Client Reviews are Free Salon Marketing
Salon marketing can be expensive and time consuming for independent stylists unless you do it right. Believe it or not, the two most effective marketing tools are free: social media and client reviews — combine the two, and you’ve got marketing gold.
Reviews boost your credibility and increase bookings. In fact, 88% of people trust online reviews and won’t make a purchase (or booking) without them. Put yourself in your client’s shoes. Would you roll the dice on a stylist? No. If you were considering booking with a new professional and you read a glowing review would book? Absolutely.
How to Get Clients to Leave a Review
But how do you get people to leave reviews and how do you make sure potential clients see them? Online booking and appointment scheduling apps like StyleSeat make it easy to collect reviews and share them straight to Facebook.
- After each appointment, clients get a thank you email promoting them to leave a review.
- Reviews are automatically posted to your booking page for potential clients to read.
- And, next to each review, you’ll see a “Share to Facebook” button so you can share your rockstar reviews with followers.
Why Facebook?
Facebook continues to roll out features that help clients find and connect with businesses — if you want to attract new clients, building a Facebook presence is a no-brainer for your salon marketing strategy.
- When fans engage with your page, their friends and family will see your post pop up in their news feed. That’s free exposure to potential clients.
- Not only is it free, but it’s also marketing to the right people. Getting your business in front of people who are already connected and have things in common with your existing loyal clientele will increase your chances of attracting the right clients.
- Advertising your business across multiple platforms gives potential clients even more opportunities to discover your services and booking page.
- A well developed social presence will improve your ranking on Google and other search engines. If you aren’t familiar with this concept — basically, Google decides how credible your website is based on the quality of your content and how many other credible sites link back to yours. The more credible you are, the higher you will appear in the search results page. (Check out this article for more info)
- Your competition is already on Facebook. Clients are scrolling past photos of their work every day. Do you want to miss out?
When you use StyleSeat to share your reviews to Facebook, each post will include a link back to your booking page — the fewer steps clients have to take, the more likely they’ll be to push that book button.
Clients today are conditioned to expect convenience and simplicity. They can order anything they need at any time of day. Most people scroll through Facebook after work — imagine this: they come across an awesome photo of your work, they click through your profile, they read an amazing review and they find out they can book an appointment on the spot.
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask in Person
- Most of the stylists we speak to about getting reviews consistently say, if your client liked her service and you ask nicely, she will be more than happy to do it!
- The most effective way to capture a review is to ask your clients in person. They’re in the chair, they just hung out with you for an hour or more and you made them feel great. JUST ASK! That’s the BEST TIME. Let’s be honest, it’s easier to ignore your email than an in-person request.
- Bring up reviews early on in the appointment so it is fresh in their mind. Remind them that your goal is to make them feel amazing and you’re going to do everything in your power to earn a five-star review from them.
- Appointment management apps like StyleSeat make it easy for clients to pay and leave a review after each service (just like uber). If clients are logged into their account, they go to “My Appointments”, click on their appointment with you, and leave a star rating and written review. These reviews are posted directly to your profile for all potential clients to see.
Ask via Email
- Identify past clients who never reviewed you and send them a personal email with instructions.
- Make it easy – send sample content that they can edit or tweak as they wish.
- If you miss your chance to ask for a review in person, StyleSeat automatically sends clients an email that prompts them to leave a review after the appointment.
- Don’t try to offer incentives or gifts to get reviews, it’s a turnoff to clients. However, after a loyal client leaves a review, feel free to show them your appreciation with an upgraded service.
Not signed up for StyleSeat yet? Learn more here.
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