As we’ve mentioned before, patient testimonials are a form of social proof that can help to enhance your practice’s marketing. However, if you really want them to make an impact, you need to use them strategically.
It’s common for practices to have a Testimonials page on their website, or sometimes a scrolling function for testimonials at the bottom of webpages or in a sidebar. It’s certainly easy to implement, but it’s not necessarily the most impactful way to use patient testimonials.
If patients are looking for reviews about your practice, they’re more likely to consult a third-party review website for that information. They probably aren’t checking your Testimonials page for that because they know you are only going to post positive feedback there.
That isn’t to say that there is no value in using patient testimonials for marketing your practice. You just have to change how you’re using them.
Types of Patient Testimonials
Patient testimonials can come in different forms and cover different aspects of your practice:
- Written testimonials are probably the most common form of testimonial. Written testimonials are versatile and easy to use in a variety of ways in your marketing, from your website to print materials like brochures and ads.
- Photos and before & after images can serve as a form of testimonial and may accompany a written testimonial if there is a way to physically show the difference before and after a treatment or surgery.
- Video testimonials are great if you have patients who are comfortable sharing their story on-camera. They can be a lot more involved to shoot and edit, but you really only need to have a few, tops, to use online.
Before you consider how you should use your testimonials, it’s also important to consider the subject matter of the testimonial. Common topics include:
- Testimonials about a particular treatment or procedure
- Testimonials about a specific physician/surgeon
- Testimonials about the team/practice as a whole
These types of testimonials can be used in different ways. However, it is important to note that with all testimonials you use in your marketing, you need to make sure you have an agreement/disclaimer in place with the patient who submitted it, stating how you will use the testimonial.
Incorporating Testimonials Into Your Marketing
There are several impactful ways you can incorporate testimonials into your practice’s marketing materials, including:
- In procedure/service content – If you have a really good testimonial about a particular procedure/service, the best way to use it is to put it on the page about that procedure/service on your website, or if you have any brochures about it. What better way to put a patient at ease about an upcoming procedure than to share a success story? Video testimonials work especially well for this purpose if you are using the content online.
- On your homepage or location pages – If you have any testimonials about the practice as a whole that don’t mention a specific procedure/service, they would work best on the homepage or location page.
- On physician bios – If you are a group practice but have a testimonial that mentions a particular physician, you can use it on their bio page.
- On social media – If you have a really good written testimonial with a photo, or a video, you can share it as a social media post.
In any case where you are using a testimonial on a webpage or printed material, try to keep it to just one testimonial per page, or two at the most if it’s a longer page. Otherwise, you end up with the same effect as the Testimonials page that has every testimonial you’ve ever received.
Also, try to make sure your testimonials aren’t too long. Anything longer than a few sentences is a lot. If you have a really good, but long testimonial, see if you can take a couple sentences as an excerpt to feature in relevant content. You can always link over to a Testimonials page for the full content if you think people might want to read more.
Testimonials do have a lot of value in medical practice marketing when used thoughtfully and sparingly. When former patients have great things to say about you, that’s definitely something you should be proud of and show off. Just remember not to overwhelm prospective patients with it, and balance it with the other types of information they are looking for when they read your content.
As the P3 Marketing Manager, Ashley ensures that our clients’ marketing strategies are put into action. This includes content writing, SEO, online advertising, analytics, and interfacing with the tools, systems, and team members needed to help our medical practice clients accomplish their marketing goals.
Scott Zeitzer
Scott has been in the healthcare industry for his entire adult life. Prior to launching P3, he earned a Master’s in Biomedical Engineering and spent 10 years selling medical devices (total hips, total knees, trauma devices, and CMF devices) to orthopedists and neurosurgeons.
