Nails Magazine

Career Handbook 2014

Magazine for the professional nail industry.

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>>> When Someone Steals Your Images You're on another tech's website and you see that she is claiming your nail art design as her own. We asked a veteran of the image wars — nail tech Maggie Franklin of Art of Nailz in Visalia, Calif. — for some advice. 1. First, report the infringement to the appropriate authorities. Facebook makes this process easy. Even if it's not Facebook you're dealing with, you should still be able to find the appropriate contact information for the website/host/server to report the problem to. A simple, polite letter asking the offender to take down the image may suffice. 2. Second, gripe about it loudly on every social networking site you participate in. OK, maybe "gripe" isn't the right word, and announcing the violation won't necessarily fix the situation. But it will make you feel better. It will earn you some sympathetic words from friends and colleagues. It will also make friends and colleagues aware of the problem and who was responsible for the theft, which can help them avoid similar problems. 3. Third, watermark everything! If it's a photo you don't want someone to usurp, make sure your name is on it in a way that can't be cropped out. Remember, not everyone who uses your photo online is actually stealing it. They might just be trying to remember the design or the photo. They might just want to share it with others. The entire point of Pinterest, for example, is to save photos and share them, so make sure your name is on everything because you never know where your photos will end up. Online reviews are the new word of mouth, with sites like Yelp and Angie's List at clients' fingertips. But what if a client says something bad? Brent Franson, vice president of sales at Reputation.com, assured us that most bad reviews are fixable, and, believe it or not, even helpful to your Internet reputation. 1. Don't ignore bad reviews. It's important to respond to negative feedback because, whether it's on- or off-line, no one likes to be ignored. According to Franson, the typical bad review comes from a client who's not irate, but not happy. The general sentiment is: "I didn't like the way I was treated, so I went somewhere else." It's best to resolve this type of issue with a public response, which is both an attempt to reconcile and a demonstration that your salon doesn't overlook customer dissatisfaction. Address the comment promptly without arguing. 2. Face difficult customers privately. It's a tricky situation to navigate when a very angry customer posts a mean-spirited review. In these cases, Franson advises responding privately. If it turns into a longer conversation, you don't want unnecessary negativity on your profile. Often these issues are solvable, and solving them quickly decreases the chance of the problem spiraling out of control. 3. Keep tabs on what's being said. If you're monitoring your online presence, you'll see the bad reviews soon after they are posted. This gives you the control to put out small fires before they turn into one big forest fire, so to speak. NAILS BY MAGGIE FRANKLIN 4. A negative review or two isn't a terrible thing. Online reputation should be an honest representation of your business. Therefore, it's important for clients leaving reviews to be candid and not falsely hyperbolic. As well, people become suspicious if your profile seems too good to be true. Franson says the best average star rating is not 5 out of 5, but 4.5 out of 5. You want to focus on the percentages — 100% positive or negative is bad. 5. Encourage clients to review. The more reviews the better! Casually mention Yelp and other review sites, and put up social media signage in the salon mentioning your Twitter and Instagram handle to expand your online presence further. 48 | NAILS CAREER HANDBOOK 2014 NAILS BY VIC PIRES NAILS BY KERLISHA MUNROE Bad Online Reviews how to survive…

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