Fact is though… many of you just don’t get it! Maybe you think it’s too difficult. Or maybe you’re just too busy being a hairdresser or a beauty therapist along with the other “time sucking” challenges of being a Salon Owner.

So first up, let me tell you what you’re missing out on by not setting up your own Salon Blog.

The more you “talk” to your clients the better the relationship you will have and the more money you will make. It’s true… those Salons that continue to communicate with their clients will make more money!

So, what can you talk about.

Well… I just spent 10 minutes searching the internet and and I found a hairdresser in Washington USA who that has set up a Blog, separate from their Salon website (which by the way is pretty ordinary).

What has she got on this blog? One of the things is that she has a weekly article that shows “Last Week’s Interesting Hair”. She puts up a before and after photo, straight from her digital camera (so there’s no special photography) of how her salon has transformed someone’s “bad hair” into a great looking healthy, modern hair style.

It might highlight colour, a particular cut or how they fixed badly damaged hair.

So they post the article and photo’s to the salon blog and invite people to comment. Many people actually leave comments, it creates discussion, and I bet that it gets people into the Salon to have the same thing done to their hair.

A perfect strategy! Create some interest, communicate with their clients and make money for the Salon with more business.

Also on the blog are articles like “What happened to formal hair?”, “Hair colour trends”, “Hair Straightener Test”, “So You Want To Be A Hair Model”… all items of interest that attract a lot of discussion on the salon blog.

This is a pretty basic looking blog, regularly updated by the salon owner.

Now you do need to have a little bit of skill to set this sort of thing up… but it can be quickly learned, can be inexpensive if you do it yourself, and can be simply started and maintained.

Here’s where the power of the internet comes in!

Just because it’s a blog and setup with blog software, the articles and content are quickly spread around the internet without you really having to do that much.

In fact, I found this website using a “social media search engine” called WhosTalkin. I simply went and did a keyword search on that website and found a lot of website discussion about Salons. The search engine scans the internet and finds blog articles about that particular topic.

That’s not something that can be done by an old outdated “static website” that many Salons have. You must have a website using blogging software, much the Salon Success Website solution.

I plan to continue this topic in future articles so stay tuned. My goal is to have Salon Owners well informed on how to use the Internet for increased Salon profits.

Related Posts:

• Why You Need To Start Blogging for Increased Salon Profits
• Salon Internet Marketing – Adding Content
• Blogging For Salons – An Essential Tool
• Web 2.0 Salon Websites Unleashed
• Salon Marketing – Strategies to Promote Your Website

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Not so long ago I started to use Wordpress to build websites. And, the main reason for it was that another Internet Marketer mentioned that 98% of his websites were now being built using Wordpress. He raved about it, so I got stuck into learning about it.

It was too long after that, that I started to realize what Web 2.0 was all about. My main area of interest was how Web 2.0 could be used to make websites far more profitable. And it fitted into the Salon Success Website solution.

Here’s a simple explanation of how Salon Web 2.0 is applied. It may not be the right definition, but it’s how it relates to you.

You’d agree that great communication and interaction with your salon clients results in more salon business and more profits. Of course you do! Well Web 2.0 is a way that you can use all the strategies of communication through websites, blogging, video, audio podcasting etc, and connect with your clients through social media such as Facebook, Myspace, Youtube, Twitter and many, many others.

It’s what you need to be able to apply to build a “social” network with your clients. The other benefits is that the search engines love and reward those websites that incorporate these tools into their online marketing.

Here’s an explanation of some of the Web 2.0 applications available.

1. Social Networking

Social networking sites are sites such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace etc. With these sites, you create a profile and connect with friends, family and associates through their profiles.

You can promote your websites, promote your services or advertise your products. It’s all done in a social environment. Worried that your friends or business clients are not on these sites? Well, Facebook is growing at a rate of about 100,000 new users per day! And many of these are people that would be using your services.

These social networking sites give your products / services more exposure and help to get free traffic to your website. Keep in mind though that the primary focus on these sites is building relationships, business is second.

2. Podcasting

Podcasting is defined as an audio content, an MP3 delivered via an RSS feed presenting a downloadable streaming file. Most podcasts are downloadable and played through the Apple iPod player. These podcasts can be used for listeners to listen in to what your salon business offers, special promotions, beauty / hair tips, what sercices you provide.

