Posted on July 14, 2022

4 Tips To Make a Good First Impression Using Patient Testimonials

Do you want to improve potential patients’ digital first impression of your clinic? Testimonials can be invaluable in creating an excellent first impression, gaining prospective patients, and cultivating a positive digital presence. 

Follow these tips to ensure you are digitally benefiting from the positive patient experiences you are providing every day!

1. Ask Patients for Testimonials After a Successful Surgical Outcome

Positive patient reviews and testimonials are an excellent way to increase patient loyalty and support your practice’s exceptional reputation. In addition to this, positive first-person experiences listed on your website can prompt potential patients who are perusing your website to schedule the consultation they have been considering.

The first step to showcasing these positive post-surgical testimonials and clinic reviews on your website is to collect them from current patients. A great way to endorse patients to write testimonials is to provide them with a prompt.

A prompt will help your patients write about their positive experiences and create a more valuable, insightful, and grounded testimonial. Consider asking them to include information like the eye surgeon or doctor’s name, type of procedure, and an explanation of their level of satisfaction or results. 

It is essential to not alter or change the original words of your patients in any way. It is also important to keep the testimonial in the context it was written and not pick and choose what you use from each testimonial.

This is good practice to ensure that you respect your patients and maintain a trustworthy reputation. All testimonials on your website should be directly from the source it is signed by, unaltered, and in the quotation form.

Following these guidelines will ensure that your practice maintains an authentic presence in the digital world.

2. Ask Patients for Permission to Publish Testimonials and Permission to Use Pictures

Another important part of maintaining a trustworthy reputation and respecting your patients is to ensure you are following all HIPAA rules and regulations. This includes publishing testimonials or pictures of your patients on your website or social media channels. 

HIPAA Privacy Rules require you to get expressed consent from your patients in order to publish ePHI on social media networks or on your website. Protected health information (PHI) that is published electronically.

It includes any information that may identify the patient or related to that person’s health. It is best to err on the side of caution when including detailed information about patients.

This applies even when it’s their own words, on your website or social media channels. Besides asking for permission to publish their testimonials, you may also want to consider limiting their name or using initials. 

When obtaining expressed consent, make sure you are following all of the rules laid out by HIPAA laws. It is also essential to ensure that the patients permitting their testimonials to be published know that anyone can potentially see their words and that they will be visible to the world.

When it comes to respecting your patient’s privacy when publishing testimonials, transparency is key to establishing trust in this mutually beneficial relationship. Beyond testimonials, it is also important to enact this process when considering posting any pictures of your patients online or on social media.

Be cautious when personalizing your website with fresh and unique images. If patients are identifiable in them, ensure that you receive express consent before publishing.

3. Have Patient Testimonials Visible and Interactive on Your Website

First you must legally and respectfully gather and choose which testimonials and reviews you want to publish on our website. Next, it is important to have a team of professional website development experts design a spot for them to live.

It’s best to have your testimonials visible or easily accessible on your website. Your web development team can even customize this feature to include interactive arrows so that visitors can navigate through the testimonials easily. 

Additionally, they will be able to install a button that can prompt current or previous patients to leave their own reviews. After you have done all of the leg work to gather these invaluable testimonials, you will want to ensure that they are placed on your website in an appropriate and strategic location. 

This will ensure that as many eyes as possible are able to view the many positive things that your patients have to say about your practice, doctors, or procedures. If you have already signed up for services through MDidentity, it is easy to utilize the review showcase widget to accomplish this mission.

Reading a good testimonial about an elective procedure can be the final push a potential patient needs to schedule a consultation. It’s essential not to overlook the value of accurate, reliable, first-person testimonials that are easily viewable on your website.

This is especially true when it comes to gaining the trust and admiration of potential patients.

4. Publish Testimonials Periodically on Social Media

Making a good first impression sometimes needs to go beyond the confines of your website. Your website is your new front door. There is immense potential to create an excellent first impression. 

But it’s essential to reach potential patients who haven’t yet visited your website through social media. Once you have obtained written consent and followed all the HIPAA guidelines, you may also want to consider posting these testimonials periodically on your social media channels. 

Your social media manager will be able to design a post that is eye-catching and visibly pleasing to match your website or social media channel aesthetic. Publishing these testimonials on social media will take getting new eyes on your practice one step further. 

Social media can reach new and broader audiences than a website alone. It is even likely that potential patients may learn about your practice for the first time through one of these social media posts. 

What better way to learn about a medical practice than to read a positive and encouraging testimonial by a fellow patient? Let patient testimonials do the hard work of securing your reputation as a trustworthy, dedicated, and reliable clinical practice. 

Accurate and legally collected testimonials and reviews can be invaluable for ensuring that potential patients have an excellent first impression of your clinic.

Are you interested more about how to get reviews and testimonials on your website or social media channels? Schedule a call with a client manager from Glacial Multimedia to learn how we can help enhance your online presence to garner excellent first impressions.