Word-of-mouth advertising is often the best way to attract people to your dental office. People are also paying attention to reviews on sites like Google and Facebook. People feel more comfortable trying out a new place if they hear or read glowing reviews from friends or family — and even strangers who put their name to a review online.
With this in mind, what are the most effective ways to encourage referrals so that you’re not only advertising yourself but happy customers are advertising for you?
Encourage reviews
No one wants to beg for love and appreciation, but patients who are over-the-top happy with the care provided to them will usually be thrilled to leave a positive review for your practice. Train your team members to identify the most satisfied patients each day and ask them to leave a bright and shiny five-star Google or Facebook review, explaining how much this will help the practice. These reviews can help kickstart patient referrals.
Show gratitude
Patients like to know they’re more than a number, and this is why it is so important that your team focus on patient engagement and the overall patient experience — from making an appointment until checking out and scheduling a follow-up. People who feel valued, appreciated and as though they’ve developed a relationship with you and have received exemplary service at your practice are very likely to refer friends and family to you. Be over-the-top with showing your patients that their relationships with you are special, and they will go out of their way to support and recommend you.
Loyalty program
Want to keep a patient coming back? Offer rewards, discounts and other perks for various benchmarks, such as scheduling follow-up appointments while still in the office, having “perfect attendance” at dental appointments for a year or referring new patients to your practice.
Connect
The simplest and perhaps most effective way to win referrals from patients is to genuinely connect with them. By forging and cultivating authentic, caring relationships with your patients, they are sure to recommend you to others.
In this day and time, plenty of tools are available to you — reviews, social media, loyalty programs and simple compassion and care — to become a destination dental office in your area … and a place that people are proud to recommend to friends and family.
