QR codes work to increase traffic to your online review forums and social media pages, contact your experts in online marketing for dentists at Roadside Multimedia. Also, stay tuned for some exciting information on an upcoming special on QR code marketing packages from Roadside Multimedia!
Oral Health and New Year’s Resolutions
We are regularly brainstorming new ways to help our clients be more successful with their social media. A great way to help your clients get to know you and your practice is to regularly update your blog. What better time is there to do that than New Year’s?
Health and wellness are of large concern after the New Year. Most New Year’s resolutions usually tie in somehow to a person’s health. They try to eat healthier, join a gym, or maybe just try to get more sleep. Whatever it is, it can be tied into their oral health. Most people seem to be aware that their body is a system that works together in order to run appropriately, but they also might forget this as well.
If you are looking for a topic to write about in January, a great subject would be how oral health plays a key role in the functionality of the whole body. The blog can discuss how if your body is fighting off infection in the mouth, it makes the rest of your body weaker and possibly tired. Scheduling and maintaining regular cleanings and great dental hygiene will abate this problem. Any tricks you have learned over the years on maintaining a forever smile are also great tidbits to put in as well. Help your readers see the need to resolve to visit your practice regularly!
For more dental blogging tips, contact us at team@roadsidemultimedia.com today!
Protect Your Dental Practice from Becoming a Casualty of a Down Economy
December 20th, 2011
Posted in Blogging & Social Media, Conversion, Dental Internet Marketing, Online Marketing, SEO As the American economy continues to struggle, perhaps you’ve found that your dental practice is seeing monthly production numbers lower than in years past. If this is the case, you certainly are not alone. In fact, according to a recent article published in the LA Times: “In the first nine months of 2011, dentists have reported an average 3% decline in revenue and profit.”
What your friendly experts at Roadside Multimedia found especially intriguing in the above mentioned article is what the Times reported what many forward-thinking dental practitioners are doing to counter the effects of the down economy: “The economic downturn has taken a big bite out of dentists’ revenue and profits, forcing them to hire experts to help increase sales. They’re redesigning websites, pampering their clients, and using social media.”
How can you set yourself apart from the competition, and help to ensure that your practice continually sees growth?
- Perform excellent dentistry, provide the cosmetic procedures patients want, and emphasize exceptional customer care.
- Build loyal patient relationships, and reach out to potential new patients in your area through social media.
- Make sure your dental website adequately represents your practice and is useful and helpful to web users.
- Take control of how internet shoppers find your office online by utilizing the latest in proven SEO and online dental marketing techniques.
If bullet points 2-4 left you scratching your head, contact Roadside Multimedia today! It is our business and our passion to provide dental offices such as your own with the necessary tools to utilize web design, SEO, and social media marketing for dentists to ultimately see an increase in new patients and a notable rise in production!
Read the full LA Times article entitled, “Dentists Turn to Marketing after Getting the Brush Off from Patients” by clicking here.
“The Social Inbox”
Here at Roadside Multimedia, our lives are geared around the internet. We tirelessly work to discover, understand, and employ the best and latest techniques and trends technology has to offer. That is why, when we find the next hot thing, we want to share it with all of our loyal clients!
This past November, Social Media Today’s Tammy Kahn Fennell wrote ‘The Next Big Thing? Social Lead Curation’. Her article discusses a new tool – “The Social Inbox” – for business people currently being created. It is an effective way to “filter, manage, engage, store – in a word “Curate” your social world.”
It is a firm belief of mine that one of the most vital keys to success is meticulous organization. At the end of every day I make sure I have a plan in place for the next, organize my tasks and emails, and last but not least, I make sure my office is tidy. The same thing goes for social media. It seems that this “Curation” tool will be the most effective tool yet for organizing and effectively managing your social media platforms.
