Your gift cards should be contributing significantly to your revenue. While there are a number of ways to encourage existing customers to buy gift cards, are you selling to an audience that goes beyond your customer base?Whether you sell paper gift certificates, plastic gift cards or (preferably) have the ability to sell your gift cards online, consider using Facebook to promote and encourage gift card sales.Facebook offers both free and paid services that you can use to promote your gift cards.Understanding the tools and how best to use Facebook can be confusing. Here's a break-down of methods to run an effective gift card campaign.

1. Use Your Cover Photo. Your cover photo is prime real-estate on your Facebook page - and it’s absolutely free. Combine the right design, message and call to action for your gift cards and use it for your cover photo.
2. Facebook ads. With this paid service you can define your target audience and budget (amongst other things). You might want to run ads during peak gift card buying seasons like Christmas, Mother's Day and Father's Day, or consider running them year round to capture birthday purchases.
3. Facebook posts. If you have a Facebook page, you certainly want to post any announcements or deals around your gift cards. Use the Boost Post service, which turns your post into a paid ad.
4. Facebook Offers, similar to ads, converts your posts into an ad with a clear "Get Offer" button for the viewer. This is a great type of ad if you sell gift cards online as it offers your customer a quick and easy method to 'get' the offer.
5. Facebook’s build your audience feature isn't directly related to promoting gift cards, but is useful for increasing views and likes on your Facebook page.

Many salons and spas find success using Facebook to promote gift cards. Discover more marketing methods for your salon or spa in our eBook, “How to Supercharge Your Marketing for Your Salon or Spa.”