Facebook and Social Media – The Next Marketing Opportunity

Marketing as an activity is all about reaching the right customers with the right products, and the result sought is delighted customers who are more than willing to open their purses wide enough to boost your revenues. For many years, marketers stalked their target customers through various means and by trying to get their message across to spread awareness about their wares.

Traditional Means of Communication

Traditionally, marketing communications were conducted via print, broadcast and such traditional media through disruptive advertising, where advertisements appear in between the content of interest for the customer.

Traditional media does give a large reach to a marketer with its programming of mass appeal. However, the wastage is equally high, since a large portion of the audience would belong to a different segment than the one that is to be targeted by the marketer.

Enter Social Media and the Internet

The revolution stirred by the internet as a medium took place because of the fact that it is highly personalized and provides more content on-demand than any other available medium. Social sites proliferated far and wide in their usage for a few simple reasons:

The power to create and distribute content is equally available to every user, irrespective of him/her being a customer or a marketer. In the earlier forms of media, that power rested with the editorial staff of the channel or the advertiser, but hardly ever with the user. The medium is completely personalized, and a user can create or join groups and further create content based on what he/she likes. Opinions are free and fair. This is one reason why social media is of utmost concern to marketers, since buying decisions are no more influenced as much by advertisements. The traditional word-of-mouth marketing approach has grown leaps and bounds on social networks.

Facebook – At the Center of Social Media

With 500 million (and growing) unique users worldwide, Facebook is the number one social networking site in terms of activity and subscriptions. What started as a garage initiative by Mark Zuckerberg has now become the biggest phenomenon on the internet.

A user interface that allows for quick communication and the ability to create fan pages and groups at the click of a mouse button are what make Facebook extremely popular. Another important reason for its immense popularity is the wide variety of social applications that have been developed and made available within the Facebook environment.

These applications can allow users and friends to do joint activities like playing games that run endlessly, sharing photos, videos, and web links, and many more.

How does this help a marketer?

Traditionally, media plans were drawn to include television channels, publications, or any other media that can grab maximum eyeballs and effectively reach a selected target audience. The science of segmentation and targeting has become only more accurate in the case of social media.

Facebook provides a wide variety of avenues to communicate with the audience, which opens up an entirely different world of possibilities to have a fruitful dialogue with customers. Some of these methods used popularly by marketers are:

Advertising: The first opportunity, which is the most obvious one, is advertising on Facebook. The difference, however, is the fact that you can create your own advertisement in a matter of minutes and also specify the details of your target group in terms of demographics and types of discussions where you want your advertisement to appear. Fan Pages: Facebook allows every brand, as well as individual users, to create fan pages for their favorite celebrities and their own homegrown businesses. Large brands have also created their official pages on Facebook that have a huge, immediate fan following around the world. The fan page has immense utility to convey first hand information about the brand and also to collect immediate and frank feedback from your customers. Branded applications: One of the most effective ways to engage a user toward your brand is by creating an application; this could be a game or a contest, with your branding coming across subtly through it.

What makes Facebook even more exciting is the way it allows you to target your communication sharply just to the customer segment you want to attract. It also provides analytics and page insights that give good feedback and measurement on the activity done.

The options provided by Facebook can be creatively explored and used judiciously for bringing about maximum benefits to any brand.

However, while doing all this, you need to be aware of the fact that customers have an equal say and have the ability to respond immediately to any of your actions with a thumbs up or a thumbs down. Availing the service of a social media consultant to work out a social media strategy may be required so that your efforts will not be in vain.

Get more information here for the best Facebook training available: http://tinyurl.com/Action-On-Facebook

About the Author

Internet Marketing Development Practitioner

“9 Highly Effective Spa Marketing and Salon Marketing Tips!”

Spa and Salon Marketing & Advertising Strategies

Here are 9 low-cost but highly effective spa and salon marketing tips to help you boost your sales and profits fast.

Tip 1: Look for some low-cost ways you can strengthen the perceived value of your spa products or treatments. You can easily do this by adding in other treatments and products by packaging your offers. Then test raising your price. Don’t be surprised if both your sales and your profit margin go up!

Tip 2: Try to limit your customer’s decision making to either “Yes. I’ll buy.” or “No. I won’t buy.” Don’t risk losing them by including “which one” decisions. The more options you offer the client, the more likely some customers will procrastinate and never make the decision… causing you to lose a sale needlessly.

