reviews

How To Ask Patients For Reviews: Google & Facebook

By ||Published On: March 4th, 2022||Categories: FQHC, Healthcare Marketing||
reviews

We’ve established that patient reviews are important to the success of your Community Health Center. Up to 81% of patients consider online reviews when selecting a healthcare provider, seeking information on the experiences of previous patients before booking their own appointment. 

For many, asking for reviews can be an intimidating process, but both Facebook and Google make it easy for patients to share their opinions. All you’ve got to do is provide exceptional care and implement a strategy to capture feedback.

Before We Get Started…

  • FACEBOOK: The first step is to make sure that you’ve activated the Reviews Tab on your business pages. Under Page Settings, select Templates and Tabs and toggle ON the Reviews function.

  • GOOGLE: It’s even easier to activate on your Google my Business page…you have no choice! It’s already done! 

Make It Easy

Make it easy for your patients to leave reviews without them feeling pressured or awkward. Whether you begin by asking long-term patients for reviews, or you incorporate reminders and links onto your appointment cards or email reminders, it is important that you make leaving a review as easy as possible for your patients. 

Realize that asking for reviews is a common practice, with nearly 67% complying when simply asked to leave a review. The same survey also reinforces the importance of establishing a review history, with reviews older than two weeks weighing as more influential than more recent reviews, and many respondents being discouraged when reviews are left without response.

Remind patients that they do not have to elaborate on the details of their visit, give them the ability to submit anonymously, or offer to post reviews with their name omitted.

Pick Your Platform

When establishing just how to get patients to write reviews, realize that like all methods of communication, diversity is best. Not everyone will respond to your request, and some reminders and prompts will land differently among your patient base.

  • IN PERSON: Follow cues given by your patients. Asking how their experience was during their visit or during the checkout process opens the door to asking for reviews, especially when the patient is giving praise. By creating a script or educating your staff to use a few simple prompts, you can increase the capture rate for those willing to leave reviews.

  • USE REMINDERS: Print a reminder to leave a review on your Appointment Cards and Take Home Instructions. Chances are, these will be looked at multiple times by your patients, with each being another reminder to follow the included prompt to leave a review. If you send postcards, thank you or holiday cards, or other mailed correspondence, include the web address to your review sites.

  • ONLINE: Make it easy to leave a review on your website and social media platforms by placing a call-to-action on the most frequently visited portions of your sites. A button on your homepage or targeted ads on social media can make it easy to engage those who interact with your FQHC online.

  • USE TECHNOLOGY: Technology exists that allows you to send a text or email to your patients asking them to follow up their visit with a review, making it easy to add a clickable link that will take them directly to the review platforms on Facebook and Google. It is important to remember though, that you must adhere to HIPPA guidelines and only contact those patients by email or text who have given you permission to use such forms of communication. (Remember to capture permission on your patient intake forms and update their contact info with each visit!)

  • SURVEY: Just as important as reviews, give your patients the opportunity to submit their feedback by incorporating a Patient Experience Survey into your procedures. Giving you the opportunity to ask targeted questions and gain valuable insight, you can add a link to your review sites at the conclusion of your survey, thanking patients for taking time to provide feedback and asking them to spend just a few more minutes leaving a review.

As a Federally Qualified Health Center, it is important that you maintain your online reviews to stay engaged within their community. Let patients know that their feedback, both good and bad, is invaluable to improving the patient experience for all. Enact a strategy to respond to reviews and establish a reputation as approachable and committed to providing patients with outstanding care. At Firefly Marketing, we offer a variety of strategies to both capture and respond to reviews. Let’s talk!

Strategy Meeting

Looking for additional help?

For Federally Qualified Health Centers featuring a varied patient base, diversified strategies allow your center to thrive as it provides care to entire communities. You don’t have to do it alone! At Firefly Marketing, we offer a variety of strategies as your reputation management partner. Let’s talk!

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About the Author: Hunter Euchaski

hunter euchaski How To Ask Patients For Reviews: Google & Facebook
Digital Marketing Manager – Self-professed Harry Potter enthusiast who loves a good cup of Joe, Hunter brings SEO savvy to Firefly. Since her start, she has been studying data and metrics in order to provide clients with a unique presence in the digital realm. Adapting quickly to the ever-changing marketing landscape, she helps to find the big picture in a sea of data.

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