Why Reviews Matter for Health and Wellness Providers

The health and wellness market has become saturated.

To get above your competition, you need to gain the trust of potential clients. 

But this can be challenging if you don’t have visible reviews. Potential customers hesitate without the transparency that comes from authentic feedback. 

They want to know about real-life experiences, or they’ll feel uncertain about the quality of your services. 

Luckily, when you build a portfolio of customer reviews, you build credibility. This attracts more clients and boosts customer loyalty.

But it’s more than that. 

Reviews also save you money and help to increase your brand awareness. Let’s take a closer look at why reviews are so crucial and how you can collect more.

What Types of Reviews Matter Most to Health and Wellness Providers?

Reviews are critical because they boost your credibility and show the value your service has.

But does the type of review matter? 

Before pushing customers to review your health and wellness services, it’s essential to consider how you want them to leave feedback.

While 91% of buyers trust reviews when they’re making a purchase decision, 56% say they don’t trust a star rating that’s not accompanied by a more detailed review. With this in mind, it makes sense to encourage your customers to leave reviews that explain how they’ve benefitted from your individualized care.

But what kind of information is helpful to potential clients? 

The best reviews cover topics like …

• Health care costs and insurance premiums
• Staff helpfulness and compassionate care
• Cleanliness and equipment condition
• How easy it is to book appointments
• Professional or clinical competence 
• Speed of service and wait times

When inviting customers to leave reviews, prompt them to speak a little about these experiences. This helps show other potential clients where you excel. (It helps you understand what customers like and how you can improve.)

But it’s more than just telling people about positive experiences. The best reviews show your potential customers what you’re offering.

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60% of customers actively seek user-generated imagery when learning about new products and services. 

In fact, Trustmary’s client, Satokausikalenteri, noticed that when people see customer video testimonials in the online store, they’re more likely to buy. 

Once the company started collecting video reviews, sales grew by 20%.

For health and wellness providers, it’s wise to encourage your customers to include photo and video footage.

Let’s say you own a gym. 

A video of your equipment shows potential gym goers what you’re offering and what condition it’s in.

But why are reviews so important in the first place? 

When customers talk about their experiences, they guide other purchasers toward specific products and services. Their comments also direct you toward how you can improve your services. 

Let’s explore this further.

9 Reasons Reviews are Crucial for Your Health and Wellness Company

The health and wellness market is competitive. This is why it’s so important for healthcare providers ‌to focus on building trust and credibility. 

People who face various health concerns and wellness issues want to know they’re getting the most compassionate care from a top-notch provider. These customers want plenty of options of providers and rely on access to reviews to find them.

Reviews provide personal insights into the types of care you offer. They also show how satisfied customers are with your care delivery methods and customer service.

More than helping customers find what they need, reviews also boost your reputation and visibility. 

Here’s how.

1. Establish Social Proof

Think of positive reviews as social endorsements. 

They show potential clients how others have benefited from your healthcare and wellness offers.

This kind of feedback is reassuring. It demonstrates that you can trust healthcare providers as they are competent. 

Social proof is powerful. People often look for validation from others, and reviews provide a convenient option for exploring solutions for their health concerns. 

Customers take reviews on board, using them to help make decisions. When other customers show they trust your brand, people are less likely to hesitate when buying into your services. 

Not only will you see quicker conversions. You’ll experience a higher level of trust as more people inquire about your services. 

2. Build Customer Trust

For healthcare providers, building trust is pivotal. 

Reviews show potential customers real experiences. So, when someone leaves a positive review, it shows they trust in your services.

This trust is contagious.

91% of people trust reviews when making a purchase decision, with 82% saying they trust reviews as much or more than recommendations from family and friends.

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People want to feel confident that they’re choosing the right provider, and seeing positive reviews creates that sense of security.

As a result, patients are more likely to choose your services. 

For example, imagine you’re a nurse practitioner working in compact nursing states. You rely on the experiences of patients from different locations to validate the level of your care. 

If patients can’t find evidence of your trustworthiness online, they’re likely to choose someone else.

And it’s not just about the initial experience. 

Trust is vital for health and wellness businesses because building long-term relationships often leads to repeat business. So you won’t just see more customers. You’ll also see higher retention rates, more referrals, and improved satisfaction.

3. Boost SEO

Reviews help improve your search engine rankings, so it’s easier for new customers to find your services. With more visibility, you start to see more organic traffic.

Here’s why.

Google ranks search results based on expertise, experience, authority, and trust (EEAT). 

Since reviews show you’re trustworthy, Google uses your company’s reputation from Google reviews and other rating sites as a ranking factor.

However, it’s essential to understand that Google is looking for consistency. A regular stream of reviews shows that you consistently provide a good service.

If you have a big influx of reviews one week and then none for a while, this can harm your ranking. To leverage reviews for SEO, you should actively encourage your customers to leave reviews as and when they use your services.

4. Improve Local Searchability

Not all health and wellness companies offer online care.

Lots of medical providers and wellness brands rely on local residents.

