The countdown to the holidays is a gift in the making, allowing salons to dramatically increase the number of followers on Facebook, drive up client engagement and gain much more awareness of their important in-salon offers during the holidays. And these rewards last well into 2013, according to digital marketing specialist Valorie Reavis.

Setting up an advent calendar of offers and tips for the season that must be ‘unlocked’ each day by a fan is a perfect opportunity to get clients engaging directly with a salon’s Facebook page and will cement relationships with clients. 

"The holiday rush is here and we are about to be flooded with deals, which represents one of many opportunities to get clients engaging with you on Facebook and spreading the word about what you have to offer," says Reavis, founder of salon and spa online marketing agency, Linkup Marketing. "Rather than battling it out in the newsfeed, where it’s never guaranteed that clients will see your posts, it is far more effective in the long-run to give them incentives to come back to your page and engage with your offers."

Over the past few weeks, Linkup has been working closely with its salon and spa clients to create bespoke Facebook advent calendars in time for the first of December. Each campaign involves a calendar of offers and tips for the season that must be ‘unlocked’ each day by a fan, getting clients engaging directly with each salon’s Facebook page and cementing relationships. Offers include:

• Sweepstakes for a holiday makeover

• Weekly 'gift' giveaways

• Group deal – offer an awe-inspiring deal that requires a minimum signup on the page before you'll give it away.  Think group deals with more profitability!

• Share and save – reward people for sharing your page with friends.

• 2-for-1 Deal – signup for a deal and get it at a discount when you bring a friend with you.

• Ugly holiday contest – post a picture of the most hideous ornament, decoration or sweater you can find and the picture with the most votes wins.

"There is a lot of goodwill around at the moment, and a clever salon can buy into that by setting up a campaign on its Facebook page that allows it to capture Facebook activity," adds Reavis. "You’ve probably already come up with some promotions for the holiday season – why not make it a Facebook offer? You’ll get far more out of the promotional offer than more sales, you’ll also likely get more fans, more brand awareness and a much more active page that will carry you into 2013.’