Currently this tool is in Beta testing, so we will bring you more information as we learn more about it. To quote Tammy Kahn Fennell, “Cutting through the clutter, organizing your marketing, engaging in the most relevant places and analyzing what you’re doing right, what parts of the world you’re hot in, and the places your not. Social Lead Curation. It’s going to be be big, it’s going to be powerful, it’s going to be local.” Both personal and business lives are increasingly geared toward social media, and people are becoming increasingly challenged to effectively manage all of their different platforms. This tool could be a breakthrough for online marketing as we know it.
The dental marketing team here at Roadside is always looking for new tools dental practices can use to increase their bottom line in an efficient way, and we will continue to bring you new ideas regularly! Check the Roadside blog often for new tips, ideas, and tools!
Let’s Get Ready to Rumble: HTML vs. Flash, Part 2
Recently, we posted about the benefits of upgrading from an older Flash-based website to a gorgeous, fully searchable, and optimized HTML dental marketing website. Flash websites were, at one time, an ideal choice for engaging and attracting web users. Times have changed and technology is constantly moving forward, and HTML is now the choice for a professional, beautiful, and informative website. The benefits of updating an older site to a Roadside HTML custom site are many:
- A fresh and current look attracts new patients.
- Stronger calls to action can be implemented to encourage conversion.
- Use of the most current web technology allows greater searchability, resulting in higher page rankings for your desired search terms on Google, Yahoo, and Bing.
- Our dynamic content management system allows greater freedom for quick turnaround on site updates.
- Vital information can load quickly, resulting in lower bounce rates and increased conversion.
You may be reading this and thinking to yourself, “This is great, but realistically, what does it mean for my practice?” Good question. Many Roadside clients have made the transition to HTML, and the result has consistently been an increase in new patient calls and appointments. Consider as an example Dr. Stephen Bjorklund in the following case study.
Case Study | Dr. Stephen Bjorklund | www.mnsmiles.com
Before: Dr. Bjorklund’s flash website, prior to the redesign
Dr. Bjorklund had a Flash site that was built in 2003. Roadside managed the SEO and monthly marketing searches for that older site, which definitely helped his page rank, but only to a certain point. In 2010, Dr. Bjorklund made the decision to update his existing dental website with a new HTML site. The new site is gorgeous, with large photos that evoke emotion and a strong, visible phone number that motivates online visitors to pick up the phone and make an appointment. Clear navigation allows viewers to find the information they need quickly and easily.
After: Dr. Bjorklund’s redesigned HTML website
What was the result of the transition?
During October through December of 2010 (prior to the launch of the new HTML website), Dr. Bjorklund’s site received 547 unique visitors. In January through March of 2011 (immediately following the launch of the new site), the site received 749 unique visitors. That’s an increase in unique visitors by 36% in only three months.
During October through December of 2010 (pre-launch), pageviews for the site were at 1,225. For three months immediately following launch, that number jumped up nearly 300% to 4,864. This shows that not only were more people finding the site, but once they were there, they were viewing more pages and interacting more with the site.
Dr. Bjorklund’s site’s bounce rate before the new site launch was 70%. This means that upon arriving to his old site, 70 visitors out of 100 would leave the site almost immediately. Right after launch, that rate dropped to 42% (which means that more visitors are finding what they want quickly and easily).
Shortly after launch, Dr. Bjorklund was thrilled to report to us that new patient calls had more than doubled. Since then, new patient calls have steadily increased. He is thrilled with his updated site we hope to see it continue to bring new patients into his practice.
If you are interested in more information about our HTML dental web design, please contact us today at team@roadsidemultimedia!
Welcome to our New Team Member: Amy Ginther!
The entire team here at Roadside Multimedia is thrilled to welcome our new FastTrak dental website project manager Amy Ginther. Ginther is recent communication graduate from the University of Washington and comes to Roadside with a background in marketing and public relations from her internship experience with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Formula Street Inc. This experience will be a great catalyst for Ginther to take a critical marketing approach as well as help her effectively manage and plan Roadside’s new FastTrak dental websites. Roadside is sure that her eclectic background will be a great resource, and her fresh eye will make her a strong addition to our team.