Tip 3: You can demonstrate a low cost for your salon products or hair services by breaking down the price to its lowest time increment. For example, “Enjoy all of this for less than 90 cents a day” (for something priced at $325 a year like your salon membership program).

Tip 4: Add an unanticipated bonus to every sales transaction just before completing the sale. It prevents customers from developing any last minute hesitation… and changing their minds about buying.

Tip 5: Print your best small ad on a postcard and mail it to prospects in your local targeted area. Postcards are dog cheap and easy to use. Most recipients who ignore other types of advertising will read a brief ad when it’s delivered to them via a postcard.

Tip 6: Prospects who ask questions are typically close to buying. Take advantage of this. Don’t just answer their question. Include a reason for them to buy your spa treatments as part of your answer. Then ask for the sale… or tell them exactly what to do to place their order. i.e. “We accept Visa, MasterCard, Amex or cash, which would you prefer?”

Tip 7: Collect testimonials from your clients and use them in all your spa marketing efforts. Testimonials provide grounds that your spa products or treatments deliver the results you promise. For maximum impact, use only testimonials that describe specific results the customer enjoyed.

Tip 8: Include “benefit rich” headlines on all your salon marketing material including your website! Many visitors arrive at a web page then immediately click away… unless something instantly catches their attention and keeps them from leaving. A headline accomplishes this!

Tip 9: Continually test and evaluate everything you use or do to promote your spa business and salon. Allocate 80 percent of your spa marketing budget to proven promotions. Use the other 20 percent for testing new variations. Most salon businesses using this system continue growing – even in highly competitive markets.

Bonus Tip: Handle client complaints quickly and with a positive attitude. Strive to preserve your relationship with them instead of your immediate profit from the transaction. They will reward you with repeat sales and referrals… instead of punishing you by telling everybody they know about their unhappy experience using your day spa or salon and causing you to lose future clients.

Each of these spa marketing and salon marketing tips provides a simple, low-cost way for you to boost your sales and profits quickly. All you have to do is take ACTION!

Dedicated To Multiplying Your Revenues…

About the Author

Since 1994, John Uhrig has successfully used the Internet to effectively convey and market information. Recently, John decided to create a beauty salon, day spa & salon marketing system where he shares his experience and information for proper marketing. This System can be found at: http://www.spamarketing.ca

As a business owner or anyone who works with customers, your main goal is to get customer loyalty. You want those customers to keep coming back for more. While many different places are creating cards that gives those who have them incentives to practice this, many of these places have forgotten the old fashioned things that creates this. What are some of those things?

One of those things is just how you interact with customers. Customers want to be heard. They want to know that they have your attention. They want to be able to have a wide variety of ways to get a hold of the people that they are wishing to speak to. Opening that line of communication will ensure that they have what they need to be a customer of yours.

The next thing that will give you this is by taking the time to work with customers and making it seem as though you really want to work with them. All too often people swear off companies because they feel that the person that was helping them if anyone at all helped them was rude to them. Things like answering the phone and not telling a person that you have to take that call or even not greeting them can make it seem as though you don’t want to help them or that you take them seriously.

Something else that will ensure that your customers will keep coming back is that you take into consideration what they are feeling. There are times when they might have thought the price was something else. They might have thought that coupon wasn’t expired. Sometimes, in order to keep clients you have to meet them half way.

Another thing is that you think before you speak. The tone you use and the words you use can be seen as offensive to customers. You want to approach them with a smile and a warm greeting. This makes them feel as though hey I’m welcome here. That is something that makes a person feel very nice. How could you pass this up.

There are other things as well. One of those other things is that you work with deadlines. If you set a date or tell them that something will be done by a certain date, then you keep your word. All too often now days, people don’t pay any attention to this. When you tell a customer something like this you are basically making a promise or a contract in one way or another. They trust your word and therefore, they expect it to be done.

Last of all, when it comes to good customer service, you should make sure that you own up to things. If you make a mistake, fix it. If they can’t find what they are looking for, try making it up to them. Go that extra mile. When you do, it might give you a happy customer.

These are all things that you can do to make sure that customers keep coming back. It’s the things like this that keep customers thinking that they do come first like a customer should. So, if you aren’t practicing these, then you might have so many loyal fans. It’s time to get back to what really matters.

