Dec 07

6 Tips to Manage Online Reviews like a Pro

By social | Consulting, Social Media | No Comments

Not sure how to interact with your customers or patients online? Interacting with your followers is a huge part of building an online presence and managing your online reputation. As scary as it may be, you should be actively requesting reviews and feedback for your products or services. Even if you have positive reviews from the past, reviews should be current & coming in weekly. New statistics show that:

73% of consumers think that reviews older than 3 months aren’t relevant.
22% of consumers will only consider reviews written in the last 2 weeks.

With this in mind, how you respond to your reviews is key to building a positive relationship with your followers. If you need a little help, here are 6 tips to manage online reviews like a pro.

Have a Quick Response Time

Replying quickly shows that you are attentive to your patient’s or customer’s needs and are interested in hearing their feedback. It also shows that if there is a problem, you are quick to respond and fix any issues or concerns. If you don’t have a social media manager, make sure that there is an employee who checks your review sites daily.

Show Authentic Appreciation

Show appreciation to your followers, for simply taking the time to share their personal experience with your service. Acknowledge that you know how busy they are and that it is a BIG deal that they took this time out for feedback. Express this gratitude in an authentic way by responding to each review with a unique and thoughtful reply.

Reiterate their Concerns

Reiterate a phrase from the online review. This shows that you have carefully read their post and thoughtfully responded to their individual needs. Show concern for the reviewer’s well-being and hit the topics that mean something to them. Restate and reinforce the positive changes the service or product has made in the reviewer’s life or what needs improvement.

The Customer is Always Right

Always be polite and professional when interacting with your customers online, just as you would in person. This is an opportunity to practice great consumer relations, so leave your emotions at home when you are crafting responses.

Use all reviews as a tool to learn more about your customer. Bad reviews show you what you need to work on. Good reviews highlight your strengths. Your review response gives you the perfect platform to survey the customer & ask what you can do better.

Use Keywords in Your Response

Research review websites & see what keywords are showing up the most often in your search. Find competitors in your field & monitor what words and phrases they are using.

Use Emojis 😀 🎈

92% of the online population is using emojis to express themselves, so why not jump on the bandwagon? Emojis are a straight forward way to bring a little fun into your review responses. Don’t be too cryptic with your emoji use, just use them to emphasize your appreciation ❤❤❤.

For more helpful tips, check out Steps for Handling a Difficult Patient & How to Respond to Negative Social Media Reviews.

Nov 28

1

How to Choose the Best Colors to Brand Your Practice

By social | Consulting, Graphic Design, Marketing | No Comments

Deciding on what colors will best represent your practice is an essential part of building your brand message! Color can evoke emotions and thoughts, so it is vital to keep this in mind when choosing the colors that represent your practice. The perception your patients have of your brand will be influenced by your color choices, so here are a few tips to help you decide what hues are best.

Understand the Psychology Behind Color

Color is a great tool to communicate with your patients. Depending on the shades you use to represent your practice, you can influence certain types of feelings your patients have towards your practice. For example, yellow and orange are perfect for evoking feelings of warmth, happiness and interest. And black will elevate your practice to appear luxurious.

Browse Pinterest

Pinterest is a great tool for inspiration. Try searching color schemes, or color combinations. As you search through content, save pins with color that you are immediately drawn to. Sharing this idea board with your administrator or marketing team will allow them to see what types of hues you are drawn to and give them a great starting point when building your brand.

Look at Your Competitors

Another great method is looking at what colors your competitors use. When doing this, you will be able to stay original and get an idea of what color could help you stand out in the sea of your market.

Ask yourself, What do you like?

At the end of the day, it is important to choose the colors that you are drawn to. Essentially, your brand is a reflection of yourself. Stay original to who you are and don’t feel pressured to use certain colors, even if other practices in your market are using them. Using colors that express who you are will create a unique image for your practice.

Nov 21

0

4 Mobile Marketing Stats You Need To Know

By social | Marketing, Web Design | No Comments

If you are interested in keeping up with consumer impact on mobile marketing (which you should be), then check out these important stats. Keep them in mind as you develop your digital strategy for 2017!

1. The time users spend on mobile media is up over 51% compared to 42% desktop use.

This stat should help you consider switching your focus on how to better reach your audience. If you don’t have a mobile strategy or your website optimized for mobile, you are missing out on big opportunities.

2. Over 36% of mobile subscribers use mobile devices to view email.

Take the time to make sure your emails look as professional as possible and can be viewed correctly on mobile devices. If they aren’t easy to view and read, you could run into some trouble with over one-third of your subscribers.

3. Over 50% of smartphone users start their day by using their smartphone.

Find ways to insure that you are keeping your target audience engaged with your business. Send out emails at specific times and use subject lines that are time appropriate, such as “Good Morning”.

4. 88% of consumers will visit or call a local business with in 24 hours if they searched for it on a mobile device.

