From Patient to Promoter: Tips for Gaining Positive Online Reviews
When was the last time you checked reviews for your facility? Research suggests that 99% of consumers read online reviews when shopping online. That is why generating patient and resident referrals is crucial for skilled nursing facilities and senior living communities. Positive reviews can help increase census/occupancy, enhance your community’s reputation, and build trust among family members and the local community.
Here are six tips that can help boost your healthcare content strategy by maximizing your referral potential.
Create a resident ambassador program.
Happy residents are the best advertisement for your community. Initiate one-on-one conversations between potential residents and your resident ambassadors early to showcase your community through the eyes of someone who loves living there.
Host family-friendly events.
Consider organizing family events like picnics, parties, or game nights to attract positive referrals and promote your facility. These events allow families to experience your facility's welcoming environment firsthand and observe the high-quality care provided to their loved ones. While they are there, take the opportunity to ask for positive reviews and referrals.
Highlight milestones.
Resident milestones like therapy graduations, birthday celebrations or bucket list achievements are great ways to showcase the individuals in your community. Create templates to make highlighting specific milestones simple, allowing for quick updates on social media. Stories that highlight specific people are often the most engaged content on social media.
Ask for employee reviews.
Don’t forget about your employees! Employee reviews and testimonials are important for attracting new staff and residents. Happy employees also make for satisfied patients and residents!
Offer multiple ways to leave a review.
Make giving a review easy by offering multiple options including review platforms like Google, or Yelp, phone, email or a dedicated online landing page. Additionally, staff can distribute postcards with referral information to satisfied residents, patients, family members and referral sources.
Respond to all reviews.
Responding to reviews, both positive and negative, is crucial in making your customers feel valued and appreciated for their feedback. Make sure to craft responses that highlight the positive aspects of your business, as it not only shows gratitude towards the reviewer but also appeals to potential customers who are reading reviews before contacting you.
Maximizing your referral potential doesn’t have to be a mystery. By applying these tips, you can help enhance your reputation while driving referrals.
With deep industry expertise, Healthcraft understands the challenges healthcare organizations face, because we’ve lived them. Our diverse team of experts make marketing simple by developing sustainable solutions to position companies for long-term success.
Contact our team of healthcare marketing and analytics experts today to revolutionize your marketing approach and elevate your senior living community's success.