It is actually very difficult to run these contests because so many users have their profiles blocked so businesses cannot see their information. Also, you are not going to run a successful contest unless you already have a decent following. In my opinion, the best option for getting more likes on Facebook is to start with promoting your page to your clients — on your website, cards, etc. Make sure you also get your friends and family to like you. Take photos of the nails you do and tell the client you will post them on Facebook (don’t tag them in it). Once you get a few followers, you can start “boosting” posts. Choose to boost them to your fans plus their friends. They will see your post in their feed and hopefully you will start seeing more likes. Then when you boost another post, you’ll have an exponentially larger audience. Make sure you are boosting something that includes a picture — people love to see nail art, new polish lines, etc. You don’t have to spend a ton of money — just $20-$30 per boost — and you can boost one post a week or every 10 days or so, then less often as you reach more followers.
My salon has seen great results with Facebook reaching potential new clients and also nurturing relationships with current clients. We have clients come in all the time asking for specific nail art or a color they saw on our Facebook page. After being open only three months, we had over 200 fans (95% local).
— Sally Parks, Plum Natural Nail Spa (www.plumspaaustin.com), Austin, Texas