How to manage online reviews to bring in new customers

According to the Hair and Beauty Industry Authority (Habia), there are more than 35,000 hair salons in the UK. When someone looks for a new salon, how do they find and choose yours? Firstly, they’ll probably ask their friends or family and then they'll turn to the internet, maybe even reading a few reviews of several salons before making their decision. A Local Consumer Review Survey says that 88% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. In fact, between 2013 and 2014 there has been an 82% increase in people reading online reviews for hair/beauty salons. There are a myriad of sites online that include salon reviews, from specialists such as Wahanda and Salonspy, to local listing and review sites such as Google My Business, Yelp and Urban Path. This is great if all your customers go home and write a glowing review of your salon and their new haircut, but research by American Express tells us that consumers are twice as likely to share a bad experience as they are to talk about a positive one. So, the question is how can you encourage positive reviews, and manage any bad ones? The first thing to do is to take control and begin to manage your online reputation. This will enable people to find you in local searches and help you build a strong reputation to attract new customers. Here are the first steps you can take: 1. Improve online listings for better visibility in local searches Google your business and make sure that all your listings on local sites contain the same, and most up to date, information for your salon. Include links to your website and social media profiles. Also, check where your competitors are listed and if you are not listed there, create a profile. In addition, it helps to post images and videos in order to increase user appeal and boost authority in search engines. 2. Get listed on Google My Business (formerly Google Places) This enables you to manage how people find your business on Google and Google Maps, as well as being listed on Google+. Customers can rate and review you here, and your star-rating will appear on your search listings once you have your first five reviews. 3. Encourage reviews and quote good ones Ask customers to leave a review at the end of your appointment. The more reviews you have, the more likely you are to be included in local searches. A tablet at reception is a great way to capture reviews and you could even email them after to ask them to share those reviews across other review sites. You can add the great reviews to your website and link to your profiles on review sites. Take before and after photos, especially when a dramatic new style was requested, and share them across your social media platforms. Images make the reviews real for people looking for a new stylist. 4. Respond to negative reviews positively Good and bad reviews redress the balance and make people believe that the good ones are likely to be genuine. When someone posts a bad review don't take it personally and address the issue promptly. Apologise and show you are taking steps to resolve the issue. Provide a calm and factual rebuttal to people who have an axe to grind and a professional and polished response will be viewed favourable by other people reading the review. Richard Harrison is the UK managing director of Reputation.com For information on managing your online reviews and reputation, visit www.reputation.com.