For health and wellness companies looking to dominate local markets, it’s vital to rank well in local searches. It directly leads to more in-person visits and inquiries about patient care services.

Reviews significantly impact your local SEO. 

Feedback from customers in your area helps you rank higher in local search results. Positive reviews signal active engagement and relevance. This increases the chance you’ll appear in the Map Pack for your local area. 

So when clients search for health and wellness services, you’ll be at the top of the search results page.

Pro tip: Encourage customers to use location-based words in native Google reviews, which is incredibly impactful for local SEO.

And set up a third party review page that showcases all your reviews. It adds credibility, if your reviews aren’t just on your own website.

5. Attract New Customers

Reviews are the most important factor in influencing people’s decisions when buying a product or service. 

93% of people say reviews impact whether or not they purchase a service. Almost half won’t even engage with a company that has no reviews.

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Positive reviews act as social proof of your services. They show potential clients that others think you’re an excellent healthcare provider. As a result, you’ll see increased customer acquisition, leading to higher revenue since people feel confident in their choice of patient care provider.

6. Enhance Customer Loyalty

Reviews also allow you to show your commitment to patient care and customer satisfaction. 

When you respond to reviews, both positive and negative, you engage with clients to build stronger relationships. This shows that you value their feedback. 

It also fosters loyalty and maintains lasting connections with your clients, which leads to repeat business.

But despite this, more than a third of reviews receive no response from companies. This is a missed opportunity for engagement. By responding thoughtfully to every review, you strengthen loyalty and gain a competitive edge over your competitors who aren’t doing the same.

7. Show You How to Improve

Use reviews as a source of valuable insights into your patient care services.

Customer feedback can help you identify what you’re doing well and where you need to improve. 

Focusing on improvement helps medical providers maintain a competitive edge. 

Address concerns raised in reviews to improve your service options and operational efficiency. This shows your commitment to excellent customer care.

8. Double Up as Marketing Content

Reviews are a great marketing tool.

You can repurpose customer feedback to create effective marketing campaigns that showcase your strengths and the types of care you offer. 

Authentic customer feedback is more persuasive than traditional advertising. This is because it shows real experiences in action. People tend to believe customers more than the brand about the benefits on offer.

This approach enhances brand credibility and helps you share your success on more platforms. 

You also save time creating marketing materials when you leverage this kind of user-generated content.

9. Reduce Marketing Costs

Using customer reviews in your marketing campaigns helps you promote your business using authentic feedback. 

This approach is very cost-effective as your customers create content for you.

Genuine patient care experiences also build trust and credibility. They provide social proof — one of the most powerful tools in marketing. 

It increases sales in a way that other marketing efforts don’t.

Take Mutjutin, for example.

After the massage tool company started using reviews in campaigns, its marketing budget was reduced by 22%, and sales increased by 140%. 

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Using reviews helped Mutjutin cut down on advertising expenses and still get more revenue. 

4 Ways to Encourage More Health and Wellness Reviews

With the right tools and tactics, you can gather more reviews to enhance your online presence. 

Here are four great ways to encourage more customer feedback.

1. Use a Review Management Platform

A platform like Trustmary automates collecting, displaying, and managing reviews. 

This saves you time while building up your library of feedback. 

Trustmary customers report more reviews in less time, a higher quality of feedback, and increased sales. 

For a more hands-off approach to review management, use a platform like Trustmary to set up automated review requests and monitor feedback trends.

2. Display Reviews on Your Website

Websites that showcase reviews see a 67% increase in online sales, a 29% boost in service bookings, and a 22% upsurge in contact requests. 

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For this to work effectively, you want your reviews to automatically transfer from rating sites to your website in real-time. This is where APIs come into play.

By utilizing APIs, you can integrate review platforms with your websites and booking systems, allowing for seamless synchronization of customer feedback across multiple channels.

Use a customizable review widget that updates in real-time via an API and manage these APIs via an API management platform for seamless and secure integration. This way, all feedback on your website is current and up-to-date.

3. Add a Pop Up to Your Website

Pop-ups grab your attention, making them a great way to request reviews.

They’re also very effective at driving sales. 

After implementing a pop-up, Trustmary client Ruokaboksi increased its sales by 37%.

Try to make it as non-obtrusive as possible. Set it to appear at strategic moments, such as after a purchase. This is a timely approach to gathering feedback from satisfied customers.

4. Send Review Requests

Send review requests directly via email or SMS. 

Review request emails have a 20% open rate and a 7% click-through rate. 

Interestingly, while companies predominantly send requests via email, SMS requests have a better click-through rate of 8%. 

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Whichever option you choose, for best results, personalize requests, include clickable links, and send reminders. 

Time these requests to go out automatically directly after customers have used your services.

Wrap Up

Collecting and managing reviews gives you an edge in the competitive health and wellness market.

It helps you build trust, increase visibility, and attract new clients.

When you use reviews effectively, you’ll also see better customer loyalty, which will power your business’s growth. 

Ready to enhance your credibility and drive success? Start collecting and managing reviews today with Trustmary and experience the incredible uplift our users benefit from each day.

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