Himanshu PatelLet’s accept some facts:
- Nearly nine out of ten consumers read reviews before making a purchase.
- 62% of consumers say they will not buy from brands that censor online reviews.
- Three in four shoppers say they trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
It’s clear enough. For consumer-facing businesses, the online reviews published on their website, Google, Yelp, or Facebook play a significant role in convincing new users- who are looking to use the services. It’s no exception for salon users looking for the right salon for the next haircut, relaxing spa, or nail art. Before booking an appointment at the salon, people like to listen to the opinion and experiences of the existing users.
The reviews are of both types- negative and positive. They play an incredible role in building the salon’s credibility and reputation, which ultimately drive success. However, earning a 5-star rating and positive reviews is not that easy. Don’t fret. It’s not impossible. You can receive positive and genuine reviews that take your business to new heights.
Here are a couple of tips to get 5-star reviews that can help your salon attract maximum customers.
- Deliver quality service that customers value
The quality service attracts customers to the salon. If you don’t meet the expectations, they leave negative reviews, and you will lose the customer forever. What’s more? You even start losing new customers because of the negative reviews.
You must have the best professionals at the salon who are good at delivering the best services and making the customers happy. Paying heed to customer service is imperative to make the customers feel that they are valuable to the salon. When customers leave the salon, they pave the way for success with good reviews and an improved online reputation.
- Don’t compel, only ask for the reviews
Simply asking for the reviews won’t work. In the beginning, it’s essential to check customer satisfaction level, and then, you can ask them for providing feedback. However, striking the iron when it’s hots brings the best results. The best time to ask for a review is- when the customer comes up front and expresses delight in the quality service.
When the salon professionals get personal for knowing the quality of service, it makes the customer feel appreciated. They happily write the review on the platform you say.
- Make ‘providing a review’ process- a cakewalk!
The small salons with an optimal number of customers can manage to get personal and ask for reviews. It’s not feasible for salons to have a large number of customers to approach every customer. Even if the professionals manage to ask for a review, the customers either forget or find it tedious to leave a review.
The best solution is to send the customers a link where they leave a review without much ado. You can make the process of leaving a review- a breeze by sending a request on the messenger apps with a link to the platform say Facebook, or Yelp.
- The images create a wonderful impact
An image is worth thousands of words. The photo of the quality service speaks a ton to other people about the services offered at the salon. Saying the photos as real-life proof of the service won’t be an overstatement at all. For instance, the reviews about the haircut, nail art, or makeup add appeal if it’s uploaded along with photos.
You can take photos of the services offered to the customers and send them photos along with a link to leave a review. It delights the customer and makes the reviews impactful too.
- Convincingly answer the negative reviews
Often, the salons won’t answer the negative reviews that leave a bad impression on the existing customer and other people looking at those reviews. It’s a bad practice. Instead, the salon pros should answer all the reviews, and they can even convince the customer who left a bad review.
Read more: How to Set Up an Ecommerce Loyalty Program to Improve Retention
You can do it in various ways like- accepting the mistake, inviting the customer again, and assuring him of the best service for free. This conversation is listened to by all the customers on online platforms, which leaves a positive impression about your salon and the outstanding customer service you deliver.
- Publish salon reviews on all the platforms if possible
Presently, people won’t search the salon services only on Google, Yelp, or Facebook platforms. They are searching for the best salon service providers on review websites too. Don’t forget to publish reviews on Foursquare, Google My Business, Trustpilot, and Tripadvisor platforms, which improve brand awareness, brand credibility, and reputation. The positive reviews with photos work as icing on the cake that you should give a try.
- Never reward the customers for the reviews they provide
The incentivization to encourage the customers to leave a review is also famous in the B2C landscape. But, you should not try this for salon services. The reason is- the review platforms consider the rewards for reviews as a bribe, and your business is penalized for the same. It’s considered a bribe, so you should avoid it.
Also, apart from the guidelines set by online review websites, if your customers get to know that the salon is paying for the reviews, it won’t take much time to get this thing in public. It hurts the trust that people place in your salon. You can gamify the reviews incentivization if you want to appreciate the reviews provided by the customers, you can send them a small gift or a gift card as a token of appreciation.
- A big no to publishing fake reviews
Many times, the salons recently started won’t have enough reviews on the platform to publish. That’s where they attempt to ask family members, friends, or professionals to leave a review. But these opinions are biased and sometimes exaggerated, which is identified by the customers.
The fake reviews are generally positive and sound general. It even doesn’t create any positive impact on the customers. Keep one thing in mind- the fake reviews leave a bad impression about your services, which’s counted as fake. Be strict with fake reviews as they can harm the salon’s reputation.
Summing it up
Online reviews are essential, especially five-star reviews, to earn new customers, credibility, and a good reputation. But winning 5-star reviews is tricky. Our technical maestro’s experience of working with salons to help them earn 5-star reviews via salon app development would bring plenty of tips for you. The salon business from small to large can leverage these tactics to delight the customers with improved service quality, an easy review process, and a convincing response to feedback.
Have you tried any new tactic other than the aforementioned tactics that helped you in earning a 5-star review? If so, feel free to share with us in the comments below.
Both types of reviews- negative and positive play an incredible role in building the salon’s credibility and reputation. However, earning a 5-star rating and positive reviews is not that easy. It requires salons to employ a couple of tactics, which are mentioned in the blog. Read and implement them.
