Use Local Listings to Attract New Patients

Do you remember that massive book you had to flip through page after page to find a local business? What was that thing called? Oh yeah…the Yellow Pages. 

The Yellow Pages used to be the lifeline for any local business and for consumers to find the services they needed. 

But if you’re like most people today, you’re not wasting time on Yellow Pages. More than 82% of people conduct a ‘near me’ search on Google when trying to find a service. 

The Yellow Pages is a thing of the past, and unlike other trends, we don’t think this one will be making a comeback. Mainly because of how inconvenient it is. No one has time to flip and scroll through hundreds of pages just to find a phone number when you can find the same information in under 3 seconds on Google.

The death of the Yellow Pages stemmed from one big problem…not adapting to the internet and the technology right in front of them quick enough.

Since the beginning of the internet, we’ve seen this happen to all types of businesses. Those that can adapt and keep up with the times succeed and those that don’t… fail.

This is what makes local listings management more crucial than ever. 

What is Local Listings Management?

Local listings management is the process of updating vital business information online like location, hours, website, contact information, and other data relating to online directories. 

With the growing popularity of the internet, there are many different sites where a patient could find your information. Google, Facebook, Yelp, Yahoo, Bing, Nextdoor, Foursquare…we could literally go on for hours.

Why is Local Listing Management Necessary?

Local listing management is important because the internet is where patients do most of their research. It’s where they shortlist who they want their doctor to be, and then finalize their decision based on ease and convenience; all before interacting with you.

You don’t want to make a bad first impression on your potential new patient before they meet you. Having a tool like Review Wave’s Local Listings can help you manage your online visibility seamlessly and improve your patient experience. Making you the number 1 choice when a patient is searching for a practice.

Here are the top 4 reasons automating your local listings management is not only important…it’s necessary.

1. Improves Visibility

It should go without saying that the more online directories a practice lists itself on, increases the chances of a patient finding them.  With the amount of competition, there is online, you have to be willing to put yourself out there.

It’s essentially a numbers game. When a patient is searching for a practice, you don’t want to make it hard for them or they can easily find someone who has a strong online presence.

2. Increases Revenue

Put yourself in your patient’s shoes. You as a patient, are more likely to choose the business that fulfills your wants and needs the fastest, correct?

Think about when you search for a restaurant near you. Do you choose the restaurant that’s the furthest away, with barely any reviews, little to no contact info listed and the hardest website to navigate that you can’t even tell what’s on the menu?

No, absolutely not! You choose the restaurant that is the closest to you, that makes it easy to contact them or order online, and that has the better reviews. It’s that simple.

Your patients go through the same action when looking for a doctor. They will choose whoever can make the decision process the easiest and most convenient for them. If you can do that, they will give you their business, which will ultimately increase your revenue.

3. Saves time

Using a Local Listings management tool, you can consolidate your business information into one centralized location and update it across all major online directories within seconds. Automating these tasks save you and your team hours of time that you can dedicate to your patients.

Say your practice recently moved into a larger space and you need to update your address. Do you really want to log in to every single online directory, remember all your password variations, and waste an entire day on something you can do with the click of a button?

4. Improves SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

There are many factors that play into who gets that ever-coveted spot as the Top Search on Google. But there’s no doubt that search engines prefer to list the businesses on top that provide the best search experience for their patients.

Having updated and accurate business listings significantly improves the probability of your practice showing up on top during a search. If you have inaccurate information provided, that creates a bad search experience and hinders your ranking.

How to Manage Your Local Listings

As a practice owner, you should be spending as much time as possible with your patients. And, if you want to provide the best patient experience possible, you need your team present in the moment too. Your team should be available to greet patients, help with patient intake, etc. When your team is glued to the computer working on updating your local listings, and not paying attention to the patient, that is not an ideal patient experience.

With the help of automation, you can manage your local listings and online presence easier than ever while simultaneously attracting more patients to your practice. Don’t fall behind the times like Yellow Pages did. Use the technology we have today to your advantage.

Learn more about how Review Wave can improve your search experience and help you grow your practice. Book a demo today!