Hit a link and hit the jackpot? Well, maybe. No one knows for sure about the jackpot part. But one Southern Arizona salon is betting it will boost business by increasing relationships and referrals using social media.

Gadabout SalonSpas has jumped into the Facebook and Twitter communities to enhance its top strategy for attracting new clients—word of mouth marketing. Starting this year, Gadabout has attracted 1,950+ Twitter followers and 450+ Facebook fans and a dedicated company blog readership.

It figures. As Megan Davis, marketing director at Gadabout, points out, today’s social media platforms fit right into the classic relationship Gadabout clients have with their hairdresser.

“Typically, you don’t think about the actual haircut. You think of the connection you have with the hairdresser.”

Driven by the Internet, that connection is now stronger than ever.

“For our business, the strongest form of advertising is still word-of-mouth,” Davis said. “Our social media efforts are an extension of our guests speaking with one another, yet we can monitor it and drive more conversations.”

Her marketing team started implementing campaigns using social media this year to keep their Southern Arizona salon offerings in their potential and current customers’ minds.

“We started thinking about Twitter because we were fearful to create a Facebook page that showed all our friends’ status updates,” Davis said. “We wanted to get involved with some sort of word-of-mouth or social media marketing, but didn’t know which would be best.”

Davis said she is happy with the mix of platforms Gadabout has developed.

“We think of the beauty and salon industry as a relationship industry,” she said. “Social media has given us the opportunity to strengthen and deepen our relationships, and at times create new ones.”

Davis said the staff decided their goals for social marketing are based on creating a presence that represents the brand and builds relationships.

“Gadabout isn’t just your salon. We want it to be a part of your lifestyle,” she said.

The salon staff enjoys having guests turn to them for inspiration or to answer questions about health, wellness and fashion. Davis said maintaining a strong presence on Twitter and Facebook allows them to do that more effectively.

“We define the return on investment by the conversations we create,” she said. “How many comments did you get on that post? How many retweets did you get?”

Since social media is still seen as a new tool to some people, Davis has taken a new role as an educator and coach for the medium.

“When people have questioned our company’s dedication to social media, such as including our Facebook address in traditional advertisements or promoting our Twitter account on the radio, I usually set up a time to meet and educate them,” she said.

More businesses are exploring social media use as the medium expands. For businesses looking to jump in, Davis suggests educating employees about how to best use the medium to support current marketing and relationship-building efforts.

“Get everyone on board and excited because they can help reach more customers in cyberspace and educate them about what your business is doing.”

For more information on Gadabout’s use of social media, e-mail Megan at megan@gadabout.com or follow Gadabout on Twitter at @GadaboutSalons.

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Sam Brace is a public relations and social media manager for The Caliber Group, a Tucson-based brand marketing and public relations firm. For more information on how you can effectively use social media for your business, e-mail him at sbrace@calibergroup.com or follow The Caliber Group on Twitter at @CaliberGroup.

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