Word of mouth referrals are crucial, yet so often practices find themselves with low referral numbers and growing marketing budgets, to make up for the missing patient brand ambassadors we covet. Maybe it’s the experience in the office, or lack thereof, that is causing referral numbers to drop. In which case, stop reading this, reevaluate, and maybe sign up for an on-site practice assessment to find ways to improve.
But if it’s not the experience, more often than not, your referral numbers are dropping because you’ve lost the determination to remain relevant and top of mind in a patients mind. In ophthalmology, we are blessed with providing patients with a gift so great, most patients want to shout it from the rooftops, but we are too scared to ask for anything in return.
Simply asking for a review is not only imperative to keep your volume numbers growing, but it also super-charges your current referral efforts to new heights. Think about the following:
- If first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Ask for a review, then re-ask and then ask again. Incorporating reminder systems into text and email platforms to remain top of mind is needed, if we are going to meet the challenge of drowning out the possibility of negative reviews.
- 41% of people said social media would affect their choice of a specific doctor hospital or medical facility. If we aren’t asking for reviews to make sure our social media presence is meeting patient’s expectations, we are losing the chance for a patient review to turn into a patient referral.
- Capturing a video review from a current patient, could mean hundreds of new patients get questions to answers, they were missing, when posted online. Capitalize on the individualism of patients, their hobbies, jobs, interest and use those to reach like-minded people. I guarantee you the struggles that busy mom overcame about getting LASIK, is a feeling many moms may be having. Hearing that from someone in the same-position, is like hearing it from a “friend” first-hand.
Think you have got it all down? Take our on-line practice assessment and see how you rank!
