The Scandal of Reviews – What You Need to Know

Online reviews are all the buzz in dental marketing today.  However, will the relevancy of reviews still hold power a year from now?

I just watched an undercover investigation report about fake online reviews on the Today show.  The investigation focused on hotels and resorts that are being scrutinized for fake reviews or misleading website advertising.

One of my favorites sites (until now), Trip Advisor, was also mentioned.  The investigators interviewed a gentleman who said he was paid to post phony good or bad reviews about various hotels or resorts. Further, some advertising agencies were also facilitating fake reviews as a service.  What does this mean for the future / relevancy of online reviews?

Although the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is to regulate reviews and prosecute those for false ratings, it’s evident the issue of fake reviews is growing rampant.

So what has this got to do with dental or healthcare provider reviews?  The dental industry has followed many other industries (such as travel, book, or restaurant) review marketing trends. However with more information revealing how trickery is behind many online reviews, will the power of all online reviews be deflated?

In the end, what we can all certainly rely on is the recommendation of a trusted friend.  Perhaps this is what Facebook already knows… The only real reviews, recommendations and “likes” we will be able to trust in the future will be those of our trusted friends. It all comes back to good old word of mouth—whether in person or online it is only our network of real friends, and real Facebook friends, that we may be able to ultimately trust.