Table of contents
Salon owners, like all small business owners, know the importance of social proof in marketing. No matter how eloquently you speak on your own behalf in your marketing copy, what your customers say about you means so much more.
Customer feedback can be an invaluable form of social proof. It can show local search engine users that yours is a name that they can trust with their hair. It gets the indecisive off the fence and shows them that not only will you make them look amazing, but you’ll also ensure that they get the star treatment when they walk through your salon doors.
We see firsthand the impact that customer reviews have on our business clients with Square Feedback. But did you know that you can now integrate your Google business account with Square? This powerhouse combination can make your reviews more visible. Here, we’ll look at how to cultivate this feedback and use it to fuel your salon’s growth.
How great hairdresser reviews on Google can benefit your business
You and your team put a great deal of care and effort into your salon’s client experience. As such, it gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling when you see that a valued client has taken the time to leave a positive review on Google.
But while positive affirmation for you and your team is a worthy goal, Google hair salon reviews can do so much more for your business.
Positive salon reviews can lead to a substantial increase in new clients, making your salon more visible online and potentially positioning you ahead of competitors in search results. What’s more, when clients make a booking after seeing a positive review, they are more likely to come back. According to research by The Salon App, salons that request Google reviews receive around 17% new clients, that’s around 10% more than salons that do not. What’s more, 50% of these come back to revisit, while 85% of new clients do not revisit when salons do not solicit Google reviews.
When you earn (and reward) their loyalty, clients are statistically more likely to spend more, try new products and recommend you to their friends, family and colleagues.
Research from Motista shows that customers who have an emotional relationship with a brand have a 306% higher customer lifetime value, and 71% would recommend the brand to others.
Positive reviews can play a huge part in building the trust and excitement that form the beginnings of that emotional connection with your brand.
Incentivising reviews for your hair salon
As you can see, Google reviews are good for business. But how do you incentivise customers to leave good reviews? The kind that generates new business and sews the seeds of great client relationships?
Of course, delivering outstanding service is the most important incentive. Delivering not only technical mastery but also ample personality and charm can help clients feel a personal connection with you and want to leave reviews to help you grow your business. Nonetheless, there are other ways you can make it more appealing for clients to leave a review, including:
- Offering a discount on their next appointment
- Offering a discount on any products they order on-site or through your online store
- Providing them with extra loyalty points and bonuses
- Explaining how customer reviews help you and your business
- Sending a personalised voice note or short video thanking the client for their custom and asking them if they could spare a few minutes to write a review for you on Google
Of course, it makes sense to target customers who you feel have enjoyed an excellent salon experience when incentivising customer reviews. But that’s not to say that negative reviews spell doom for your business. They provide an opportunity to respond to complaints in a timely manner and work towards a resolution in a public forum, showing prospective clients how well you treat those who may not have had the perfect experience in your salon.
Turning great salon reviews into business growth
As we’ve seen, positive salon reviews can be a great way to bring new clients through your doors and keep them coming back. But it behoves salon owners to have a clear strategy in place to ensure that they capitalise on the momentum gained from reviews in order to fuel business growth.
Salon owners and their teams should establish key metrics for business growth, including:
- How many bookings the salon receives from new clients
- How many clients re-book before they leave the salon
- The percentage of clients that also buy retail products
- Average spend
Quantifying and tracking these KPIs will allow you to measure your growth and set ambitious but achievable targets for your team, incentivising your team to be at their best while growing your reputation and your revenues.
How we can help
Square can help with so much more than receiving secure cashless payments at great rates. We can also make it easier for users to manage their Google presence from their Square dashboard. With Google business profile integrations, Square users can manage multiple store locations on Google search and Google Maps, meaning they can manage their salon reviews, retail product reviews and financial KPIs in the same place.
So, what are you waiting for? Set up your free Square account right now to start generating quality Google reviews and using them to fuel growth for your salon!
