How to make the most of twitter

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No matter how hard you try, there’s no avoiding Twitter, says Laura Glazebrook of LWPR. You can stay logged out, ignore the push notifications and even delete the app but it will find a way to sneak back into your life. News channels have a constant stream of it, radio shows use it to interact with listeners – even the Queen used it for the first time last year. Twitter has 316 million monthly active users with ‘about a billion’ registered users. There’s no denying it, people use Twitter. But how can you use it in your salon to make a real difference to your business, employees and clients? The key with Twitter is to understand its boundaries and restrictions. The pace of Twitter and the speed that tweets are posted into user’s newsfeed is so fast that even the most recognisable brands get lost in the Twittersphere. Twitter differs from Facebook and Instagram in that it’s near to impossible to work out the reach of an individual tweet or how many of your followers have read a single message. So the best advice I can give is to keep tweeting! Consistency is key with Twitter as that’s where you will build up followers and increase the reach of your account. Tweet your clients, your stylists, people in the industry, journalists and PR’s to start building a network of followers. Twitter is a great place to find new inspiration, suss out what’s happening in the industry and follow industry events in real time. The Twitter buzz that surrounds major industry events is incredible, and to join in those conversations can be extremely beneficial to your brand. A great way to do this is to follow event hashtags on your Twitter feed to follow events in real time. Get your salon’s name out there and retweet, favourite or reply to messages. Don’t be afraid to tweet people or respond to tweets – it goes back to the SOCIAL element of social media! My basic top tips for a strong Twitter account are:

• choose a catchy and relevant Twitter handle,
• make sure your twitter handle is easy to spell and relates to your salon name
• have your logo as your profile picture

Start your steps into the world of twitter by following all the trade magazines, hair journalists and top hairdressing brands. Once you’ve recognised key players in the industry and formed an initial foundation, you can start to optimise your Twitter profile for client use. Depending on your target market, Twitter may or may not be a relevant digital communication tool to use. However if you find that your clients are avid Twitter users, tweet them before and after their appointments, tweet them inspirations for their next visit and be sure to keep a friendly but professional relationship with them. Twitter is a fantastic customer service platform – which can be both beneficial and detrimental to your brand. The most important thing in a negative situation is to stay professional and get the conversation offline. This might be through tweeting the complainant your salon number or direct message the user to steer the conversation away from a public forum. My last piece of advice is to integrate all your social media accounts. Ensure you are posting the same message and images across all your profiles to improve the reach of your posts. This will keep your brand messages constant, enable you to build a strong brand identity online and become more recognisable on social media platforms – something which is extremely difficult to achieve!