The marketing team here at Phorest are regularly asked the following question by salon owners and managers: ‘Why  bother having a Twitter account if we already have a salon Facebook page?’.
Facebook and Twitter may be in the same family but they have two very different personalities.
Facebook is meant to be a more passive social platform whereas Twitter is a much more active form of social communication.
On Twitter, people discuss what they care about and what’s happening around them right now (including your business). The best thing about Twitter is that you can also dip in and out of conversations with people or businesses not following your account.
Salon Facebook posts have longevity whilst Twitter is more immediate.
Although it may be great to have long-lasting results from your salon Facebook posts, the instant engagement that Twitter provides is one of the main reasons to be on social media to begin with.
Did you know that 92% of Twitter interactivity happens in the first hour of the post being published, whereas Facebook post engagement can go for days?
Think of it this way:
Twitter = real-time conversation (like talking to a friend over coffee)
Facebook = each status update is like sending an email – some will read it straight away, others may no see it for 2 days
Fan bases are quite different between Facebook & Twitter.
Did you ever wonder why your salon Facebook posts only ever reach a fraction of your fan base? Well, that is because the Facebook algorithm is designed to only allow you to access approximately 16% of your followers.  In reality, that percentage is more like 3-6%. This is mainly so business pages don’t take up too much space on people’s news feeds, unless they are willing to pay for advertising.
In this area, however, Twitter is different. With Twitter, you have the opportunity to reach a much bigger portion of your followers.
Hashtags
You have probably heard or seen these before, right? But Twitter is where they really come in handy. You see, Facebook does not allow all of your posts to be seen by all of your fans, unless you use Facebook ads (Click here for more on that). This means that only the people who follow your salon page can see what you’re saying. But what about those who have never heard of you (i.e. all those potential clients)?
Well, this is where hashtags come in handy! By just ‘hashtagging’ key statements on Twitter (e.g. #HairHour), you are entering your statement into already ongoing conversations. This helps bring your brand to a larger fanbase!
With Twitter, people have the chance to follow specific topics, people, brands and conversations that are relevant or interesting to them. This means that another type of active client base could be congregating as we speak… Maybe you should be there!
Plus, on Twitter, you can follow your clients. You can’t do that from your salon Facebook business page!
Why not just search for #salonselfie on Twitter and compliment some people on their new treatments and styles?
Bottom Line:
Twitter keeps people updated on the here and now. Topics and trending conversations are constantly changing. Truthfully, Twitter is less about social connections and more about staying informed. In light of this, it’s easy to see how your business can benefit from using both social media tools to engage your audience as well as build your fan base.
It can be tough to get started. But how about this? Why not set up your account and drop us a tweet right now? You’ll have it up and running in no time. Just click right here to register.
And, for more tips & tricks, simply download our Salon Owner’s Guide To Twitter!
Chris Brennan is our Social Media & Content Marketing Executive at Phorest Salon Software. For any and all help in this area, why not drop him a quick email at marketing@phorest.com. Let’s Grow!
