Online reviews are everywhere and gaining in popularity as the main source of decision-making when choosing a beauty professional. Did you know that more than 70% of consumers trust online reviews as much as recommendations from their peers? Don’t miss out on any opportunity to maximize your online persona, presence and reputation!

Responding to reviews

Sites like Yelp! and Facebook allow just about anyone to voice complaints about businesses, but these sites are also avenues for your raving fans to get the word about your assets. You may find yourself inclined to respond to only the negative reviews that have caught your attention, but responding to all reviews – positive or negative will show your prospective clients, that you are engaged in your business, that you care about your clients’ experiences, and that you have the professionalism and diplomacy to handle difficult situations.

Negative Reviews

You may find yourself crushed one day by a terrible public review. Resist the urge to act emotionally or to become aggravated by the negative review, no matter how wacky it is. Keep your responses short and to the point, list the ways that you may have already tried to remedy the situation and/or offer a solution. Your potential clients are smart, and they, like you, can spot an agitated and unreliable reviewer when they see one. It’s likely that they read your response too; if your response shows that you know how to handle yourself in a tough situation and remain calm and professional, you gain back your credibility.

Of course there are going to be times where you receive a negative review that is deserved, and this is an entirely separate issue. Usually a comment such as this will suffice:

“Thank you for bringing this issue to my attention. I am so sorry to have heard of this experience. I can assure you this is not the way we normally do business and I have spoken to my employee regarding this issue. I will be contacting you personally with a possible solution. Again, my sincere apologies.”

Positive Reviews

Positive reviews are, of course, more fun both to read and response to. “Thank you for your kind review, Jane. I’m so happy you loved your service! I used your recipe tip, as well. You’re the best! See you next month.”

It’s always nice to let clients see you’re a real person and get to taste your personality.

Remember, you want to be the person who is willing to accept criticism and to find a solution for issues faced by your clients.