Pulse January / February 2019 | Page 51

ICTURE THIS: you’re contem- plating where to go for drinks and apps this Friday for your weekly happy hour. Bored with the same rotation of pubs and restaurants, you grab your phone and quickly search “top 10 restaurants with drink and app specials near me.” Immediately, you have a list of dining options, each with several recent reviews from happy (and not so happy) customers. After a few minutes scanning the data in front of you, you confidently narrow down your choices and happily report to your friends that you’ve discovered a new restaurant to add to the mix. Online reviews are an incredibly powerful marketing tool for restaurants, sure, but also for spas. Reviews on Google Maps and Yelp can make or break a spa, particularly if your clientele is largely from out-of-town. And just as a good review can be a tremendous boon to your brand, so too can a negative review be a black mark on your record that drives away business. With the right tools, though, you can amplify the good reviews, mitigate the bad and use online reviews to benefit your spa’s exposure. January/February 2019 ■ PULSE 49