A large majority of marketing takes place online these days which means you will meet more than half of your customers on the internet. Marketing done right can help bring your business to the doorsteps of consumers, but what makes them stay and want to patronize your product or service is your business reputation. Before patronizing your business, customers will most likely assess your online reviews. These reviews determine your online reputation and will therefore determine if a consumer will work with you or not.
For a healthcare company, building a good online reputation matters a lot, because people only want the best healthcare for themselves and their family. A bad online reputation will quickly drive customers away; this is why Online Reputation Management (ORM) is extremely important.
What is Online Reputation Management (ORM)?
Online Reputation Management (ORM) is the management of your company online. It is the act of creating a well-balanced reputation and ensuring that people see only the best side when they do find you online. Creating a good online rep means providing positive and quality content on your web pages.
A lot of companies or establishments do not understand what it means to have a good ORM until they’ve been hit hard by a storm of bad reviews or a bad story on the media. If a customer goes on your website or social media page to post a really bad review, this can lead to a huge loss in sales as even one bad comment can drive away customers. This why ORM is so important, it helps to manage your online reputation and keep your page as positive as possible.
A lot of healthcare companies do not have good ORM majorly because they do not think of it as important to the service they provide, but actually, health companies need good ORM just as much as other companies. Here are some reasons why:
- It can affect your Sales: Research has shown that 80% of buyers take a look at the reviews of the product they make a purchase. Consumers tend to go through your page and do some online research before they determine if they can trust you enough to patronize you. A good ORM will make sure you look good on the internet and hence encourage more consumers to patronize your services.
- Recommendations from Customers: Recommendation is something that every business wants from its customers and 85% of customers will recommend a business with a good online reputation. This means more people are likely to recommend your services to other patients.
Good ORM Strategies
Understanding ORM is one thing, but when carrying it out is another. You need to have a good strategy or you’ll just end up making all the wrong mistakes. Some good ORM strategies include:
- Addressing private messages as quickly as possible. This will help to keep your customers satisfied and positive about your page.
- Avoid ignoring negative reviews. Addressing them and providing positive answers tells readers that although there might be issues sometimes, you are quick to resolve them and get things back on track.
- If your company is involved in a scandal or faces backlash from a previous action, it is always best to apologize and make amends. Releasing a public statement and tend to make policy amends to fix the problem can go a long way to keep your reputation in a good light.
Good Online Reputation Management is always good, it is even better for a healthcare company.
