Joseph Hall once said, “A reputation once broken may possibly be repaired, but the world will always keep their eyes on the spot where the crack was.”

Such is the power behind online customer reviews. Word of mouth isn’t a new concept to business growth, but the rise of social media has made a game-changing impact.

According to a 2015 survey conducted by brightlocal.com, 92% of people rely on online reviews with 40% of readers forming an opinion based on an average of 1-3 reviews. This study also found that eight out of ten consumers will trust an online review over a personal recommendation if they believe the review is authentic. If your business hasn’t entered the online customer review forum, here are three reasons why it’s time to join.

The reviews are already out there.

Whether you are aware or not, people’s opinions of your business are likely public already. Make it a habit to check out the sites where public reviewers have shared their experiences. Statistics show that almost half (48%) of older adults and family caregivers look to senior care review sites for information. Sites such as SeniorHomes.com, Caring.com and others post information on current pricing, ratings, and personal reviews for facilities ranging from assisted living and Alzheimer’s care to nursing homes and in-home care services.

"You can't please everybody your community serves, but you can and should pay attention to what consumers are saying about your business online,” said Denise Graab, director of industry marketing for Caring.com. "On some review platforms, you can easily take action to get factually inaccurate reviews removed, or you can post a response and make a positive impression."

Have a plan in place.

If your business has received five stars or a glowing review from a customer, well done. But the marketing shouldn’t end there. Post your appreciation so potential customers can see. If a disgruntled customer has made his or her frustration public, have a plan in place to reach out to that customer, and have the tools ready to make the situation right.

"Be very mindful of the tone and content of your response,” said Graab. “The opinion of the reviewer may already be solidified, and your comments can be most influential for others considering touring your community. Graab added that customers want to know that if for some reason they have a problem or concern, they truly can approach management and be well received. “Your review response can help persuade them that is really the case,” she said.

When the service at Lake Ridge Senior Living received low stars on an customer review site for caregivers, Scott Hansen, the executive director, quickly put a strategy in place to reach out to the customer to find out what happened and offer solutions. Hansen and his team discovered that the efforts that go into remedying a negative situation often carry lasting effects that extend beyond the initial infraction. Ultimately, the customer removed the negative review.

Don’t hide from customer feedback sites for fear of getting a negative review. Instead, a business should see a possible negative review as an opportunity for your business to make things right—even better than before.

Be proactive.

Instead of waiting to react to customer reviews, many of today’s skilled nursing facilities are promoting the review as part of their marketing strategy.

“A great way to get your positive reviews going is to have your happy customers start the conversation,” Brian Sparker suggested. “Then you can share your best reviews on senior care networks.”

The goal is to make customer reviews an integral part of your marketing plan and build a large presence on senior care sites that consumers can refer to when making a decision on care for a loved one.

Stacey DeBroff of InfluenceCentral.com wrote, “Ninety-one percent of women consumers consider an online review more important than input from a salesperson in a store.” This means consumers are likely researching your services before you even know it. An online presence on customer review sites can influence them to contact you over a competing business.

Marketing has invaded a whole new medium in online review sites. By recognizing the existing online presence, being prepared to handle online customer service issues, and proactively creating an online presence, you’ll be seeing stars in no time. Five stars, that is.

See Also:

• Tips for Responding to Critical Feedback Online

• Senior Living Communities & Home Care Agencies with Highest Consumer Ratings

Skilled nursing professionals experience significant marketing challenges. Physical plant limitations, poor online reputations, tight budgets, and stiff competition are all significant hurdles that SNFS constantly strive to overcome. But these challenges pale in comparison to the barrier of negative patient perception.

“We’re a need-based service industry,” said one CEO I spoke with recently. “Nobody wants to be in a nursing home unless they have to be.”

This perception is largely true — most people want to stay in their homes as long as they can. Stories of unclean living conditions, loneliness, and neglect perpetuate a myth that nursing homes should be avoided at all costs. However, in many cases, being at home — even with a caregiver — isn’t the right choice. Today’s nursing homes are patient-centric with numerous benefits that prospective patients and their families simply don’t know about.

So, marketing directors, when prospective patients and their family members come to tour your facility, here are three things that you must communicate about the advantages of living in a nursing home.

1. 1. You get care from the pros — which can be better care than family members or in-home caregivers.

2. “As people get older, their medical needs become more complex,” said Scott Hansen, executive director of Lake Ridge Senior Living. “Nursing homes have a staff of qualified caregivers who are trained to deal with orthopedic rehab, stroke, CHF, COPD, and many other conditions. In many cases, in-home aides do not have the training or ability to care for patients in the same way a skilled nursing facility can.”

3. And this care extends to family members. Because of the variety of needs for older adults, family members and other caregivers often feel overwhelmed and overworked. A 2015 study by AARP (Caregiving in the U.S., 2015) showed that caregivers’ health declined when they provided long-term care for a loved one. A skilled nursing facility can provide needed relief for family members while also giving patients the best care possible from staff on shifts. You’ll never need to worry about emergencies in the middle of the night or how to treat complications.

4. 2. You can do lunch every day—with good food and a date.