3. Blogs

Weblogs, more affectionately known as blogs, are considered the next generation of websites. Blogs of Web 2.0 have the power to generate loads of traffic to their websites through the use of such things as keyword tags that relate to the content on the blog. For example if your blog was promoting beauty tips a keyword tag for the blog could be ‘anti-ageing’ or ’skincare’. These keyword tags can get picked up social bookmarking sites such as Technorati, Digg and StumbleUpon. Social bookmarking sites work by ‘bookmarking’ the tags you provide in your blog.

So, if a person were to search for a blog that specifically features a lot on ’skincare’, all they have to do is to search for it on Technorati or StumbleUpon to possibly find your blog. There are over 55 million blogs that are listed on Technorati alone.

As a Salon Owner, what should you be doing?

First up, I would make sure that your website is geared for Web 2.0. Second, I would be learning as much as you can about social marketing. You can read other social marketing articles on this website.

Related Posts:

• Blogging For Salons – An Essential Tool
• Why You Need To Start Blogging for Increased Salon Profits
• Facebook – Sshhh, Keep it a Secret!
• Salon Blogging 101
• What’s All This Fuss About Twitter?

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Social Marketing Lesson number 2.

Now I want to talk about Facebook. To many of you it’s probably something that you know your kids waste away their time with… actually… so do plenty of adults! But hey! If you want to learn how to use it then go join up and start having fun with it building a network with your friends and family.

And believe me… as a Salon owner you won’t be wasting your time.

I’ve spent the last few days building my Facebook friends list. And many of those friends are very successful business marketers who have learnt how to use Facebook to make plenty of money.

And seeing how they use Facebook is opening up my eyes to it’s true business potential!

Here’s a fact… there are over 250,000 new Facebook registrations EVERY DAY! If you’re in business, it’s time to take this thing seriously and learn how it’s being used to DO business.

Now here’s something that not many understand, nor is it explained so simply… The Golden Rule of doing business online. Here it is:

Making money online consists of 2 critical factors…

1. Traffic (visitors, eyeballs, clicks etc)
2. Conversions – action that the Traffic takes. For example, sign up to a mailing list, download a file, join a group, post a comment, order a product.

So where there’s traffic, there’s potential to make money online. Understand that and you’ll start to see the benefits of social marketing tools such as Facebook.

As Salon Owners, you also understand that business is created through relationship and reputation building. Build a great relationship with your clients and your business will grow. However, it is also important to increase the number of clients you serve. The value of relationships and having people talk about your business is huge.

That’s where Facebook comes in. It helps you in the relationship building process. Facebook is a place to make friends and have clients find you. It’s a place you can use to let your clients know what’s going on in your Salon. Facebook does require a different sort of marketing than the “old school” techniques. It’s a “social” place, a place for you to connect and be natural. It’s not a place to continually promote your stuff, spamming group discussions, messaging everyone daily, etc

So what should you do now?

You should join up with Facebook and see how it works. It’s not difficult to get started and learning how to use it. Build up your friend list, let your clients know that you’re now on Facebook. Check out groups that have been created that relate to Salons (you can easily Search). Create your own Salon group, get your Facebook friends to join the group and then start talking to them.

If you want,  go and join my Facebook Page and join as a Fan. That way you’ll get notified by Facebook of any updates to the page.

And one other thing… you don’t need to have your own Salon Website to get Facebook working for your business!

Here’s a great resource that I took advantage of when I wanted to fast track my understanding of Facebook. Facebook Payday shows you the step-by-step help you need to use Facebook and how to use it to make money in your business. It comes with some great tools so go and check it out by clicking here.

Related Posts:

• Facebook for Salons – Using The Power Of Facebook in Your Salon Marketing
• What’s All This Fuss About Twitter?
• A Salon Website That Works
• Web 2.0 Salon Websites Unleashed
• Salon Website Content? Try This Super Strategy

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I just love Google… has all the answers… well, to most things anyway!

I came across this article from Gary Bourgeault at the thealphamarketer.com titled “10 Great Strategic Benefits of Blogging“. It had some great points so let me go through them and explain them from a salon owners perspective.

1. Search Engine Marketing

Blogs give you an increased presence on major search engines, like Yahoo! and Google. It’s surprising to me that many Salon websites aren’t “optimized” for search engines in their particular market. Let’s say you have a beauty salon in the suburb of South Yarra, Melbourne.

If I go to Google and type in “Beauty Salon South Yarra” will I find your website? I’m finding many salon websites are not appearing in the search engine at all.

