As an Endodontist, developing and maintaining a current Endodontic marketing campaign may not be that high of a priority for you—especially when you’ve always relied on referrals for new patients. But modern dentists are changing the game, bulking up their marketing strategies, and scooping up Endodontic patients left and right. Now, more than ever, it’s time to start focusing on Endodontic reputation management. 

Managing your reputation and image requires quality patient reviews, technology to communicate with patients, automated response systems, and directory representation. With the right tools, your Endodontic practice can climb the ranks of Google SERPs (search engine results pages), win new patients, and outshine the competition in no time. 

Online reviews play a huge role in just about every industry—but they’re extremely important in dentistry. One big problem Endodonists face is the lack of knowledge that a typical patient has about their specialty. Often a patient will search for root canal related terms and not understand the difference between a trained Endodontic specialist and a general dentist who is ranking for Endodontic terms. Although the Endodontist is more likely to offer a higher quality of care than a general dentist the patient makes a decision based on reputation.

Here is what happens; the patient checks the reputation of the general dentist and finds three hundred 5-star google reviews, and the closest Endodontist has 62. The patient ends up calling the general dentist for root canal therapy. It happens everyday. It seems unfair that dentists are perceived to be more qualified at root canal therapy simply because their reputation is better. It’s also not the best outcome for the patient.

Hopefully this does not describe your situation but for many Endodontists, it does. It’s time for Endodontists to dedicate some resources to building their online reputation, which is easily done by implementing strategies to get more Endodontic reviews.

The first (and most obvious) answer is to ask your patients for reviews. Single out friendly patients who are more likely to give you five stars, and ask them to leave a review while they’re still in your office. To make this interaction less awkward, you can place signs around the office referencing your goal to get more reviews. This free in-office Google review marketing kit is a great way to get started.

To kickstart a review campaign, get your team together and set a goal. Make it a short term goal, kind of like a review sprint.  You can make it a competition team members to see who can gather the most reviews, or make it a collaborative goal. Encourage the team to reach your reviews goal with the promise of incentives like an office party, a catered lunch, a trip to a local amusement park, or even cash prizes. But the go to reward and the one that always works, are Starbucks gift cards. 

If you aren’t able to get a patient review while they’re still in the office, or you can’t get your team behind the initiative you can automate the process. Automation is done easily through a texting software. Most patient management systems have the capability.

When the patient checks in a notification is sent from your PMS to the texting software and a text is sent to the patients cell phone. The patients opens the link in the text and it takes them directly to your Google Business Profile to leave a review. 

The image below is how My Social Practice’s review software works.

Working with an Endodontic marketing company makes this process so easy you won’t even have to think about it. With fully automated review links, the 5-star reviews will start pouring in while you’re busy pouring dental cement.

Another way to organically gather reviews is to be active online. Dedicate resources to social media content on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and even TikTok to show patients a fun, more personable side of your practice. A huge trend in dental marketing today is making TikToks and Instagram Reels with viral audios, dance routines, and other trending content. Download this free Guide to TikTok and Instagram Reels ebook to get started. 

This Endodontic marketing case study illustrates just how much your practice can grow when you focus on building a social media presence.

It’s also crucial to dedicate time to your Endodontics website. Make sure it’s aesthetically pleasing with great web design, but also functional, fast, and findable on Google and Google Maps. Get a free report on your current rankings with our Endodontist Website SEO Deep Dive website grader and find out what needs to be improved. 

Aside from asking for reviews and sending out links, you can generate 5-star feedback organically by creating a positive, comfortable environment for your patients. Many people will be visiting an Endodontist for the first time, and may come to your practice feeling uneasy. There are lots of ways to help them feel welcome, safe, and secure:

• Greet Patients by Name—Show patients you care about them by using their name throughout their visit. If you’re unsure of the pronunciation, ask for clarification, and make a note in their file so you’ll remember it for next time.
• Make Conversation—Before their procedure, ask your patients about their personal life (in a non-invasive way of course), and find a couple of ways to connect with them. Maybe you both have children, have similar interests, or hate the same sports team. Whatever it is, making a sincere effort to get to know them will help patients feel more welcome. And if they’re a returning patient, bring up details you’ve gathered previously to show you were listening.
• Be Professional—While you do want to make patients feel like you care about their personal lives, remember to stay professional during a visit. Avoid swearing, hot topics, and gossip, and be aware of cultural differences. This friendly professionalism should apply to interactions with your team members as well.

Once you start getting more reviews, it’s so important to follow up with these patients. Responding to patient reviews lets them know you’re paying attention, and that you really care. Even if the response is automated! Some notes to keep in mind when responding:

• Get back to them in a timely manner (preferably the same day, but within the week is good too)
• Always maintain a professional tone. Anything you say online is a direct reflection of your practice. 
• Be careful to not disclose any PHI. Using HIPAA-compliant software for reviews can help you avoid slip-ups. 

How to Respond to Negative Reviews

If you come across a less-than-stellar patient review, the best thing you can do is respond calmly and professionally. Never feed into a negative reviewer’s energy with insults or by fighting back. Even if calling someone out feels like the right thing to do, it will always backfire and reflect poorly on your image. Simply ask negative reviewers to reach out to you directly if they would like to discuss the issue further. 

“We are sorry to hear that this was your experience with our practice. Please reach out via email. We hope to help resolve any issues.”

If a review is fake or defamatory, you can report the review rather than replying and trying to start a conversation. Google and Yelp can help you remove or hide false reviews.