<div><p>It was not too long ago that doctors and dentists did not put any time, effort or resources into marketing.&nbsp;&nbsp; In fact, I clearly remember many doctors telling me that they strictly relied on word of mouth for new patients... but that was before the Internet Age.</p><p>You can still get business from word of mouth but, in nearly all cases, that...</p></div><div><p>It was not too long ago that doctors and dentists did not put any time, effort or resources into marketing.&nbsp;&nbsp; In fact, I clearly remember many doctors telling me that they strictly relied on word of mouth for new patients... but that was before the Internet Age.</p><p>You can still get business from word of mouth but, in nearly all cases, that now comes with some easy-to-find third-party validation.&nbsp; This is one of the reason a staggering majority of people say they use Internet review sites.&nbsp; Review sites such as RateMDs.com, Healthgrades.com, Google.com, Yahoo.com, Vitals.com and Yelp.com are&nbsp; the first place most people go for independent verification or reliable third-party verification on a doctor or dentist.&nbsp; These days, a perfectly good referral from a trusted friend might start with word of mouth but get derailed by a total stranger&rsquo;s online reviews.&nbsp; Online reviews are also word of mouth but they carry additional weight because they are published... and they are there for all to see.</p><p>Even in 2012, the old axiom still rings true about something being in print.&nbsp; We used to say, &ldquo;I read it in the paper; it must be true.&rdquo;&nbsp; Of course, being in print was no guarantee of accuracy but we had an editorial system in place to assure accuracy in news and clearly mark editorial or opinions.&nbsp;&nbsp; Internet review sites blow past all that and fast-track publishing with out any fact-checking.&nbsp; So, if someone... anyone... wants to give you a negative review, the damage can be done and with no recourse on your end.</p><p>So, what is the only way to play defense?&nbsp; Play the same game, only do it with your best positive reviews.&nbsp; Take control of the situation by prioritizing finding those reviews and assuring they are all published in the places that do you the most good.&nbsp; You cannot stop what others will do but you can control what you will do.&nbsp; So, the only safe thing to do is take a leadership role when it comes to building your own online reputation.</p><p>This is exactly how the Dog Star Media Online Review Manager Program works.&nbsp; In the end, all you need to do is talk to patients to get those positive reviews.&nbsp; We will do the rest.&nbsp;&nbsp; Through the end of June, we are waiving all start-up fees for our Online Review Manager and we have two affordable program levels from which you can choose.&nbsp; Why not take control of your online reviews today by contacting me at <a href="http://dogstarmedia.com/index.php?option=com_contactenhanced&amp;view=contact&amp;id=1&amp;content_title=ZDcyZmM4NWU5M2IzZWNjYmFiMTRmYTk3ODc2YzM1MTRUR0YwWlhOMElHSnNiMmNnWlc1MGNtbGxjdz09&amp;content_url=ZDcyZmM4NWU5M2IzZWNjYmFiMTRmYTk3ODc2YzM1MTRhSFIwY0RvdkwyUnZaM04wWVhKdFpXUnBZUzVqYjIwdllteHZaeTlzWVhSbGMzUXVhSFJ0YkQ5bWIzSnRZWFE5Wm1WbFpDWjBlWEJsUFhKemN3PT0=&amp;encodedrecipient=7fa72b6b5f412f526f71e480bb777c86&amp;tmpl=component&amp;" class="ce-modal mailto2ce" rel="{handler: 'iframe', size: {x:800, y:480}} nofollow">donald@dogstarmedia.com</a> about this program?&nbsp;</p></div><p><strong>Read more</strong>&nbsp;<a class="rssreadon" rel="external" title="The New “Word of Mouth”" href="http://dogstarmedia.com/blog/entry/the-new-word-of-mouth.html">http://dogstarmedia.com/blog/entry/the-new-word-of-mouth.html</a></p>
