Getting the most out of facebook

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A successful Facebook page needs to be regularly updated with interesting posts, says Laura Glazebrook of LWPR. Many of our clients ask for help and advice on their Facebook page, particularly how to generate engagement and use their account to push their business forward. An essential piece of advice and something that we tell salons time and time again is to not be afraid of posting. Many salons are wary of using Facebook as the possibility of negative comments or bad reviews puts them off. At LWPR we see Facebook as a great platform to communicate to your clients and enhance your brand image. With that in mind here are some fantastic ways to boost your Facebook engagement but also a few pointers that we would avoid. Here’s our top dos and don’ts! DO!

• Post regularly: Facebook is cleverer than you think! If you are posting relevant content frequently then the site recognises your page as an active user and is much more likely to widen the reach of your posts.
• Add a call to action: Get your clients and fans involved by asking questions and appearing interactive in your posts.
• Brand your images: Pop your brand’s logo on images so if and when people share your posts, your brand name doesn’t get lost.
• Be informal: Perfect spelling, grammar and no swearing are all a given on social media! But ensure that your posts are fun and personable. Blur the lines between the real and virtual world to connect with your followers on a personal level. how-to’s, before and after’s and sharing stylist news is a great way to do this.
• Follow other pages: Start to Like, comment and share posts from other businesses. Interact with local businesses, brands, other salons, hairdressers and trade magazines to increase your network of contacts and industry links.
• Make the most of Facebook’s apps: Use the built-in promotional tools to widen your reach. Boosting posts and creating Facebook ads are a great way of doing this to ensure you’re targeting the right demographic. There are various apps that let clients book appointments through Facebook and you can display opening times and store details.

DON’T!

• Delete negative comments: although the last thing any salon wants is a negative review on your Facebook page, deleting comments or ignoring them can make the situation worse and anger the person who has left the message. We would suggest leaving an email or phone number for them to ring and solve the problem offline.
• Treat Facebook as a sales platform: keep content light hearted and social. Generally speaking, your Facebook fans are likely to already be clients of yours. So encourage conversations and news from the salon rather than constantly promoting your products or actively using it as a boardroom for your latest sales pitch.
• Over post: One a day is enough to keep people engaged and interested in your content. People don’t like to see their newsfeed spammed with messages from the same page so keep it regular but sociable. If you’ve got a lot to say, spread it out over a longer period of time or write one larger post using several images.
• Ignore spelling and grammar: It’s surprising how many people pick up on this online and how the wrong grammar or punctuation of a sentence can completely change the meaning of it! It also looks very unprofessional so our top tip is to write Facebook content in Microsoft Word first – then you’ve got spell checker to help you out!

  Use these tips as basis for running your Facebook page. They are definitely not the be all and end all of running a successful salon page but they’re a good start! Familiarise yourself with the page, understand the differences between a personal profile and a business page. The more you use the page and engage with your clients the easier it will become to think of new ideas and generate a strong loyal following.