It´s easy to Twitter your way into people´s lives. Just give them a reason to follow you and they will, both online and in the salon, said the expert hair twitterers we interviewed. It´s just 140 short words, called tweets, which tell others what you are doing. And as mundane as that sounds, its´ a powerful marketing tool, says Sherry McDonald, owner of hair-sugar.com, an online hair extensions boutique. “You can really start a one-on-one conversation with your customers. The more that follow you, the more you have a chance to spread your message and build your brand. As a small business owner, it has been the single most rewarding marketing tool I´ve used - I´m overwhelmed with the response I´m getting — and it´s free!”
WHAT IS TWITTER?
Twitter (www.twitter.com) is growing by leaps and bounds: Since Twitter´s launch in August 2006, the service has exploded and counted nearly 4.43 million unique visitors in December 2008, a 752 percent increase over this time last year, according to Compete.com. But WHY is it so compelling? “Twitter is the quickest, most interactive of the social media networking tools,” says McDonald who uses it to drive traffic to her blog and customers to her site. “You can share pictures, blog posts, newsletters, facts, news, opinions…right as its happening!” The key is to give your followers some-thing they are interested in. And, our experts agree, it´s a two-way street: You have to participate in what your followers are saying to really get the full effect and benefit from their knowledge and contacts too.
WHY TWITTER?
“It´s the fastest way to build your brand among people you´re trying to attract,” says McDonald. “The new element of personalization is what makes Twitter so great and brands that use twitter should take that into mind.” Alex Garcia, owner of Emerson Salon in Seattle, WA explains, “Twitter is a venue for customers to directly engage the stylist or salon. They can ask questions, get feedback and it is all so fast!”
Our hair twitterers agree that they´ve all made positive connections on Twitter that have shown up in blog or newsletter subscriptions and subsequently sales. “I track my blog subscriptions to my followers and I´ve found 80% of subscribers to my blog came from Twitter! I´ve definitely noticed an increase in blog traffic and customers because of my presence on Twitter,” says McDonald.
The benefits of using Twitter can go far beyond just building your client or customer base. “The biggest benefit I´ve gotten out of Twitter is that I also attract followers with adjacent business models to mine that I would have never found otherwise. I´ve gained a lot of connections I can cross-vend with like suppliers, wholesalers, writers, salon owners, and stylists,” explains Karen Shelton, owner of hairboutique.com.
HOW TO WORK TWITTER
Follow beauty and fashion bloggers that have their finger on the pulse of our in-dustry while building a community of clients, suppliers, local businesses, other hairstylists, and salons. “Don´t be afraid to have a conversation with a follower — that´s what Twitter is all about!” says Garcia, who has also noticed increases in his salon´s blog traffic from Twitter. For her followers, Rhonda Coop-Piraino, owner of Rhonda Piraino Haircolor & Design in Dallas, Texas says, “a great thing for a salon to do on a slow afternoon if they know their clients are Twitter followers, is to put out a Twitter-only discount to fill up the appointment book for just that day. It works in real time!” she exclaims.
And experts in social media agree that Twitter is definitely the best new traffic driver for blogs. “But if people follow you from a tweet to your blog, it better be interesting once they get there,” advises long-time hair twitterer, Karen Shelton. Blogs are such a great value-added for customers who get information or enter-tainment from them that it also drives sales to your website. But Piraino cautions, “Twitter in itself is NOT an aggressive sales tool, it´s a passive one, and people who use it to sell, sell, sell are making a big mistake. It´s the quickest way to get un-followed”!
Follow me on Twitter! http://twitter.com/naomimannino.
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