Are you taking full advantage of all the FREE social networking opportunities available to your salon? What does social networking have to do with doing hair, nails, tanning, etc?
If you're reading this right now, chances are you've got an email address. And if you've got an email address, then you've got access to some of the best FREE local advertising ever- very little experience required! Lack of computer knowledge is no excuse anymore, because heaven knows there are plenty of people without a single clue what they're talking about, making money using Facebook, Twitter, etc.
The best way to start advertising your salon using social networking is via Facebook. You must have a Facebook account- if you're like most people, you already have one; now all you've got to do is set up a separate page for your salon. Use the info page to put down the name, phone #, physical address, hours, etc of your salon. Then, upload a good profile picture that represents your salon. A good source for your profile picture is your business card. If you don't have a nice, professionally designed business card, BusinessCardsThatWork.com is a great place to get one. They have some amazing designs and good prices.)
Once you've got your Salon's FB page all set up, it's time to invite people. Send an invitation to everyone on your list to "Like" your salon FB page. Most folks want to support local businesses, and it doesn't cost them any time or money to "Like" anything on FB- so you're guaranteed exposure. And if you know them personally, they are likely to suggest to THEIR friends to like your salon. If your employees are on FB, you might invite them to become co-admins of the page.
After that, it's up to you to maintain your salon FB page. No, it's not hard, only takes a few minutes a week, and is totally worth your time. Do 2 things: From your SALON page, once a week, like on a Saturday, do a status update- something simple like "It's a great day to update your 'do at (insert name here) Salon! We're open till 7pm tonight!" Every one who "Liked" your page will see this status in their news feed. Don't forget to do updates for sales, specials, etc.
From your own profile page, once a week or so, update your status to something like "Headed to work at (insert name with link to salon FB page here) Salon... come tan with us!" Or, as a stylist friend of mine likes to say on her FB posts, "Got my coffee and headed out the door to *** salon... come see me and get your hair did!" You'd be amazed the responses she gets.
Twitter is also a good tool for advertising, but will require more attention and time on your part.
