Issue link: https://www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/78523
Which Platform? Facebook Individuals and businesses must use Facebook differently. Businesses get a page rather than a profi le, specifi cally designed for you to broadcast business information in an offi cial, public manner. Create a professional page for your business and keep your own personal profi le separate and private; don't attempt to combine the two. Make your page easier to fi nd (and to list on a business card) by giving it a unique web address. You can do this at www.facebook.com/username once your page has more than 25 "likes." Aim to post one or two updates every day. These don't all have to be original content. You can share a link to an article, picture, or video you found elsewhere that would be of interest to your clients. LinkedIn While other platforms are mainly for connecting with clients and potential clients, LinkedIn can be useful for professional business networking. Your connections on LinkedIn are people you have worked with, gone to school with, or know some other way in your professional life. Maintaining a LinkedIn profi le doesn't have to mean that you are actively looking for a new job, but it never hurts to be prepared for new business opportunities. Twitter Twitter lets you share short posts of 140 characters or less—including your Twitter username, so choose one that's as short as possible—to people who have chosen to follow you. Many businesses use Twitter for instant customer service, as well as sharing links to their blog posts or website updates, announcing new services and specials, or posting pictures of new products. Part of Twitter's charm (or its biggest hurdle, for those who don't fi nd it suited to their personality) is its extremely rapid, real-time pace. Information is shared fast here, and Twitter may require more of a time commitment than other forms of social media. You should be prepared to respond more than you talk, retweet other users' content you fi nd interesting, and follow lots of people yourself. Most of the time, if you follow someone on Twitter, they'll follow you back. But resist the urge to go for quantity over quality. Having 50 followers who are truly interested in you is much better than 50,000 who aren't. Building a loyal group of followers will take time. Follow any of your existing clients who use Twitter, the skin care or makeup brands you carry, industry organizations you support, as well as any key people within the industry that you respect. Talk to them often, retweet their content, and you will fi nd that your own follower count grows slowly, but steadily. Yelp This online review site gathers a reported 66 million average monthly unique visitors and more than 25 million local customer reviews. Anyone can post reviews or information about any company, so there's a good chance somebody has already posted a review of your business. It's free for business owners or managers to set up a listing (or claim ownership of an existing one, if it turns out your spa or salon has already been added to Yelp by other users). This will allow you to add a detailed description and photos, track how many people view your listing, receive notifi cations of new reviews, create Yelp Deals, and update items such as contact information, hours, and location. As well as helping you attract new clients, Yelp is a great tool for receiving feedback, both positive and negative. A client who had a negative experience might not be comfortable telling you directly, but will post a review on Yelp. Business owners can reply to reviews either publicly or privately. Don't be afraid of bad reviews. Your public response can show other potential clients that you are a caring, genuine person who is willing to address problem areas to provide an even better experience. The act of reaching out in this way can turn an unhappy client into a loyal one. Get connected to your peers @ www.skincareprofessionals.com 33 While there are numerous social media platforms to choose from, these four are good starting points. An increasing number of people have come to expect that any modern business can be found on Facebook and Yelp. If you can't commit much time to social media, Yelp will probably bring you the greatest value for the least amount of effort.