How many times have you googled what restaurant to go to for dinner, saw a poor review rating, and kept scrolling to find another? Online reviews hold significant weight in the overall success of a business. Regardless of the industry, people like to know what others think of a particular business’ services and what their experience was like. When it comes to the aesthetics industry, your online reputation, reviews, and word-of-mouth referrals are crucial to the success of your clinic.
There are some guidelines companies should follow when it comes to appropriately managing online reviews – including what not to do. Continue reading this blog to learn how to manage your aesthetic practice’s online reputation and optimize your review ratings.
Don’t Ignore Negative Reviews
Negative reviews and comments on your pages are going to happen eventually. Even if your laser business offers incredible service every single time, unfortunately, there will still be the rare occasion a client gets upset and takes to the internet to voice their experience. The best way to handle negative online reviews is to: respond quickly, take the conversation offline as soon as possible, and accommodate when necessary.
An example of a good response to a negative review could be, “Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We strive to always provide the best service possible for all of our clients and would like to hear more about your experience. Please email us or send a direct message so we can help further.” A response along these lines will let the person know you’ve acknowledged their note and want to resolve the situation. It also takes the matter out of the public eye and into a private conversation so you can effectively resolve the issue.
As an aesthetic practice owner, you don’t want to publicly offer free treatments or gift cards. Think about it: If you commented back offering something discounted or free and other people can see that, you might end up getting an influx of false negative reviews because they are wanting the same accommodation.
Don’t Be Discouraged!
As we mentioned earlier, receiving negative online reviews will happen sooner or later for your aesthetic business. But don’t be discouraged! Aside from appropriately handling these situations, there are ways to increase your good ratings to help suppress the few and far between negative comments
Don’t be afraid to ask your customers to leave a review! Asking right after their laser treatment while you’re booking their next session is a perfect time. Their treatment experience is fresh on their mind and they are more likely to post a 5-star review at that time than at a later date. Additionally, think about putting a sign near your checkout or lobby area with QR codes to your Google, Facebook, Yelp, or other review sites. This allows for the client to easily visit your respective review sites and leave that fabulous 5-star rating. Another time we’ve seen great success with getting stellar reviews is adding a request within the patient’s follow-up email or text. You’re already following up with your clientele after their appointments with post-treatment instructions, so why not add a line asking them to connect with your laser business on social media and leave a review about their experience?
Don’t be Shy to Spread the Good News
Positive word of mouth and glowing online reviews are extremely important and beneficial to the success of your aesthetic practice. Sharing happy client testimonials on your website and social media pages not only shows your online audience that you have happy customers but also encourages other loyal clients to do the same! In addition to sharing before and after photos and videos of your laser practice’s work, client testimonials are an integral piece of a successful marketing strategy.
When your aesthetic laser business receives a positive review or feedback from a client, don’t be shy to share that good word with the world. It shows your practice provides excellent service and that you’re proud of your work.
And while you most likely won’t receive dozens of negative reviews or poor feedback online, following these best practices for reputation management is important. Always respond, accommodate when necessary, and share the good word when you can.
If you’re looking to expand your aesthetic practice or open a laser business, contact Astanza today. As the leading provider of laser technology, service, training, and marketing support, Astanza is here to guide you every step of the way.
