If you’re running your own salon, you’ll know just how hard you have to work to keep filling up your appointment book. It’s a never-ending struggle, but social media can help you to generate new interest.
Social media allows you to connect with current and new customers, while also spreading awareness of your business. If a customer is happy with your service, they can easily share the results on social media. But you have to work hard to earn this kind of brand loyalty.
With so many of us turning to social media every day, it makes sense to make your mark on the relevant platforms. But without a proper strategy in place, you could waste a lot of time and money on the wrong activities.
In this article, we’ll share our top 21 tips to reinvigorate your salon’s social media marketing strategy. Starting with…
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Think long and hard before you post anything on Facebook or Instagram. Every post you share should be intriguing and valuable to the viewer. For example, a text-only update letting your customers know your prices doesn’t really inspire anyone to take action. But if you add a recent client transformation photo to the post, it suddenly becomes more engaging.
Think about what would lead you to take action on a company post on Facebook or Instagram. All of the best content is either inspiring, valuable or even just funny.
Video content might take longer to produce, but it gets far more attention on social media. For example, you could create a video where you answer your customer’s most popular beauty questions. Or you could create a video showing how to achieve a popular look at home. You might think you’d lose customers by telling people how to style their hair at home, but this isn’t true. Instead, customers will look to you as a source of expertise and inspiration. So, when the time comes to book an appointment, you’re at the front of their mind.
While it’s true that Facebook use is gradually declining, it’s still a valuable tool for your salon business. Even if people aren’t spending all day scrolling through the platform, they still turn to Facebook to get information about companies.
And for salon services, it might be the first place they turn for recommendations. Make sure you are making the most of Facebook as a communication tool by following these simple steps.
Even if Facebook isn’t your main platform, still maintain an active presence on there. Post interesting, relevant and engaging content to keep people interested. If you disappear for a long time and then return with a new post, don’t be surprised if no one sees it.
Photo and video posts perform better than text or link posts. Think about what your posts will look like on a person’s timeline and look for ways to stand out. Always posting the same type of content is a great way to establish your brand.
Keep your information up to date. Don’t use a personal page, create a business page, and then make sure all of the relevant information is available. Use your page to highlight your website address, physical address, phone number, contact details, prices and recent promotions. If you’re using a salon booking software package like Salon Iris, you’ll be able to integrate your salon booking form into your Facebook page.
Try giveaways and contents. People love free things, and they love winning, so why not offer your followers and dedicated fans something extra. Running giveaways and contests on social media is a great way to boost your engagement and attract new followers. But beware of diluting your real following with people who are only there for the free stuff. Keeping your giveaway local can help to avoid this.
Offer something exclusive. If you don’t want to run a giveaway, you could offer a promotion that is linked to Facebook. For example, checking in to your salon could score new customers 10% off their bill.
Use adverts to target the right people. Facebook ads are a cheap and effective way to reach lots of people with a small budget. You can choose the areas you want to target, pick your age range, and even target people who like similar things.
Instagram is an essential platform for salons to show off their work. Pictures, videos and live streaming are a great way to connect with your target audience and establish your brand. Here are just some of the things you need to be aware of on Instagram:
Follow the latest trends. Instagram is a great place to get inspiration and learn more about the latest beauty trends. If you’re following all the right hashtags, you’ll always be on the forefront of the latest trends. And while you might be using Instagram to follow the latest trends, you can also position yourself as a trendsetter. Research hashtags to use alongside your posts and use the platform to showcase your latest creations.
Make the most of geographic tagging. Many people use Instagram to find things in their local area. Using the location tagging function will allow you to reach people in your local area. You could even show up on the discover page. To double down on the location features, make sure you’re also using local area hashtags that are relevant.
Some of the most popular posts from salons on Instagram are before and after posts. If you know you’re going to be working on a fairly extensive transformation, ask for permission to share a before and after photo. You could even share updates on full process in your stories.
Be positive. Instagram is not a place to share your professional gripes. Make sure you keep it fun and positive and keep anything that isn’t 100% professional on your personal page. Be fun and let your personality shine through every single thing you post.
Run competitions. Instagram competitions can help to boost your engagement and grow your following. You could do something as simple as asking your followers to share a photo of their treatment with a specific hashtag, and then offering free treatment to one winner. Make this a monthly thing and you’ll soon have every single customer singing your praises without any additional work. This is a great way to encourage word of mouth recommendations. If all of your customers share a photo, then all of their friends and followers will see it and could become new customers.
Twitter might not be the first place you think of to promote your salon. While it might seem like more of a conversation-based social network, there is still value to be found on the platform.
To start with, you need to approach it in a different way. Twitter is fast-paced and conversational. You can’t use it to broadcast your opinions and then walk away, you have to be part of the conversation. If you’re thinking about using Twitter to promote your salon, you need to follow these simple steps.
Keep it snappy. You have limited characters to make your point, so don’t be afraid to use images to further illustrate your point, or send your audience to your website for more information.
Make the most of hashtags. The content you share on Twitter will go a lot further if you use the right hashtags. Don’t assume that what works on Instagram will work on Twitter. Do your research for each platform and make sure you are making the most of the opportunities to spread your message further.
Run a promotion for retweets. Retweets are the best way to amplify your reach on Twitter. By making it quick and simple for people to enter your competition, you can get a huge amount of engagement. You could offer money off a treatment to the winner of your retweet competition.
Be timely. You need to make sure you are tweeting at the right time, so keep an eye on your stats to find out what time your followers are most active.
Don’t just share your own content. You don’t have to stick to your own content on Twitter. In fact, only sharing your own content is a bit of a faux pas. Use your platform to share information and useful articles which your audience might find interesting.
Remember that social media platforms are always changing, so what works today might not work in 3 year’s time. Keep on top of the latest updates and make sure you adapt as required.
