Patient Reviews: Why They’re Important, Where to Find Them & How to Share Your Own

By Dr. Jeff Beyer

A large number of my patients have something in common: they chose to be my patients after reading or hearing a review. This review could have been shared through a conversation with another patient’s family – a referral, in essence – or it could be an online review on Google or Facebook that my patients have graciously submitted through the years.

Because practice reviews play such a large role in building and maintaining my practice, and are something that prospective patients place so much stock in, I wanted to take a few moments to share some thoughts about them, as well as show you where to find them and how to add yours.
 
Reviews help – more than you may know it
You might imagine that positive patient reviews impact my practice in a pretty obvious way. When people have a terrific experience with me and my staff, and they share this with others, there is a very good chance that these prospective patients and families will consider their opinions in choosing Commonwealth Orthodontics to help with whatever challenges they’re facing.

Reviews with constructive criticism can also be helpful. They provide valuable insights that my team and I can look at, and see if we need to make any changes. Fortunately, I’ve only received a few of these through the years, but they’ve often been an important learning experience that allowed my practice to further grow and improve.

I’ll make one more quick comment about the value of reviews. I got into orthodontics to help boost people’s health and self-confidence – and not to be a marketer. The more and more people I have join my practice organically through reviews, the less time and money I have to spend focusing on marketing my practice. You benefit because I pass these savings on to you, and because I’m able to focus 100 percent on my patients.

Where to find and write reviews for Commonwealth Orthodontics
I’ve included links below to the most popular platforms for my practice: Google and Facebook. Please feel free to consult them if you’re a prospective patient or add to them if you’re an existing patient. Thanks in advance!

• Google reviews
  • On your smartphone
    1. Open your Google Maps app
    2. Type in “Commonwealth Orthodontics” and choose the Midlothian or Colonial Heights location
    3. Expand the screen by tapping the white area where you see “Commonwealth Orthodontics” and our star rating
    4. Click on the “Reviews” tab
    5. Read reviews — and if you’d like to add your own, begin by inputting a star rating, sign into your Google account if you haven’t already when directed, and add an optional review
       
    6. You’ll also have the option of uploading an image
       
       
  • On a desktop:
    1. Sign into your Google account
    2. Type “Commonwealth Orthodontics Midlothian / Colonial Heights”
    3. Find the Google My Business page preview on the right-hand side of the search results
       
    4. Scroll down to reviews and choose to “Write a review” or “Read all Google reviews”
    5. Click on the “Add review” link, then input a rating, add your review, and upload an image if you wish
       
       
• Facebook reviews
  • Log into your Facebook account
  • Search for Commonwealth Orthodontics or click here
    
  • Tap on the “reviews” tab
  • Find the text box stating, “Do you recommend Commonwealth Orthodontics?” (this is a new feature)
  • Select “yes” and you’ll be asked to submit a recommendation (Facebook now calls reviews "recommendations")
    
    

I’d like wrap up by once again thanking my patients for any reviews they’ve submitted. We really appreciate it!

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