If you don’t appear near the top of the first page when a potential client searches for ‘salons near me’, your chances of ever meeting them are almost zero. We asked Ryan Power for some practical advice on how salons can jump the queue through online reviews.

Ryan Power, widely known for his unusual obsession for hummus, is also an award-winning salon mentor, podcast host, marketing nerd and, along with his wife Hollie, co-founder of ‘Salonology’. Salonology was born seven years ago and focuses on marketing, motivation and mindset for salon businesses. The goal? Help salons grow, elevate client experiences, and empower salon owners to create the life of their dreams.

“Reviews are essential. They make your business trustworthy and the search engine algorithms love ’em, but the problem is that many salons don’t make it easy enough for their clients to review them.” – Ryan Power. 

Facebook VS Google reviews

Facebook reviews look great on your salon’s Facebook page, and they’re great to have for anyone checking you out there, but they don’t really do a lot to help your salon grow. Google reviews, on the other hand, will actively contribute to your salon appearing higher in search rankings. And that, of course, leads directly to more enquiries from potential clients.

Google reviews are essential for every business owner

When you start receiving reviews on Google (especially those four and five star ones), Google will rank you higher in local searches. Then when someone uses the common term ‘salons near me’ in a search box to find someone local, you – that awesome salon with five star reviews all over the show – will be near or at the top of the results page for them. This isn’t the only thing that affects your ranking on Google, of course (there are actually over 200 little things!), but this is absolutely one of the most important.

I’m sold! Where do I start?

The first thing to do, if you haven’t already, is claim your Google My Business listing.  Secondly, you’ll need to generate your individual Google review link. With those simple steps complete, it’s time to start asking your customers for their feedback on their experience with you.

Three ways to collect Google reviews:

  1. Link to your Google review page in every email/social post/SMS you send.
  2. Send more than one follow-up SMS that asks for a review, as many clients will forget to do this the first time they see it.
  3. Tell your staff that every 5 star Google review that mentions them will result in a generous gift. Your staff will be pushing those reviews for you, as well as giving the best possible service to your clients. Win win!

How to do this in Timely

Set up two follow-up messages for the services your clients love the most, with the first follow-up message set to go out a day or so after the appointment and the next a week after that. You can also include things like aftercare instructions in this message, like this:

“We hope you’re enjoying your bronzed glow by FIRST_NAME at BUSINESS_NAME. To make it last, have short warm showers and moisturise every day. Google reviews really help our salon grow, and we would be SO grateful if you gave us one at this link: XXX”

You can also choose to only ever send this message to clients once, or even just to new clients only, so you’re not bombarding them with a review request after every appointment.

Bonus Tip: Make your Facebook and Instagram link shorter (so they can fit in one SMS) by using a link shortener tool like bit.ly. 

Help guide: How to set up automated marketing and appointment messages 

Set it up now in Timely: Click here and select ‘Follow-up’

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