Whether your waiting room is always full or you are just starting your activity and need to develop your patient base, the presence of your practice on the Internet seems essential today. From Google My Business to social networks and Doctolib, discover the best practices to easily manage these digital tools and make the most of them.
If you are particularly adept at new technologies, you may have already created a website to present your practice. In an ultra-connected world where more and more patients use the Internet to find a health professional, this is an interesting approach. But it is time consuming and insufficient. Indeed, to be correctly referenced, to enhance your expertise and thus attract new patients, you will have to use other tools that will ensure you an excellent visibility.
Google My Business, the essential file that conditions your e-reputation
The first of them is the Google My Business listing. This insert that appears on the top right of the first page of the search engine allows you to indicate practical information and to be referenced locally: it indicates postal address, phone number and, if necessary, a link to the website of your firm.
Creating your Google My Business listing is quick and easy, but once you've taken this step, make sure you don't forget it. Because it is also through this tool that your patients will be able to leave their opinion. According to an OpinionWay study published in April 2022, nearly 6 out of 10 people say they consult, at least occasionally, the reviews published on the Internet. And dentists are, after medical specialists, the health professionals who are the most "scrutinized" by patients.
Google reviews therefore have a significant impact on a new patient's first impression of your practice. Fortunately, the people surveyed say that their goal in posting a review is most often (46% of the time) to share a positive experience (compared to 29% to express dissatisfaction). However, a negative review can have a significant impact on the overall impression, especially if the overall number of reviews submitted is low.
To protect yourself from negative reviews from disgruntled patients and thus protect your e-reputation, two tips:
- Encourage your patients to leave a review on your Google My Business page. You can ask your patients about their post-consultation feelings in person, by SMS or by e-mail.
- Respond to comments, both positive and negative, that your patients have taken the time to post, always in a respectful and constructive manner. It's a way to show your patients that you are responsive, approachable and available.
If you are the victim of defamation, insult or denigration by one or more patients, start by reporting the comment in question to Google's teams, who will check the status of a publication and decide (or not) to remove it from your profile. If you manage to identify it, you can also contact the patient in question in order to understand the causes of his or her dissatisfaction and, in the best case, get him or her to remove the comment that is damaging to your e-reputation.
If you are unable to obtain the removal of the comment by one or other of these means, you can then take the matter to court. Note, however, that this approach can be costly and that it is not always profitable, as the courts do not always rule in favor of the health professional who feels wronged or attacked.
Generally speaking, the management of these opinions may seem time-consuming but it is necessary to promote the development of your patient base and especially to protect your e-reputation.
Doctolib, the essential platform for optimizing your business
More than 320,000 healthcare professionals and 14,000 dentists and dental assistants use Doctolib in France. In just a few years, the online appointment scheduling giant has made its mark and it now seems difficult to do without. The result: significant time savings. Doctolib claims that its users receive, on average, 50% fewer calls, save an hour each day thanks to the software and can thus increase the time spent on procedures (or other activities of their choice!) by 20%.
In addition to online appointment scheduling, which makes life easier for patients and reduces the workload of your secretary or dental assistant, Doctolib (and other appointment scheduling platforms) offers a fundamental functionality for any healthcare professional: appointment reminders. Sending a text message or email to patients 24 to 48 hours before the appointment can considerably reduce the number of "rabbits" which, according to a study, cause up to 40 minutes of consultation time to be lost each day: according to Doctolib, the reminder tool can reduce these unpaid appointments by 30%.
To optimize your presence on Doctolib, take the time to carefully fill out your professional file, indicating your specialties (expertise and procedures) and the presentation space. Doctolib allows you to post photos of your practice and even your team. A little extra that shows your (future) patients that you care about their health but also about their welcome and comfort, in short, their well-being.
Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, which social network to choose when you're a dentist?
Whether you are a user or not of social networks, investing in them for your professional activity may seem time-consuming and/or useless. However, they are interesting tools for any healthcare professional who wants to establish a climate of trust with his patients and who wishes to improve his referencing on the Internet.
Facebook seems to be the most appropriate social media: creating your page can allow you to present your practice, your team and your expertise. And, why not, share with your patients tips and information that will contribute to their oral health education. If you (or your assistant) are comfortable using digital tools, it is a simple and effective way to contribute to prevention.
If you're passionate about sharing your passion and are particularly committed to spreading prevention information, like some of the dentist influencers we talked about in this article, you can also invest in Instagram and post photos with text, but also short videos.
Ideally, once you have created your page, try to update it regularly (once a month is more than enough), making sure that information such as contact details, opening hours and consultation days are always up to date.
Not sure what kind of information to share? The acquisition of innovative equipment that, like the software Allisonecontributes to the quality of care, promotes the comfort of your patients and the understanding of their treatment needs, is an excellent reason to communicate on your social networks.
Because even if your expertise and professionalism do not rely on your ability to stand out thanks to new technologies, showing that you live with the times is certainly a reassurance for your patients.
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