5. As people get older, it’s not uncommon for social circles to dwindle and for aging individuals to have fewer opportunities to spend with friends, including at meal times. This can have a negative impact on health. A study (Annual Meeting of the American College of Nutrition in Washington, D.C., 1999) found that eating alone, in particular, may lead to malnutrition in elderly individuals. At a skilled nursing facility, residents are given the opportunity to form lasting friendships with each other. A very important side benefit is that they eat healthier.

6. But, it’s not just about nutrition. Everyone worries about how the food will taste at a skilled nursing facility, so many SNFs are moving to restaurant-style food service to give a level of customization you won’t find at home. So, one strong argument for potential patients is that they will be able to enjoy delicious, healthy meals with friends every day.

7. 3. You can go to the gym—with structured therapy that will help you rehabilitate faster.

8. For patients suffering from a chronic illness, such as diabetes or hypertension, diet is only half the battle. Skilled nursing facilities offer physical, occupational, and speech therapy that have been shown to improve patient outcomes in nursing home settings. Chiodo et al, for example, found that the intensity of physical therapy was positively correlated with improvement in patient outcomes (Physical Therapy, 72/3: 168-75).

9. An in-house therapy gym not only offers improved patient outcomes with individualized therapy, but many facilities also offer group classes such as yoga and pilates. All of these programs improve strength, endurance, flexibility and mobility, which, in turn, adds to quality of life.

10. “If I could do one thing for skilled nursing administrators,” said Hansen, “I would give them confidence that their facilities have much to be proud of. I am convinced that if patients actually knew the extent of the benefits of skilled nursing, they would be clamoring for a bed.”

With 24-7 care, good food, companionship, and therapy programs, paid for mostly by Medicare, what’s not to love?

While the workplace settings of nurses have evolved, their common goal has remained the same: to be the client’s advocate and provide optimal care. As every nurse knows, that responsibility comes with its share of sacrifices. And as every administrator knows, when the sacrifices start to outweigh the benefits, it can be a prescription for problems in staffing and the work environment.

There are 4,148,730 professionally active nurses in the United States, and their role in healthcare is being honored by the American Nurses Association, which has declared 2017 as the “Year of the Healthy Nurse.” Whether you join the initiative for National Nursing Week (May 6 – 12), on Florence Nightingale’s birthday (May 12th), or on any day this year: it’s the perfect time to show gratitude for the efforts of your nursing staff.

Beyond the intrinsic importance of treating your staff well, here’s how being good to your staff is also good for marketing your business:

• Happy, healthy nurses and caregiving staff will make a positive impression on your customers.You know what they say about first impressions? It takes only seven seconds to make a positive impression. Once a bad impression makes its mark, it’s difficult to remedy. By making the health and well-being of your nursing staff a top priority, those feelings of validation and job satisfaction reflect in the way nurses treat their patients and their patients’ families. A positive experience by an aging patient often leads to a positive review — in fact, in a study Caring.com did in December 2014 and again in February 2015 looking at the words most used in reviews on its website: positive descriptive words (“nice,” “great,” “excellent”) and comments about “staff” were the most commonly used (with staff mentioned in higher frequency in reviews than the building, activities and amenities). And positive reviews lead to more business.

• Happy nurses will provide better care.Whether it’s increasing wages or staff-to-patient ratio, taking care of your nurses means they take better care of patients. For example, Julie Aiken, CEO of Ameritech College of Healthcare schedules massages. “We bring in a massage therapist for students and staff every few weeks where they can receive a 15-minute neck and upper back massage.” Another way to increase productivity: try doing something both positive and unexpected. “When something surprising happens, our brains automatically pay closer attention, lending these events greater emotional weight,” Forbes contributor Martin Zwilling says. When the cycle of showing appreciation for your nursing staff leads to better care, that leads to a better reputation and word-of-mouth reviews for your business (refer back to point #1 above).

• Happy nurses lead to better recruiting opportunities.With referrals being such a large part of the nursing industry, a nurse who is happy with her job is likely to encourage friends or recent nursing school graduates to apply at the same facility. “The best way to get referrals from your current caregivers is through an employee referral program,” Aaron Marcum, CEO and Founder of Home Care Pulse, says. “This will incentivize your caregivers to refer their friends and help you recruit the best caregivers.” When analyzing caregiver recruitment sources and methods, Marcum found that the most common method is referrals, stating 21.6 percent of referrals come from employees through employee referral programs.To ensure you are meeting the mark in providing a pleasant work experience that is worth promoting–just ask. “Ask what they would love you to do differently to reduce frustrations and improve work conditions,” CEO and Founder of Purposeful Culture Group S. Chris Edmonds says. “Ask them what they would love you to begin doing that would make them appreciate working there even more.” Aiken understands the stress that often accompanies the responsibilities of a nurse. So she encourages faculty and staff to participate in weekly yoga sessions and daily group walks. This results in positive internal marketing for your team and better recruiting outcomes.

Amy Osmond CookNurses do so much to further healthcare. By ensuring ideal job conditions and showing appreciation for your nursing staff, you can retain valued employees while encouraging healthy business growth.