When she is not project managing, Ginther enjoys curling up with a good book and organizing. She also enjoys running with her dog Oliver and spending time with her friends and her boyfriend Matt.
Visit our Facebook page and tell Amy hello!
Brigitte’s Recipe of the Month: Poached Pears in Red Wine
Roadside’s resident foodie, Brigitte, has supplied us with another delicious recipe for the month of December. This decadent dessert is definitely guest-worthy and is sure to wow the crowd. Enjoy!
Poached Pears in Red Wine with Mascarpone Cream
1 750-ml bottle dry red wine
2 scant cups sugar
2 cups water
1/2 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 cinnamon stick
4 firm but ripe pears, peeled, stems left intact
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup mascarpone
1 Tablespoon powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon crystallized ginger chopped
Butter crisp cookies
Combine first 7 ingredients in heavy large saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to simmer. Add pears and return mixture to simmer. Reduce heat and simmer slowly until pears are tender when pierced with knife, about 25 minutes. Transfer pears to plate. Boil liquid in saucepan until reduced to 3 cups, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, whip cream until almost set; add sugar, mascarpone and ginger and whip until thick enough to dollop.
Arrange 1 warm pear and some wine sauce in shallow bowl. Top with some cream and a cookie!
Use Facebook to Build Relationships in Your Community
Combining social media marketing with good ol’ fashioned face-to-face networking is a strategy that really works! In today’s blog post from your experts in dental internet marketing at Roadside Multimedia, we share some inspiring tips to help get you motivated to build relationships in your own local community, utilizing your business Facebook page, and ultimately garnering you tons of marketing exposure in your area.
It’s a simple formula that can be reworked in almost endless ways, and here’s how: First, brainstorm a list of businesses in your town that reflect the interests and attitude of your practice. These may be swanky boutiques, cool coffee shops, restaurants, spas, plastic surgery centers, and any company whose employees you would love to see more of in your office chairs! These are the organizations that you will be networking with and featuring on your Facebook page, so it’s ideal if they also have a Facebook page. Get everyone on your team of staff members included in the idea phase by offering a reward for the employee who suggests the “winning” business.
Now, for the foot-work. Visit the shop or business you plan to feature, camera in hand! It would make a tremendous impression if the Doctor could do this in person, but if that’s not possible, choose a qualified committee of representatives from your team. Bring an appropriate gift, and ask to speak to the shop manager or owner (perhaps it would be pertinent to set up an appointment ahead of time, depending on the type of business). Explain who you are, and that your dental practice wishes to feature this excellent business on your Facebook page. Make good use of pictures, asking names and getting permission to tag these stand-out employees when you post your pictures (contact us if you need guidance on photo tagging). Be sure to find out if they have a special offer, charitable drive, or signature service they want you to include in your Facebook feature post. Make sure that you leave a great impression, with an ample amount of smiles, compliments and genuine flattery.
Next, compile the information you’ve gathered into a post or series of posts on your practice Facebook page. This should be presented in a way that benefits your followers (i.e., “Look at the awesome spicy tuna rolls you can find at Generic Sushi just a block from our office! Dr. Smith and Mary visited Generic Sushi on Monday and got to know their awesome chef, and guess what? Bento boxes are half off at lunch time!!! Be sure to stop by after your next cleaning with us!”) Utilize tagging wherever possible to maximize the range of your audience.
Finally, regroup, then repeat! Set aside some time every month to choose an appropriate business in your community to network with, and then visit them. As your Facebook fan base of patient followers become accustomed to this regular feature, they will look forward to getting tips on community hotspots from you. Friends and followers of the business you highlight will see your practice name on their walls. The staffers of the companies you visit will likely become Facebook followers, creating that awesome snowball effect of exposure that we love Facebook for!
In the end, you will have built lasting relationships with community members. When they need a dentist, they’ll have a friendly, smiling face in mind! You also will have created interesting, informational Facebook content that will market your practice. This is one tip that, with a little effort, can really set your dental practice apart from the competition.
For more great internet marketing tips for dentists, contact Roadside Multimedia.
