If your studio does not already have the best online reputation in your market you have to read this article. For our studio there were 2 distinct periods of time, the time before we had the best online reputation in our marketplace and the time after. The difference was clear, after we accomplish that there were more calls, and walk-ins to the studio.
Having the Best Online Reputation Means Revenue
Before the Internet, a business's reputation were in the form of 1 person to 1 person referrals. They only lasted as long as the individual person to person interaction. There was no permanent record of that individual recommendation. Now that we have the peer to peer network via the Internet and social media, reputation has become what is widely agreed upon as the single most influential type of content that local businesses like Pilates studios can use to influence business growth.
It's a Win Win for Success
It's what I like to call a 2Fer!
- Reviews help consumers be successful.
- Reviews help businesses be more successful too, because they help attract more customers.
2 facts about online reviews
Your online reputation is the social proof that tells potential clients that you can be trusted, more so than your lower rates competitors. Reviews are influential because they help consumers ensure a desirable outcome for themselves. By the same token when a business manages their reputation to be the best one in the marketplace it also ensures a desirable outcome for itself. That success comes in the form of more clients and more revenue, business growth and success. That totally makes since because business owners and their clients are human beings. And human beings are motivated toward experiencing the most desirable outcomes.
The simple truth is that reputation is important because it gives potential clients what they need to choose your studio over a competitor’s. Now the question is how do you manage to build and sustain the best reputation in the marketplace?
Using Your Online Reputation to Win Is Simple
Winning at anything worth winning is always the result of the actions that you take. When your actions are more effective than those of your competitors, you win.
Here are a 2 facts regarding building online reputations
- The way to get more reviews is to ask for reviews.
- Business’s that don't have reviews or only have bad reviews are not asking their customers for feedback and reviews.
If your studio does not proactively ask for feedback and reviews and you do not have a clearly dominant online reputation, here are some ideas to get you started building your online reputation now.
4 Approaches to building your online reputation.
Super Simple
Place a short request for feedback and the link to a review location in the footer of every transactional email. (Payment receipts come appointment reminders, scheduling confirmations, email newsletters etc )
Simple
Ask your clients at check out if you can text or email them a link to an online review location. Then send it!
Less Simple - More Effective
- Set up a multi touch follow up email series that goes out a few hours after a client's latest visit that asks them for review and gives them up to 3 locations to do so. This approach is good because it can be put on autopilot.
- Reward Check ins and then follow up those that check in with a request for a review on whatever platform they used to check in.
Complex - Most Effective
- Build or buy a system where your clients sign in upon arrival then automatically:
- Texts and emails X hours later with a request for feedback.
- Automatically tries several times before giving up.
- Stops asking for feedback once they interact with a request.
- Sends negative feedback to a customer service email address to be managed appropriately.
- Sends positive feedback to an opportunity for pasting what they wrote into an online review location of their choice!
- Automatically add them to your email list.
To Summarize:
- Your online reputation is important because potential clients care about it
- Building the best online reputation is probably the easiest way to increase revenue for your Pilates studio.
- Getting reviews can be as easy as simply asking for them!
- Or best ever a complex and automated process that puts building and managing the best reputation in your market on autopilot.
Here's a Challenge:
- Hand select 5 of your best clients every week and put it on your calendar to ask them for a review.
- Be sure to make it easy for them by giving them the links to where you need to review.
PRO TIP:
Pre-write the e-mail template in your point-of-sale or CRM system so that all you have to do is choose it and send it to your 5 clients every week!
Need help? Grab Our Review Request Email Templates Here.
We’d love to hear about your success so post your results back here in a comment!