The salon industry is ever-growing and it’s getting more and more challenging to stand out from your competition. We’ve discussed social media marketing tips and ways to attract new clients to you salon.
In this post, we’re going to focus on the impact that online reviews and referrals can have on your salon business.
For starters, anytime you can organically get your brand and likeness in front of new eyes is great for new leads. With paid advertising and sponsored ads taking over everyone’s social media feeds, it’s getting tougher for customers to believe what they’re seeing.
However, if they see a friend or acquaintance recommend a local store or service, it goes a long way towards getting them in the door.
So, how do you go about getting reviews and referrals? Let’s break down some simple tactics.
Getting Online Reviews For Your Salon
To start, you need a place where people can leave a review. Whether that’s a Facebook Business page, a personal social media account people can tag, or a Google My Business page, it needs to be easy to find and easy to complete.
You can’t expect a customer to go on a treasure hunt to find an obscure link or account. With all the distractions in our face, they will give up in an instant.
And going back to Google My Business (GMB), every salon owner should ensure that their business is listed. The benefits of having your business on GMB are huge. It allows your business to be listed anytime someone in your area searches for “salons near me”, “haircuts”, “nail salon”, or whatever other service they might be looking for.
While Facebook or Instagram might always be the top place to interact with your customers, GMB is a great tool for finding those new clients who are searching for your service. If you need help creating your GMB profile, check out this helpful blog from WordStream.
Once you have a spot for your customers to leave a review, the next step is actually convincing them to do so. For some of your loyal customers, it can be as simple as asking them politely.
Unfortunately for some clients, you might have to come up with an incentive. Whether you offer a free service, discount, or sample of a product, try to give them an offer they can’t refuse.
And you don’t have to break the bank to do so. Remember, you are only asking them to take less than 5 minutes out of their day to write some kind words. They just need a little nudge to ensure it’s worth their precious time.
What If I Get A Bad Review?
Bad reviews are bound to happen, but it’s not the end of the world. The first thing you should do is look at the review, remember the client, and determine if what they’re saying is what actually happened.
If it is and their complaint has merit, respond professionally by apologizing and possibly offering a way to make things right.
If their claim is bogus, you should still respond professionally. Why not just ignore it? Because so many customers read reviews and if they see you are addressing customer concerns, it will help your reputation.
Good reviews can help expand your clientele and build your business, but bad reviews can do some serious damage as well. That’s why it is important to respond to every review – good or bad.
Starting A Referral Program
Referrals can be even more powerful than positive reviews. Going back to our statement about people not trusting paid and sponsored ads, more and more customers rely on the recommendations of friends and family.
Your loyal customers can be your best marketing tool if you approach it the right way. Your customers essentially can become your personal brand ambassadors or influencers.
There are a number of tools such as Referral Factory or InviteBox that can streamline your referral process. However, you can always decide to keep it simple and just use word-of-mouth.
Business cards with your phone number, social links, and other important information are a must. Besides that, make it clear to your current customers that you’re starting a referral program and what the incentives are (free service or product, discount, etc.).
Summary
Owning a salon gives you the freedom to take advantage of all these tactics. If you’re looking to make the move from a traditional salon to a salon studio, reach out to our management team or schedule a tour today!
