Do you want to grow your medical practice easier, faster and more effectively? How can you, as a medical practice administrator, a physician managing your own clinic or a medical marketing professional, engage potential customers and get them through the door? The answer is using some of the most valuable resources you already have: your patients. In today’s day and age, patient testimonials drive appointments like never before and this post will help show you how.
The most successful doctors and clinics in America today are rejuvenating and enhancing their marketing efforts using patient testimonials as part of a patient-focused marketing plan.
Patient testimonials propel customer engagement, increase potential patient interest and commitment, and significantly boost search rankings on search engines like Google and Bing.
If you have patients raving about how much they love your practice, or telling everyone they know how you helped them live a better, healthier life, then marketing with patient testimonials can help take your practice to the next level.
Evergreen Content
Creating a good patient testimonial is an art form, and when done well, an exceptional testimonial will serve as evergreen content.
Evergreen content is a gift that keeps on giving. Like a great pair of jeans, it’s timeless and never goes out of style; the more you use it, the more compliments you’ll get, and the more fruit it will bear. Evergreen content is a piece of content that you can put it up anytime, anywhere, and it will still be effective for you and your practice. You can use it at Christmas time, spring, or fall, as long as the procedure related to it is still relevant, then the testimonial will also be pertinent and fresh.
3 Ways Patient Testimonials Can Fill Appointment Slots
1. Short-form videos:
The first way to capitalize on patient testimonials is to set up a series of videos that have a compelling story to tell. Sit down with your patients for about fifteen minutes each, and get their stories on video. You’ll need them to sign a release waiver, but after that, the process is quick and straightforward, and can be completed from any computer.
Edit the video down to a 3-5 minute segment, and you can then put it up on YouTube, or onto your own website. Google loves videos (on YouTube and on your site) They’re always looking for relevant content, and your patient testimonials fit the bill perfectly. Here’s an example of one we recently put together for a client:
2. Procedural content from the experts:
The next step in developing and supporting your patient testimonials is to sit down with your physicians and medical practitioners, and have a quick and understandable discussion about the procedures they perform. You’ll then have a great testimonial discussing a procedure that a patient went through, complemented separately by a video of the doctor describing that procedure.
After that, you can take both videos and transcribe them into written form. By combining the two videos, you can create first-rate, long form content in a journalistic style, and you’ll have wonderful long form content that’s fresh and that’s great for your website.
Google loves relevant, long form content. It’s something your competitors will never have; because these are your patients and your doctors discussing their own experience in the first person. The best thing is that it’s simple to do; you can create long and short versions of the content all on your computer.
3. Through social media:
Schedule regular social media posts to promote the patient testimonials. Post the videos on Facebook or on Twitter, or post air quotes from the testimonials, accompanied with a nice graphic (i.e. “We love Dr. Jones for helping us get pregnant!”). High quality, engaging graphics are particularly effective on social media platforms like Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.
Small, simple quotes go a long way on social media – and they’re fast and easy to schedule.
Seize the Day
The internet and social media have radically changed the way people communicate, and have revolutionized how patients now search for, and choose, their doctors. Today’s potential patients are looking for an emotional connection with their doctor, and they want to know about other people’s experiences with that physician.
There is untapped marketing potential among the many stories our patients have to tell. Properly leveraging your patients’ stories can enable you to develop a practice that fosters trust, strengthens your credibility, and helps carry out your marketing plan for you.