Online reviews are essential to every business, and veterinary clinics are not exempt. Many practices know the majority of their clients are driven through emergent care appointments by frantic or concerned pet owners who see a change in behavior or health and need to get on the schedule as soon as possible. When people search for needed services, ranking highly in the results can help you capture as many clients as possible and keep the business flowing.

While there are plenty of review sites, most offices only need to focus on Google, Facebook, Yelp, and niche online platforms. Informed clientele will most likely search for reviews of your practice in more than one place. By far, the most popular site for online reviews is Google, with 64 percent of consumers accessing the search engine for reviews before booking an appointment with a provider or even visiting a business.¹Essentially, you can assume that for every 10 clients you see, six of them searched for your practice on Google.

Facebook is a close second to Google. According to Statistica, the social media platform has 239.15 million users in the United States, and it is expected to grow to over 260 million by 2027.²

Equally as important for online reviews is Yelp. As one of the original review sites, its name has become synonymous with trusted online reviews. With over 172 million unique views a month, many consumers turn to Yelp to make informed decisions.³

Veterinarians also need to consider niche sites that specialize in reviewing veterinarians. If you are interested in figuring out what those are, search “veterinarian review sites” in Google. These can act as supplemental sites for your practice, so do not neglect them.

Online reviews are great indicators of how your practice is performing. They can provide insights into client experience and expectations. Investing in review collecting will provide an important window into the mind of your clients.

According to a recent survey conducted by Weave, 86 percent of clients check the online reviews of a clinic before requesting an appointment.⁴ Luckily for veterinarians and their clinic staff, there are easy-to-use tools designed to collect positive reviews.

Collecting more regularly

There are plenty of ways to collect reviews on your desired sites. There are software solutions that can send text messages to your clients asking for reviews on different review sites. Research found clients are 52 percent more likely to leave a review immediately if reminded to do so.⁵

If your office does not have very many reviews already, software solutions can be a great way to collect plenty of reviews quickly. Once you start getting a steady stream of feedback, you can start looking at getting more in-depth testimonials. These testimonials can either be written out or filmed, and proudly displayed on your social media accounts and website. You can provide prompts for these in-depth testimonials that can steer the interview to help you get more persuasive and powerful quotes.

Making the most out of it

Clinic staff are increasingly time-crunched since the pet boom of the pandemic. You have likely been looking for ways to do more amidst staffing shortages and it could have seemed hard to find high-impact, low-effort wins when you are constantly busy with your business and running to and from exam rooms.

Luckily, there are plenty of uses for all the reviews you have collected so far that are quick and easy and can provide a high ROI. Every review you receive should be looked at as content you can use to increase followers on social media, maintain loyal clientele, feature new services or products, and grow your business.⁶

Understanding the T&Cs

In order to effectively use your reviews, I would recommend gathering all your positive feedback onto a spreadsheet, noting the name of the reviewer, the site and date they left the review, and the review text. Before you start using these reviews it is important to understand the rules set up by Google, Facebook, Yelp, or any other review site you are collecting from.

For example, if you plan on using Google Reviews, it is important to note what is written belongs to the reviewer no matter what.⁷ Google requires permission from the person who left the review before you use it for marketing purposes. You can either send a quick text message to the client or respond to the review asking them for permission with a follow-up email.

Yelp and Facebook have similar rules and are more relaxed than Google. If you are not sure how you should use your reviews, a few best practices to consider include citing the review site and linking back to the review when possible. If you are planning on abridging a review, keep the message consistent, with the goal to build client trust. It is also a good idea to attribute the review with the reviewer’s first name and last initial.

Utilizing good reviews

Once you have the proper permissions to use client reviews, you can start getting creative. Here are some platforms you can easily use them on:

Social media: Create an image with the text from your favorite review and post it. The text can be about how easy it is to schedule an appointment online or how fast you were able to see a patient. You can boost this post on your social media accounts to get maximum views. Ask your clients if you can tag them in your post and see if they will repost it to help grow your online presence.
Online ads: Use short catchy quotes from your reviews to create an ad campaign around your low prices, easy bookings, or great client experience. Ads that share testimonials are eye-catching and informative, and you can target consumers near you.
Direct mail marketing: Sprinkle in quotes to your email campaigns to show potential clients what real people think about your business.
Your website: Display review quotes on your website homepage to give potential clients confidence in scheduling an appointment with you. This is especially important if you have an online scheduling tool on your website.
In-clinic display: Rotate some of your best reviews on a TV in your office. Your clients can read more about the hard work you are putting into providing extraordinary service and patient care.

As you start looking at your online reviews as content for your business, you will find your list of loyal clients growing. Whatever you end up doing with client feedback, remember to squeeze as much juice out of them as possible. If you are investing in collecting reviews, do not let them collect dust.

Chris Baird is the chief marketing officer at Weave, and is a data-driven and growth-minded marketer with a proven track record and nearly two decades of experience in high-growth B2B SaaS companies.

References

Dixon, S., & 13, F. (2023, February 13). United States: Number of Facebook users 2027. Statista. Retrieved March 9, 2023, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/408971/number-of-us-facebook-users
EBook: Google reviews. Weave. (n.d.). Retrieved March 9, 2023, from https://www.getweave.com/ebooks/ebook-google-reviews
Elad, B. (2022, May 18). Yelp statistics 2022 demographics, users and facts. Enterprise Apps Today. Retrieved March 9, 2023, from https://www.enterpriseappstoday.com/stats/yelp-statistics.html#:~:text=How%20Many%20People%20Use%20Yelp,in%20additional%20revenue%20per%20star
The Modern Veterinary Clinic: Communication for the Future. Weave. (n.d.). Retrieved March 9, 2023, from https://www.getweave.com/ebooks/the-modern-veterinary-clinic-communication-for-the-future
Painless veterinary marketing ideas to put into practice today. Weave. (2023, February 23). Retrieved March 9, 2023, from https://www.getweave.com/veterinary-marketing
User reviews. Brand Resource Center | Guidance – User reviews. (n.d.). Retrieved March 9, 2023, from https://about.google/brand-resource-center/guidance/user-reviews
Weave reviews. Weave. (n.d.). Retrieved March 9, 2023, from https://www.getweave.com/weave-marketing