One of the most dumb ass and frustrating things that can happen to you when interacting with people is be ignored. I read (you can too @ 7 Reasons Why You Should Kickstart Your Very Own Salon Blog) Connor Keppel’s blog post: “7 Reasons Why You Should Kickstart Your Very Own Salon Blog” and felt the need to comment – My brilliant comment didn’t get to see the light of day – I Was Ignored! Dafuq!
It is So frustrating because filling in those bloody comment boxes (I’ve got one just like it!) is Bullshit – If a real person takes the time and effort to comment, and comments are open, they’ve got the right to be heard. Suck on that Connor Keppel, Marketing Manager at Phorest Salon Software!
Anyway, I run a blog, I can post it here – well a new version of it because I wrote the original on the Phorest Salon Software’s website and therefore it doesn’t exist any more. I Have Rewritten It.
Firstly, I think that I had better say that I have been blogging for a long time, almost as long as blogging itself! I started my first SlashHair blog in the winter 1997-1998. And I run a number of other blogs which are about website promotion.
The main reason I wanted to comment on Connor Keppel’s blog post was because I felt it needed some ‘clarification.’ But just to say, theoretically, I did agree with most of what Connor said. There are however, some important caveats for the new, virgin, would be salon blogger.
The main issue I have with Connor’s blog post is the expectation of success he raises for the reader, which is all very well, but the reality is that people are not interacting with blogs in the same way as they did five years ago. The reason for this is simple: most blogs today don’t allow worthwhile ‘linkbacks’ to the commentator.
(Linkbacks or should I say, “Incoming Links,” are links that point To the commentator’s Website. They are very important to the commentator and represent ‘one of the main ways’ future visitors will find the commentator’s website. Incoming links from Blogs also help with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) because they are often One-Way. Meaning: they are an un-reciprocated link pointing to Your website – I could drone on for hours and hours about this subject (SEO and Website Linking), but I won’t, even though I want to!)
The reason the linkbacks are almost worthless, is because most Blogs stop the search engines from following the link (good for their SEO, bad for commentator’s). So the value of a linkback is actually determined by what you have to say in your comment that makes people want to visit your website – if you get my drift?
And the reason Blogs have stopped the search engines from following the “Commentator’s Website Link” is partly because of spam comments which are written just to get the link!
People who do not own a blog or a website (and therefore are not interested in website promotion), do read blogs, but they rarely comment!
Writing a blog, like keeping an expansive diary, is extremely difficult and time-consuming. There is an effort::reward calculation; producing high quality, well written / produced content that is informative, engaging and entertaining on a regular basis (Blog 3 times a week) is very hard. Actually, I would say that unless you are able to ‘come-up-with-the-goods’ I would not recommend writing a blog. There are other ways to engage with clients and prospective clients via the internet – and in the real world.
Poor blog content may even damage your reputation or brand!
Another way to effectively engage with people is by writing articles and post them on your own salon website. Articles can create the valued website content that you talk about Connor. As for article subjects: anything that clients frequently ask about, popular/new product information, fashion trends and style predictions, tips, tricks and important information…
BTW, people like photographs, galleries are a good idea.
Number Four: you say, “Drive more traffic to your website.” I agree, blogs can do that, but only when used in conjunction with SEO; which means: high quality relevant content and loads of incoming links!
Number Five: I say, synchronizing social media is a very dangerous thing to do, especially for hairdressers, who repeat/spam the same information everywhere, day after day. Even exciting and informative news can still look spammy when synchronized. Let’s face it, if I follow you on Facebook and Twitter, I don’t want to read the same stuff – if I do, I’ll unfollow one of your accounts! We are not helped by the social media who actively encourage synchronization, maybe as a collective act of self-promotion and togetherness?
Each social networking platform, be it Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or dare I say it, Your Website, has its own niche, an identity created by its owner for its users – Facebook isn’t Twitter isn’t Linkedin isn’t your website – the differences may seem subtle sometimes, but they are important to the individual user. Always use different content on the different social networking sites, so when people ‘click around’ they don’t read the same bollocks over and over again, because that’s boring, disengaging and a massive, massive, massive turn-off – even for the client who loves you! The true promotional value of social networking is always measured by what you have to say! Syncing will hurt you.
If you want to set up a website or blog I recommend WordPress. WordPress.org is for people who want to host the blog themselves, and WordPress.com is a free blogging platform which is easy to set up if you want to try your hand at keeping a Blog!
