Get connected to social networking
Leicestershire salon chain owner, Barrie Stephen, is a great believer in harnessing the power of social media to benefit your salon.
Speak directly with customers
Sites like Facebook offer businesses the chance to communicate directly with clients and allow them to speak directly back. Having an online company presence, other than a website, opens up the door for customers and potential customers to contact a business, express their opinions, offer feedback, and see what a salon is planning. Consumers now aren't interested in big faceless companies who don't communicate with their customers, but with businesses who interact, who are interested in individuals, and who show a personal side to their operations
Get connected
Facebook is the perhaps the most widely used social media platform in the UK, with potentially thousands of people able to see your page and learn about your work. Aside from a personal profile, create a profile page for your salon director, or a group page to highlight your salon, and use it as a canvas to promote your events as well as providing links to any press coverage you've secured. This is a great way to get information into the public domain, and to show users more than they would naturally see during an appointment. Add photos from press events, team training days, launches and awards ceremonies. Include a link back to your website, or to your online booking system in order to increase hits to your site, and thereby the number of booking conversions. For an example go to www.facebook.com/barriestephen
Get Tweeting
Twitter allows users to post updates about what they're thinking, feeling or doing. Like an instant messaging system, it allows users to send news which their followers then pick up immediately. Twitter gives business owners the opportunity to disperse breaking news about the salon as soon as it happens.
There are a variety of applications to monitor posts, known as tweets, but if you want to combine notifications of both Facebook and Twitter updates, Tweetdeck is a good option. Or stay up to date on the go by using an application for your phone. Tweetie is good for iPhone and allows you stay in contact with people all day. Keep your followers right up to speed by taking photos whilst you're out at events or shoots and then upload to Twitter via Twitpic. Post links to sites you've found inspirational or amusing, or start a discussion about your salon, trends for the new season or a new promotion. http://twitter.com/barriestephen
Don't forget Flickr
Flickr is perhaps the least known social media application, but is a great image and video hosting website. It allows users to share and tag their snaps, enabling other users to then search for images related to particular topics. It's a good idea to have a Flickr account, as it can hold an unlimited amount of photos, and can be an effective platform from which to show your salons, staff, events and product launches to a new audience which may not be plugged into Facebook. www.flickr.com/photos/barriestephenhair
Make time
Social media can really work to grow a client base, but it requires time to develop and reap the benefits. Set aside time each day to update the various sites with news and photos, and comment on other people's photos and posts so you get your name out there. Reply to tweets, follow people in your area, say what's on your mind, start conversations, and be sincere - social media is all about showing people you're approachable and willing to talk and is definitely a great way of getting new customers into your salon.
Find out more about how social networking can be effectively used in the hair industry here.
