Now more than ever, establishing trust in a doctor-patient relationship even before scheduling an appointment will influence a consumer’s decision to seek treatment. It is not enough to create a website, place a few directory listings and hope that people will find your practice. Consumers are actively researching the reputation of physicians, making physician branding, as well as the medical practice, imperative when establishing a brand for themselves.
In today’s society, the dominance of social media and crowdsourced ratings (i.e. Yelp, Healthgrades, ZocDoc, etc.) make it imperative that physicians stay mindful of their reputation in the marketplace. Through these sites, consumers will draw conclusions on a physicians’ ability to listen, comprehend, and effectively provide treatment for other patients. Physicians need to be really good at relationship building, believe in effective communication and only promise what they can deliver.
Here are a few tips on how physicians can support their reputation:
- Google yourself to see what patients are saying about you and your staff. Are there any common trends or feedback that you can address?
- If you have a limited online presence, have staff provide patients with an opportunity to add reviews on yelp.com, healthgrades.com and zocdoc.com.
- Consider responding to negative reviews, inviting patients to call or email the practice to discuss an issue.
In summary, put the time in to create successful physician branding that will help bolster patient trust and ultimately support continued career growth.
Also, check out our recent blog post about building a brand for your medical practice.
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