There’s nothing more impressive on social media than a visual transformation, and salons make these happen every single day!
Whilst posting before-and-after photos might be fairly straightforward, a lot of salons struggle to find the time to use social media marketing effectively… But this is vital for raising awareness of your hair or beauty brand.
While your salon may currently be closed due to COVID-19, it’s a great time to get planning your social media strategy for when you reopen.
Here’s why…
We live in a digital-first world now and most consumers prefer to see images of a product rather than read about it. Someone on social media looking for a new hairstyle, beauty treatment or set of nails is interested in two main things – a) a choice of what to choose from and b) why they should go to YOU.
Social media is your chance to shine. It’s your chance to promote your business in a creative and inspirational way and to prove what you’re capable of.
What can hair and beauty salons post about?
Here’s a quick list of social media post types you should be sharing…
- Showcase all of your work
- Introduce your team members and their qualifications/achievements
- Reach out to potential clients – encourage people to tag a friend in a meme or competition
- Engaging with your audience – ask them questions and share relatable or educational content
- Demonstrate excellent customer service – respond quickly to comments and messages and share testimonials/feedback
- Stand out from the crowd – show the audience what makes your business different
A Facebook business page for your salon is a must. It should be your key communication tool, allowing you to showcase your daily achievements and to show professionalism.
You should aim to post regular updates at least once every couple of days. This will show that your salon is busy and responsive.
- Ask customers if you can take before and after shots and post them on social media – you can always crop or make sure you’re not including their face if they don’t want it shown…
- Post about products that you are using and why – this is a great opportunity to show that you know your stuff!
- Create Facebook contests, raffles or giveaways, especially around events like Mother’s Day, Christmas etc
- Use your page to give exclusive deals and discounts
As we mentioned earlier, most consumers are driven by visuals. Instagram is a game-changer when it comes to showing exactly what it is you do as a hair and beauty professional.
The main profile is an opportunity to show your abilities and talents, market your business and share quirky photos that follow your brand’s image.
- Stay on top of trends – use hashtags to attract an audience that is interested in your content e.g #UnicornHair #nailgamestrong #perfectpout
- Use geographic hashtags – tag your location to attract locals to your salon
- Post simple, good quality before and after photos – you can tag or name the client and say a bit more about the process in the caption at the bottom…
- Short videos also work well on the Insta feed… (who hasn’t seen the #dontrushchallenge?!)
Instagram Stories are also a fun way to show the quirkier side of your salon. Try and post at least once daily. If it’s a quieter and you’ve got less customers in, you could introduce your team… Or why not jump on a trend like #ThrowbackThursday and share something you’ve worked on previously?
Social media advertising for hair, nail and beauty salons
Salons usually target new customers by geographical location and social media advertising can make that really easy! If you’ve got a bit of advertising budget and you want to reach more people in your local area, it’s a good idea to speak to a social media expert about how best to allocate this.
Getting engagement – even when it’s hard
Don’t forget that most people looking for a new salon will search online or social media platforms first before they enquire and first impressions are everything! If potential customers come to your Instagram profile and the feed is a mess – they’re not going to trust you with their hair, nails or face! If they stumble across your Facebook business page and you haven’t posted in a while, or you haven’t replied to comments, that could seem unprofessional.
To get good engagement on social media, you need to give good engagement. It’s as simple as that. Post regularly and try to be as reactive as possible.
Want to know more?
Of course – when you’re busy running around all day, it’s not always easy to find time to share on social. That’s where we come in.
If you’re a hair or beauty business and you’d like help with any aspect of your social media, contact our team today and we’ll be happy to give you some free advice.
