Online Reputation Management and Recruitment Are Directly Related
In today’s virtual landscape, managing your online reputation is a critical component of operating and growing your organization. It builds trust with current and prospective patients, increases satisfaction, and ultimately brings in more revenue.
Although most patients are pleased with the care they receive from your organization, few are likely to leave reviews of their positive experience. Contrarily, unhappy patients are highly motivated to leave poor reviews. This discrepancy lowers your organization’s ratings, turning away high-value patients.
This problem doesn’t only impact patients, either. Negative reviews left on websites like Glassdoor, Indeed, and Jobcase can deter job-seeking healthcare providers from ever applying.
Through attentive online reputation management, your organization can rise above these challenges and attract the patients and candidates you need. Read on to learn more about online reputation management, how it enhances recruiting in healthcare, and the recruiting strategies you need to start implementing today.
What Is Online Reputation Management?
Online reputation management—commonly referred to as ORM—is exactly as it sounds. It refers to the management of your organization’s online reputation.
“Online reputation management” is a broad label for a combination of factors impacting the online reputation of a company or individual. These factors include reviews, customer service, search engine optimization, and other metrics that determine how your organization is perceived by the public.
Managing your organization’s online reputation allows you to control what prospective patients, partners, and employees see when they research your organization. Through this essential strategy, you can ensure your organization is accurately represented across the following media channels:
Google Business Profile
Nearly 92% of all internet searches are performed on Google. With traffic that high, claiming and optimizing your Google Business Profile makes a tremendous impact on your online reputation. It legitimizes your organization, brings your organization to the top of Google search results, and provides essential information about your organization to potential patients and employees.
Online Reviews
Online reviews play an important role in attracting or deterring potential patients and employees. The silent majority of satisfied patients is often unrepresented in online reviews, amplifying the angry few with the loudest voices. Automated review requests and online review management offer your organization a more positive, balanced reputation.
Your Website
Good news! Content that you own—like your website or blog—is content you can control. By properly implementing search engine optimization (SEO) best practices, you can have a say in what pops up when your organization is searched online.
Social Media
While your organization’s social media profiles are yours, the purpose of social media is to connect and engage with a wide audience. This openness can make your organization susceptible to unfavorable feedback. But if you keep an eye on your accounts, you can remedy complaints in real time and prevent long-term damage to your organization’s reputation.
From social media to search engines to video scripts, there are numerous platforms you can pay to advertise your organization. Although more organic methods—like your own content—gain trust more easily, paid advertising offers the chance to reinforce what you’d like your organization to represent.
Third-Party Platforms
Racking up accolades from third-party platforms, like news outlets and notable websites, proves your positive presence isn’t fabricated or one-sided. Third-party highlights and features illustrate your organization can be trusted.
Overall, online reputation management reduces negative perception and replaces it with a more positive outlook toward your organization.
Is Online Reputation Management Important?
Simply stated, absolutely! By managing your online reputation, you can make sure people see your organization the way you want them to see it.
Prospective patients, partners, and employees make their care and career decisions largely through internet research. In a consumer review survey last year, it was discovered that:
- 98% of people “occasionally” read online reviews for local businesses
- 77% of people “always” or “regularly” read online reviews for local businesses
- 54% of people will only choose a business if their rating is 4 stars or higher
- 85% of people say an overall star rating was “important” or “very important” to them
- 49% of people trust online reviews as much as recommendations from friends or family
As you can see, online reputation carries a lot of weight in the decision-making process! With stakes that high, it’s critical to keep your online reputation in tip-top shape. The better your online reputation, the more people you’ll attract—patients, partners, and employees alike.
The Impact of Online Reputation Management on Recruitment
What do you want your future partners, physicians, nurses, and other healthcare workers to see when they search your organization on Google, Glassdoor, or LinkedIn?
Recruiting in healthcare is a challenge often exacerbated by poorly managed online reputations. One disgruntled employee’s bad review is all it takes to discourage top candidates from hitting that “submit application” button.
Potential employees aren’t interested in simply punching in, punching out, and cashing out their paychecks anymore. People want to be valued at their place of work and maintain a healthy work-life balance. Top candidates are pulled in by relationships, reputation, company culture, unique perks, and so much more than salary alone!
In Glassdoor’s Mission & Culture Survey, it was revealed that 77% of adults would consider a company’s culture prior to applying for a position there. Additionally, 56% said that a company’s culture is more important than salary entirely.
Similarly, a Fractl Survey found that 4 out of 5 Americans read online reviews about a company before making the decision to apply. Negative online reviews “moderately” deter nearly 67% of job applicants, and 1 in 3 people have rejected a job offer after reading negative reviews about the company extending the offer.
The attitudes of today’s workforce are changing! According to Glassdoor President and COO, Christian Sutherland-Wong:
“Having a compelling mission, culture and values are critical when it comes to attracting and retaining top talent in a competitive job market—it is what differentiates each and every employer. Across the countries we surveyed, it’s clear that job seekers are seeking more meaningful workplace experiences. Job seekers want to be paid fairly but they too want to work for a company whose values align with their own and whose mission they can fully get behind.”
Where Reputation Management and Recruitment Strategies Intersect
- Commit to professional recruitment practices.
How many interviews do you require your top candidates to participate in? How much time do you take to respond to applications? Evaluate your current recruitment processes and look for weak points to strengthen. Always be responsive and keep your candidates updated!
- Be transparent in job postings.
It’s not uncommon for employees to leave their jobs before they’ve reached their one-year milestone. Was the job you listed accurately described? Was there crucial information you omitted, whether intentional or not? Don’t lead on candidates. Be transparent about what they’d be walking into.
- Treat your current employees well.
There’s a reason why former employees leave negative reviews about their experience after they leave. In many cases, they don’t feel they’re being heard while they’re employed—so they find what they need somewhere else. When you treat your employees well and improve company culture, not only will you retain the employees you have, but you will reduce the chance of getting negative reviews once they leave.
- Request reviews from current employees.
Employees rarely think to review their workplace while they’re still working there. Consider sending your current employees private surveys to gauge their satisfaction with your organization. Once you’ve collected the data and made efforts to improve, send the same employees a request to leave a review. Seeing positive reviews from current employees is a significant draw for candidates.
How to Enhance Your Online Reputation
Respond to Reviews
When your organization receives a review—positive or negative—make an effort to post a response within 24 hours. Responding to reviews quickly and with concern demonstrates you care about patients’ and prospective patients’ experiences. And to potential employees, that speaks to your organization’s values.
Lead with Empathy
If you receive negative feedback, remember that observers are watching the way you handle it. Respond wisely! Never respond to a review in anger or retaliation. Offer help, compassion, and if possible, a solution to the complaint. Direct the reviewer to contact you privately to seek a harmonious resolution. Sometimes, all it takes is validating their complaint and making them feel heard!
Accept Fault
Everyone makes mistakes. When your organization makes one, own up to it. Accountability is of utmost importance in the current internet climate, so don’t stay silent. Accept fault, apologize when necessary, and learn from negative feedback. Never ignore or dismiss the negative!
Automate Review Requests
When prompted via text or email, around 65% of people report leaving a review at least half the time. With numbers like that, you’re missing a major opportunity if you’re not sending automated review requests! Asking patients to review their experience with either their provider or facility will encourage them to share their experience with others—and offset any negative reviews your organization may have.
Online reputation management helps your organization achieve balance. With a positive online presence established, you can attract the patients, partners, and employees you’d like to see. For more details about reputation management, automated review requests and responses, recruitment strategies, and more, click here to see how SocialClimb can help!
