ASK THE experts

I’d love to be able to score Five-star online reviews for my salon – how do I go about this?

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Nine out of 10 consumers say that online reviews play a role in discovering local businesses (Podium, 2021). More often than not, it is consumers who have had a positive experience that are most likely to leave a review.

Says Zamaine Ismail, MD at West and Hunter: “Since launching, we’ve found that online reviews give the public assurance that our salon is respectable and reliable. We’ve also found that positive reviews can also boost your salon’s visibility in search engine results, increasing your salons potential reach.

“The reviews we hope to see mention the professionalism of our staff, and the quality of service our clients received. Many of our positive reviews mention the overall atmosphere of the salon, and touch on details such as ambience, music and the overall vibe of the environment.”

Ismail notes that while creating an enjoyable experience for your customers is certainly a great way to help achieve positive online reviews for your salon, the most important factor will be the outcome of the service they booked in for. He continues: “Clients should feel that they got the results they were looking for and state it in the review. The worst reviews express unfulfilled expectations and unexpected outcomes, so ensuring you are able to communicate clearly with your clients is essential. Conducting client consultations is a great way to establish a clear communication with clients, new or old.”

As Ismail points out, there may be occasions where your salon receives negative online reviews, and while some of these may be just, this isn’t always the case. There is a risk that clients, competitors or the general public may leave false reviews, so it’s important to monitor your salon’s online reviews.

“A key aspect of monitoring your online reviews, and your online presence in general, includes responding to customers,” he states. “Whether positive or negative, responding to reviews shows that your business values its clients and appreciates the time they have taken to share feedback. Always be respectful of the client’s perspective, even if you disagree with their feedback. A well-crafted response can demonstrate your business’ commitment to client satisfaction and could potentially attract new clients who appreciate the salon’s dedication to customer service.”

Top tips

While you can encourage or incentivise clients to leave positive reviews, you cannot force them to do so.

Make the process simple – clients are more likely to leave a review if they can easily find the review platform and navigate the review process.

After a new client has visited the salon, we send a personalised follow-up email or text message thanking them for their business and asking them to leave a review and tell us about their experience. We include URLs or links to make it easy for them.

Salons can differentiate themselves by offering unique services which make people want to review them and talk about it online.

Source: https://www.hji.co.uk/latest/how-to-score-fivestar-online-reviews-for-your-salon/