About the Author

We have Canada’s foremost retail marketing program. With our loyalty cards we have proven customer loyalty with wonderful rewards.

I met with some clients today about helping them build and market their beauty salon. Their business has been around for almost a year and they still don’t have the traffic they would like. They have done an unbelievable amount of word-of-mouth advertising by handing out coupons and flyers. These people are fantastic! They have even partnered up with the local restaurants and other businesses to trade for advertising space on their billboard. Even though the economy is tough, they are going to continue to fight and be tougher than both the economy and their competition.

Although your business may be a little different than this client, all the principles of the VIP program will be the same across the board.

I met Roxana, Mrs. Roxy Herself, at the local wireless store. She was handing out her flyers and I instantly thought about helping her market her business. About a week later, I ran into her again and I greeted her with excitement. It was as if we had known each other for years.

I then quickly made it a point to ensure we would be able to talk again. I took a coupon and went to get a haircut. As soon as I walked in the door of her salon I began smelling opportunity in the air. With my background, experience, knowledge, and education, I knew I could help them turn their business into a thriving business.

During our discussion tonight we came up with many great ideas, which I will be implementing shortly, but first we decided to develop a VIP program for their customers. This is a great way to focus their efforts on the easiest and very best way to earn business, repeat customers and referrals.

They already worked twice as hard as their competition to earn the business, now it’s time to help them keep the business!

I told them we are going to create a VIP program not only to get those hard-earned referrals and repeat customers, but also to grab their customer’s information so they can build loads of value for their customers. I told them they to be value-driven so their customers will come back time and time again.

I learned many of the techniques I’m mentioning here from Jeffrey Gitomer. Visit our Library for more of his techniques and other resources.

Their customer’s information is like Gold simply because they will be able to keep in constant contact with them. They will be able to send them “value” letters, not necessarily “sales” letters. They will build a loyal customer base and have no choice but to expand their business.

They have a great niche. They just haven’t capitalized on it yet.

HOW TO IMPLEMENT A VIP PROGRAM IN YOUR BUSINESS

Now that we decided to implement a VIP Program, we have to determine what information is the most valuable and necessary. Below is a list of all the information you want to get from all your customers so that we can learn about them, their interests, their family, and what’s important to them. This will allow you to send “Value-Oriented” letters, postcards, flyers, emails, etc. as well as to give a personal touch and remind you about each customer before assisting them.

1) Name

2) Address

3) Phone Number

4) Email Address

5) Birth Date

6) Children’s Names and Birth Dates (optional)

7) Anniversary (optional)

Pets’ Names (optional)

9) Hobbies/Interests/Career/School (optional)

Obviously, the more information you obtain from your customers, the more ammunition you will have in your back pocket. People really like to be welcomed, recognized, and remembered when they go somewhere, especially somewhere they frequent. This makes them feel important and it’s your job as a business owner to ensure this.

If have haven’t already, purchase customer tracking software to do this for you. An example can be found at: http://www.novosolutions.com/customer-tracking-software/. Please visit the website to learn about how this software can help make your life easier and assist you in building your business.

If your customers don’t feel comfortable giving out their personal information, explain to them the importance and how it will benefit them. Say something along the lines of, “Mr. Customer, I understand this is a little out of the ordinary but you are very important to me as a customer, and I would like to get to know all my customers’ needs, wants, and interests, including yours, so you will have the very best experience each and every time you come to our store. Plus, we have great promotions and discounts for all our VIP members including, but not limited to, a discount on all our products, FREE Birthday haircuts for you and your family, coupons delivered to your house, and more!”

Make them feel like a million bucks. They will get a very warm feeling inside and will never go anywhere else again! I assure you most people will gladly sign up because everyone wants to get free stuff.

In addition to obtaining your customer’s information, you must spend a minute before assisting each of them to review the information from previous sessions. You must also spend a minute after to document the current experience and customer’s preferences for future reference. This will give you something to talk about and you will already have an idea of their needs and wants.

There are too many people for you to remember everyone’s needs, wants, preferences, every time. Don’t even try. Just spend the extra minute. It will save you loads of time and will be worth the investment. I promise.

If you live in the Salt Lake City, UT area, please visit Roxy’s Beauty Salon. It’s a great atmosphere and they do an amazing job! They most certainly have the quality you would want as well as the ability to make you feel welcome and like part of the family.

Shane Russell

President, CloakA Communications