First impressions always count! The majority of people use their mobile devices then they are ready to make a purchase or need a specific service. Be sure that your mobile site stands out and makes a positive impact on your users.

For more tip & statistics, follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook & Pinterest!

Oct 26

1

Tips for Effective Holiday Marketing

By social | Uncategorized | No Comments

The winter holidays may seem to be in the distant future, but if you are launching holiday themed campaigns, the time to prepare is NOW. If you want a successful, thoughtful campaign, your team should be brainstorming and creating a plan ASAP. Check out these tips to help your plan holiday marketing campaigns:

1. Make a Plan

The first thing you need to do is strategize and plan out what type of campaigns or events you want to promote during the holidays. This time of the year is a great chance to reach out to your customers because this season is packed full of holidays, which means it is pack full of chances for you to connect to your clients. Here is a list of some of the upcoming holiday you may want to keep in mind.

▪ Halloween, October 31

▪ Veterans Day, November 11

▪ Thanksgiving (U.S.), November 24

▪ Black Friday, November 25

▪ Small Business, Saturday, November 26

▪ Cyber Monday, November 28

▪ Giving Tuesday, November 29

▪ Hanukkah, December 24 – January 1

▪ Christmas, December 25

▪ Boxing Day, December 26

▪ New Year’s Eve, December 31

Just because this season has a ton of holidays, doesn’t mean you need to have a giant blow out sale on every one of them. In fact, it’s better if you don’t. Consumers don’t always need a sale to draw them in. Skip promotions that include all the bells and whistles (BOGO, 50% Off, Closeout Sale, Black Friday Extravaganza). Customers are drawn to companies and brands that are authentic, stand for a cause and care about their customers. This time of the year gives your brand the opportunity to connect with more people. Some of the different ways you can do this is by:

▪Promotions that benefit charity

▪Holiday cards

▪Hosting holiday events

▪Thank letters for customers from the past year

▪Giving customers the chance to receive extra add on gifts

▪Discounts for those who give back to the community (teachers, military, emergency workers)

2. Design

Next, start developing the artwork as soon as possible. It’s important to do this early on, because it takes time to establish new templates and designs. If you rush it, the design will be sloppy and not as visually appealing. It is also good to start early, so you can work out any problems or revisions that may come up. Staying relevant and fresh is vital to keeping customers and pulling new ones in. Growing, progressive retailers are consistently changing artwork, layout and basic design, so their look is fresh. Your design should be targeted towards the specific audience you want to bring in, so your ads must speak to them in a unique way. If your demographic is baby boomers you may want a more clean and sophisticated design, opposed to something brighter and more trendy directed towards millennials.

3. Implementation

Once your plan is in place and you artwork is ready, it’s time to actually implement your plan. It’s to your own benefit to have multiple channels to reach your customers. A great way to reach your clientele with push promotions is email and social media. These are the best platforms for things like holiday events, time-sensitive campaigns, charity drives and will reach a wider audience. These are simple, but effective ways to get your company noticed. If you want to have a more personal and authentic feel, take the time to have your promotions materials printed. Printing marketing materials such as holiday and thank you cards, help customers gain a sense of appreciation when they are printed and mailed out.

Marketing during the holidays can be really beneficial for your company. It is important to connect with people on a more personal level and the holidays are a great time for that. If you would like to go more in depth on holiday marketing, please feel free to contact us any time. We are happy to help.

Oct 21

0

Steps for Handling a Difficult Patient

By social | Consulting | No Comments

Dealing with difficult patients can be tricky but often times the most rewarding part of your job… if handled properly. Turn your unhappy patient into a lifelong patient with these simple steps.

1. Listen

Be calm. Listen carefully & completely to the patient’s problem. Maintain eye contact, and don’t smile or grimace. Nod when the customer makes a point you find valid, but don’t interrupt.

2. Empathize

Communicating that you do empathize with the customer can set the tone for the interaction and establish you as an ally who wants to help.

Examples:

“I understand completely, and I’m so sorry you’ve been upset. Let’s find a way to work this out.”
“That sounds frustrating”
“I can understand why you feel that way.”

3. Identify your options

Begin to address the patient’s problem after you’ve connected.

Options:

Sometimes all they want is for someone to acknowledge their problem.
Level with them. Ask, “How can we fix this for you?”
Reassure them. Let them know you or the practice will address this issue.
Notify a manager.

4. End on a positive note

Try not to let the patient walk away unsatisfied or upset. Instead, express gratitude for their patience, and promise you’ll do everything possible to make sure the next experience goes smoothly.

Keep These in Mind:

A happy customer means better business. A satisfied customer might spread the word about having a good experience, but an unsatisfied one will almost certainly complain to at least one person (if not more).
Avoid temptation to respond before fully listening to the customer.
Call your customer by name, if possible, it can make a person feel like she or he is being heard.
Don’t keep floundering if you are out of your depth – you’ll only aggravate an already tense situation. Get help.
Don’t be condescending, nothing can escalate a situation faster. Speak in a polite, yet genuine tone.