As a hairstylist, you must always think about your marketing and promotional efforts. Now more than ever, it’s important to find new ways to bring in new clients, and maintain relationships with established clients. Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Flickr, and publishing platforms like WordPress, Blogger, and Posterous, can really work wonders for you and your business by giving you maximum exposure with minimal budget!
Make social media work for you!
Over the next few weeks we will be sharing some valuable tips on how to make social media work for you! While most of you are probably familiar with Facebook, there are other social networking sites that can truly help you grow your business, expand your social network, and keep you on top of the latest trends in the industry.
In this post, I will be covering two major social networking sites (Twitter and Facebook) and one interactive publishing platform (Blogs). Make sure to check back next as we will be covering YouTube, LinkedIn, and Flickr.
Twitter is the best way to discover what's new in your world..
Twitter is the best way to share and discover what is happening right now, anywhere in the world. Twitter is a micro blogging and social networking platform where you can post your thoughts (tweets) in 140 characters or less (think of it as a constant stream of Facebook status updates). Tweets, which are displayed on user’s profile page, are publicly visible by default; however, senders can restrict message delivery to just their followers. Users may subscribe to other users’ tweets – this is known as following and subscribers are known as followers or tweeps (Twitter + peeps).
While some people use it as a way to express their thoughts about the things they encounter on a daily basis, savvy business people understand that it is a powerful tool that can be a great way to network with other people in their industry, meet potential clients, and inform themselves of the latest industry news/trends.
In January 2011, Facebook reach 600 million users..
Facebook is by far, the largest, and most popular social networking platform. Users may create a personal profile, add other users as friends, exchange messages, and post notifications whenever they update their profile. Additionally, users may join common interest user groups, organized by workplace, school, or college, or other characteristics.
As a hairstylist you can use Facebook to post information about your services, share photos, hold promotions and competitions, keep in touch with established clients, and even gain new ones!
Blogs
Blogs can and WILL change your business!
A blog is a type of website that is usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Most blogs are interactive, allowing visitors to leave comments and even message each other via widgets on the blogs. The fact that you can interact and comment on blogs is what distinguishes them from other static websites. Most blogs offer commentary or news on a particular subject, while others function more as personal online dairies. A typical blog combines text, images, links to other blogs, and other media related to its topic. Blogs are mainly comprised of text, however there are increasingly more that focus on photography, art, music, and video.
Blogging is another way you can use social networking to market yourself and your business. While Blogging takes more effort than Twitter or Facebook, many hairstylists find that it is well worth the effort. By having your own publishing platform, you will be able to upload your own photos and videos, share knowledge, tips, and tricks, build trust and confidence with your readers, and establish yourself as a hairstyling expert! The content placed on blogs can also be used to populate your Twitter and Facebook account!
If you think it’s too early to start thinking about your social media presence, think again! It’s never too early to establish yourself on these social networks. If you haven’t already, get started today! Start your own blog (WordPress, Blogger, and Posterous are all excellent blogging platforms), and open up a profile on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Flickr, and any other social networking sites that are of interest for you! (No you don’t have to open up accounts on all of these sites! Choose the ones that are best for YOU!)
Jump on the social media bandwagon!
Make sure to visit “The Cuts” next week, as we discover YouTube, LinkedIn, and Flickr, and go into depth about how to use these social networking sites to benefit you, your business, and your network!
Stay fabulous!!
THE CUTS 