Around the time that I did my podcast, an article in a local business paper came out letting us know that we would be getting new neighbors. Salon Vox, a trendy new salon, opened its doors this week and is having their grand opening party tonight. What, you might ask, does that have to do with word of mouth marketing?

Good question, glad you asked. While Jeniffer’s salon didn’t open until September, she created a strategy for acquiring new customers and creating buzz well in advance of their doors opening. Jeniffer and her street team infiltrated the Ann Arbor Art Fair in their all-black attire, including Salon Vox tank tops and black balloons bearing the company name. They handed out fliers to interested Art Fair goers for 20 percent off their first visit and had scheduled 19 new appointments long before their storefront was even completed. Oh, and they ultimately abandoned the booth they had rented for the fair because the word of mouth on the street was a much more effective way to reach people.

While having pretty girls in tank tops didn't hurt the initiative, it's not the only tactic the salon used. Salon Vox has also been working with a MySpace page as well to acquire new customers. Over the past three months they’ve been added 429 Ann Arborites as friends (including me and my band) and extended their Grand Opening invitation to their MySpace friends (and the BlogWorks crew).

I’ll have pictures from the grand opening posted on Flickr next week. The salon is located one floor below our offices at 115 W. Liberty in Ann Arbor, Mich.