Reviews are the lifeblood of the salon industry. They help to boost your profile, inspire other customers to book appointments and can also help to deliver much-needed feedback to help update working practices.

While reviews might be incredibly helpful for your salon, they’re not always easy to get. It takes work and strategy to generate new reviews for your salon. You want your reviews to be regular and recent, as this can help to build trust for potential new clients.

This is why gathering reviews ideally needs to be an ongoing task. In this guide, we’re looking at some of the most common methods salon owners will use to gather reviews and boost their reputation. We’re also looking at some of the best practice etiquette when gathering reviews to help you to make the most of them.

Pick your platforms

It’s important to take control of the platforms where users can leave reviews. This will allow you to make sure the information is up to date and will also allow you to respond to these reviews in an official capacity. And if you are hit with a series of spam reviews, you’ll be better positioned to appeal to the platform provider to have them removed.

Work it into your post-sales talk

After an appointment but before the customer leaves the salon, make sure you mention that they have the option to leave a review. Highlight how helpful this is for your salon and how much you would appreciate knowing their thoughts on your service. There is no other way to slice it; when a customer leaves you a review, they are doing you a favour, so make sure you let them know how much you appreciate it.

Put signs around your salon

Signage in your salon with a QR code link to the platform of your choice will allow you to capitalise on that post-salon boost of goodwill. Right after their appointment, your customer will be glowing with appreciation for your work. By having signage in your salon encouraging them to leave a review, you can hopefully capture their attention when they are still very excited about your services.

Make the most of technology

One of the simplest ways to drive more reviews is by following up using email or text message after the appointment. This will allow you to leave it a few days and then ask for an honest review to help let other customers know about your services. People love to be asked for their opinion and they love to think that their opinion is valued by others. You can capitalise on this by reaching customers at the right time with a request for a review.

Offer an incentive

If you are struggling to get reviews, you could offer an incentive to leave one. It’s important that this isn’t seen as a bribe to help get positive reviews that haven’t been earned. You could offer customers 10% off their next appointment if they leave a review as part of your salon loyalty scheme. Give them a minimum character limit so that they will have to write something more informative for their review.

Display reviews on your website

Having a place for reviews on your website will help to encourage individuals to leave one after their own appointment. People like to feel like an insider, and making it clear that your customers typically leave a review will help to reinforce this message. Reading another review can also help people who are struggling with the content of their review to find inspiration. 

Share your best reviews on social media

Sharing your favourite reviews on social media is an excellent way to show your appreciation for the effort it takes to leave a review. This provides the social proof that customers need to see that leaving a review after their appointment is common practice. It also shows your appreciation for the customers that have already left a review and lets them feel helpful.

Etiquette for gathering reviews

When gathering reviews, there are a few best practice things to consider, along with some simple etiquette.

• As mentioned above, gathering reviews should be an ongoing, automated activity. If you only ask for reviews in short bursts, it can make your efforts look inconsistent and this might make your reviews look fake to potential customers.
• You should take the time to respond to every review; good or bad. Responding to the good reviews makes it clear that you genuinely appreciate the feedback. And responding to the bad reviews shows that you take complaints seriously. This can help to balance the presence of bad reviews and make them seem less severe to potential customers.
• Ask within 2 weeks of seeing the customer. If you leave it any longer, you run the risk of the customer losing enthusiasm for your service. With a haircut or spa treatment, the golden period will be within a few days of the treatment, when the memory is still fresh.
• Don’t annoy customers with requests for reviews. You can send one email request, but don’t pester customers after this point. If you share reviews on social media, you can add a request for recent customers to share their own thoughts, as this is general and not directed.
• Have a system in place for dealing with negative feedback. When asking for reviews, it’s important to be able to respond to constructive criticism. When something goes wrong, you need to be willing to look at the situation impartially and examine your role in the events that led up to the bad review. Sometimes things are outside of your control, and this can be explained publicly to the customer, but if you are genuinely in the wrong, it’s vital to think about ways you can take this feedback on board and make changes.

Key takeaway

Gathering more positive reviews is one of the most effective ways to build trust, attract new clients and stand out in a competitive market. With the right tools, you can automate this process and make it easy for happy customers to share their experience.

Ready to start collecting more reviews and growing your reputation? Try a demo of Salon Iris today and discover how easy it is to boost your profile and keep your appointment book full.