Here’s where the power of blogging comes in. Just yesterday I published a blog post “10 Quick Tips for Salon Website Success“. Within 24 hours that article was ranked number 1 in Google for the search term “salon website tips“. And that was out of 307,000 competing website pages that included those search words.

2. Direct Communications

Blogs allow you to speak directly, openly and honestly with your client. That’s a great point! Many Salon websites I look at are what I call “library” websites with each page full of technical stuff about their service. They rarely promote offers, or interesting information.

Blog posts (blogging articles) are ideal for that purpose.

3. Brand Building

The more information and content you provide will build your brand in your marketplace. Your client wants to know what you know! The more you directly communicate with them the more your Salon will stay in their mind.

4. Competitive Differentiation

I could just about guarantee… your competition is not using blogging as a marketing tool. Learn about it and start now and you will be dominating your market ONLINE very quickly.

5. Relational Marketing

Blogging allows you to build a personal, long lasting relationship, online, with your clients. And that leads to more money in your cash register!

6. Exploit the Niches

Most Salons provide a wide range of services and products… each one a different, unique, niche. Let’s say you start a new service eg. paramedical skin treatments. Write a keyword rich blog article, outline the benefits and I bet you will have a search engine presence within that niche within 48 hours. You might even rank number 1.

7. Media and Public Relations

Use your blog to create great content and you will soon become an authority in that niche. Who knows… the media may contact you!

8. Position You as An Expert

You got that right! You will be the ONLINE authority articulating your views and opinions and become the source of knowledge in your niche.

9. Reputation Management

You will be building a reputation online for informative discussion within your niche.

10. Low Cost

Great point… blogs are inexpensive to setup, operate and maintain.

11. It’s Easy to Blog

I know I said there were 10 points, but I always want to provide you with a little added value! You don’t need to be a computer geek to start blogging. The learning curve is small and you could do it all yourself without having to get a web firm to do it for you. Simply log on, write an article and Publish it… DONE!

All the best for 2009.

Related Posts:

• Blogging For Salons – An Essential Tool
• Content Based Salon Website… Why It Will Make You More Money!
• Salon Internet Marketing – Adding Content
• Salon Blogging 101
• Web 2.0 Salon Websites Unleashed

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On The Internet That They Don’t Want You To Know About…"

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And I’ve been thinking how this Twitter thing can help out in business and how for it not to be a major distraction.

And up to now I’ve been ignoring it!

But just the other day I got this email from Mike Filsaime… he’s a very successful Internet Marketer… someone I’ve been following for some time. You can read what he had to say here

http://www.mikefilsaime.com/blog4/?p=280

After reading that, I’m even more convinced that Twitter is going to be an essential tool for business.

So here’s what I did after reading that…

• I went and joined up to twitter at http://twitter.com
• I went and found some Twitter people to follow (you can follow me at http://twitter.com/dglendinning)
• I downloaded the Twhirl application to my computer desktop
• I then went into my Facebook (join my Facebook friends list by clicking here) and set it up to feed in my Twitter posts (if you have Facebook, just enter Twitter into the search bar and load the Twitter app)
• I then installed the Wordpress plugin “Twitter Tools” into this website so that my Twitter feed shows up in the sidebar under “Last 7 Twitter Posts”
• Then I made my first Tweet (that’s a Twitter post)
• Then I patted myself on the back for such a major accomplishment!

Did it take me long to work out how to do all that… maybe 2 hours!

Now… as a Salon Owner… what has this got to do with you!

Well, if your business is on the Internet it has a lot to do with you. It’s a very advanced method in communicating with your clients… without having to send an email, an SMS or hoping they find your website.

I did a quick search on Facebook for groups associated with Salons. There I found a Salon… just like yours… that had over 1,000 Facebook members. Imagine if you could talk to them at any time of the day right from your desktop.

What a “Tweet” that would be!

That’s what Social Marketing Web 2.0 style is all about. And if you had a Salon Success Website solution you could easily integrate that into your website.

Go and get Twitter… and at the very least follow me through Twitter.

http://twitter.com/dglendinning

Related Posts:

• Facebook – Sshhh, Keep it a Secret!
• Salon Blogging 101
• Web 2.0 Salon Websites Unleashed
• Facebook for Salons – Using The Power Of Facebook in Your Salon Marketing
• Why You Need To Start Blogging for Increased Salon Profits

Get Your FREE Book Now

"Website ‘Money Making’ Nuggets -
How Million Dollar Salons & Spas Make Money
On The Internet That They Don’t Want You To Know About…"

Download it Now