Does a review matter? In short, yes, client reviews do matter. With most consumers checking reviews before booking with a new salon, testimonials can be one of your biggest PMU marketing tools. Let others who love your work tell the story of what you were able to do for them!
What Is a Client Testimonial?
A client testimonial is when a former client writes about their experience with you, like the quality of service they received from you, for instance. They are testifying to the quality of your work and how satisfied they were with their treatment and service. You may have testimonials already in thank you cards from past clients. You can also ask clients if they are willing to submit a testimonial to you after their treatment – either written or in short video form.
Even more valuable, ask that they post the testimonial on Google, Facebook, Style Seat or any of the places where your clients find you. If you’re reposting photos and testimonials, ask for permission and get the client to sign a release form before posting these on your website or social media.
Why You Should Care About Reviews
Put yourself in the shoes of a first-time client for a moment. She is curious about the possibility of permanent makeup, but wants to know what potential results will look like and what options are available for her. More than half of consumers read at least four reviews before they make a purchase decision. This means that quality and quantity of reviews are both equally important.
Glowing testimonials that attest to your skill, style, and comforting manner go a long way towards convincing potential clients that they are in good hands with you.
Testimonials Win Clients
If we put ourselves in our clients’ shoes, it’s easy to see that it’s often not easy to make a decision on where to book their permanent makeup service.
With so many options at their fingertips, your clients need more information to make the best decision. Your potential clients want to see what ordinary people, like themselves, have to say about you. It’s word of mouth that feels authentic and relatable and can ultimately make or break whether a client books or not. Testimonials help potential clients choose you.
How To Increase Client Testimonials
1. Create Your Website and Social Media Page: Have a website where people can read and leave their ratings and comments about their service with you. For example, Google or Facebook business pages are where most clients check first, so you might want to have at least one, if not both, of these.
2. Show off Your Work: PMU and microblading are art forms. Show off your artistry with lots of watermarked before and after photos or videos. Seeing examples of how incredible you have made others look will boost their confidence in you.
3. Ask for a Review: Yes, it can be uncomfortable. But if you want to consistently receive good reviews, you need to ask (and maybe even remind) your clients to leave one. Don’t be embarrassed or shy about it. It’s part of growing your business. Give a brief explanation of why you want their testimonial.
In an unapologetic, confident, but not-pushy way, say something like, “Your results look wonderful, and I’m so glad you’re happy with them, too. It would help me out a lot if you left a review on Google.” Clients who love the work you do will be more than happy to help. Make it easy on them and provide them with a link where they can leave the review.
Follow up a couple of weeks later with a reminder and the link to leave their testimonial. Be careful not to be too pushy or persistent. That might have the opposite effect, such as a dishonest or poor review (or no review at all).
4. Make Testimonials Easy: You want it to be easy on you and your users to see and leave reviews. Having a QR code in your salon, sending a message after the appointment, or reminding them via email a few weeks after they’ve healed – All are ways that you can make it easy for a client to leave a review. You can copy and paste reviews from your Google business page onto your website, or use interactive plug-ins right on your site.
Third-party services make the process easy on you, but the drawback is that you have less control over the reviews. You might want to stick with a form that gives you more control in weeding out fake reviews.
***Bonus-A “Never-Do:” Never attempt to influence what someone writes about you or offer a gift for leaving you a review. It’s against the rules on many sites, can work against you if it seems suspicious and won’t give you honest feedback.***
Client Testimonials are Your Key for Growth
So, if you have been stuck wondering how to get more PMU clients, look no further than the new-age “word-of-mouth” advertising known as the online client testimonial.
Client ratings and testimonials showcase the quality of your work and provide a glimpse into the entire PMU or microblading experience. Even if you have a gallery of your work, reviews will help your audience understand other elements of the customer experience, such as your personality and the vibe of your salon. Additionally, seeing that someone else had the same need, booked with you, and had a great experience allows potential clients to see that you are real and reliable.
Infographic
Does your PMU business have a testimonial section on your page or website? If not yet, then you should consider getting reviews and testimonials from your former client. This is a great marketing tool that can win over clients for your PMU business. Learn about this and more in this infographic.
