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SEARCHLast-minute openings in your appointment book are inevitable, but these days filling them can mean the difference between being able to pay all of your bills and, well, not being able to. Thankfully, up-to-the-minute social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook are starting to hit their stride, just in time for you to take advantage of the marketing capabilities they have to offer.
Last-minute openings in your appointment book are inevitable, but these days filling them can mean the difference between being able to pay all of your bills and, well, not being able to. Thankfully, up-to-the-minute social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook are starting to hit their stride, just in time for you to take advantage of the marketing capabilities they have to offer.
“I was looking for inexpensive ways to market in a tight economy, and Twitter was free,” says Karen New, owner of Spa Touch in Orlando, Fla. She created a Twitter page for her salon, asked her clients to “follow” her page (many clients will already have their own Twitter pages created for personal use, so simply let them know to add your salon to their list of users whose updates they regularly follow), and started using it to post short messages to her clients.
New post messages like, “I’ve had cancellations today and would like to fill these times!”“Today 2-6 p.m. half price pedicures (reg. $45) Call now!” and “It’s Friday and it’s time for Nail Polish Happy Hour. Come on in 5-7 p.m.” It’s like a virtual intercom, but more effective because your clients will be able to peruse your updates from the convenience of their computers or smart phones and immediately call your salon for those discounted manicures. New says it’s helped her fill appointment slots, increased traffic to her salon website, increased calls from potential clients inquiring about services, and reminds current clients about scheduled events.
Facebook is another free website with similar capabilities. (Some salon owners opt to use both sites to reach a larger audience rather than choosing just one. In this case, an organizational website like TweetDeck comes in handy for updating multiple social networking sites at the same time.) Krème de la Krème Nail Lounge in Long Beach, Calif., posts open appointment times regularly on its Facebook page. One night earlier this month, the salon posted the message, “We still have lots of openings this weekend...darn overcast weather!” at 9:06 p.m. and, at 9:07 p.m., a client responded that she wanted a mani/pedi appointment for Sunday. How’s that for filling those empty slots?
— Sree Roy
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