To kick off our brand-new Salon Marketing Education Blog Series, we are starting with one of the top marketing tools when it comes to the success of your salon, spa or clinic – social media!
There’s no question about it, if you’re a salon, having a social media account is a MUST. Not only is it an extremely valuable and reliable resource for engaging with existing clients, but it also doubles as a huge marketing asset for attracting new clients.
In an industry that relies heavily on word of mouth, in today’s day and age the success of salons is dependent on “word of the gram” just as much (if not more)! Social proof is vital to your business; from sharing client testimonials and before & after photos, to exciting new product releases, and everything in between.
Before we get started on the who, what, where, when, why and how of it all – here’s our #1 Pro Tip that you should never forget when creating and managing your salon social media accounts; ALWAYS have a CTA (call to action). Whether it is a “Book Now”, “Call Now”, “Enquire Today” or any other button – it is imperative that your profile has a means in which existing and future clients can get in touch with you. Now let’s get into the nitty-gritty of salon social media…
The 5 Basic W’s to help you with your salon social media:
WHO
Understand who your audience is.
Understanding who your target audience is might seem relatively basic but rest assured it’s essential to each and every post that you share as a business. Never just post to fill in the feed or because you think you haven’t posted in a while. Be specific and be purposeful in who you want to read and engage with for each post. For example, one post you do might be targeted at females aged between 20-30 that are suffering from hormonal acne. Whereas, your following post might be targeted to an older demographic with sun damage concerns.
WHAT
Always be on-brand.
Creating a consistent brand that your followers can always recognise is vital the success of your salon social media. Pick a style and stick to it! That way your followers know what to look out for and know when they see a certain style of post that it’s yours, hence reducing the risk of scrolling past. Check out these Australian salon’s that create consistent and aesthetically appealing social media feeds below.
Our #1 tip to get you started, always use the same profile pictures (preferably your logo) across all social media platforms and your website.
WHERE
Use location tags.
We couldn’t recommend this more! Use hashtags and your post location to your advantage and always let your followers and potential clients know exactly where you are located from the get-go. Not only will this filter your potential clients better but when future customers are looking for a salon nearby, they may stumble upon your photo thus, your salon.
WHEN
Don’t post too much, or not enough!
The “when” refers to how often you should post, what day and what time. This details can become a little overwhelming to try and perfect, but as a general rule of thumb we recommend posting to your feed at least once, every day. Of course, if you have more to share you can but often too much can be overbearing and too little can leave followers bored and begging for more.
When it comes to specific times of the day to post, a recent study by the social media scheduling service Hootsuite showed that for cosmetics-focused personal care services, posting in the early afternoon (especially Tuesday-Friday) resulted in the greatest success.
Don’t be afraid to test out different posting times, even those that are well and truly out of the periods that you know already might know work well!
For Instagram and Facebook stories, we suggest uploading content daily to keep your followers entertained and engaged. Stories are fast becoming a more sought-after resource for consumers and they are a great means for sharing content that is a little less formal, a touch more authentic and even fun. It doesn’t have to be anything major, a simple behind the scenes glimpse mid-treatment or a post-treatment glow photo of a lucky client will suffice.
WHY
Create a community.
Your social media account should double as your salon community space. Creating an interactive community for all your existing and potential clients, as well as your followers, is a great way to increase customer loyalty and trust. We suggest posting engaging content, such as; “What is your favourite treatment in salon?” to get your clients responding and interacting. We also encourage you to ALWAYS communicate with your followers, don’t just “post and ghost”! Instead, reply to their comments, reviews & questions consistently and authentically.
Additionally, it is also a great idea to encourage all your clients and customers to share. Whether it be an Instagram story that shows their post-treatment glow that you can then reshare or a post they’ve uploaded to their feeds of a product you send them home with – all user-generated content works great! It also works as an amazing way for potential clients to see another form of testimonial-based proof.
Head to our ‘Top 10 Salon Social Media Post Ideas’ blog to get into the “how” of perfecting your salon’s social media.
