#1: Post Content That Will Intrigue Your Target Customer
Social media posts should entice your customers to crave more interaction and communication. Your content needs to be engaging and interesting to those who are going to read it and should provide them with some new source of information.
Post facts, information or photos that your target audience would find appealing and that are in line with your brand image. For example, if your hair salon has a young, fun, modern feel, your posts should match this tone. On the other hand if your brand has more of a vintage, old school theme you may consider posting pictures that follow this idea or tweet about how your business is for the woman that loves classic beauty.
You should post pictures that your demographic will respond to and react to in a positive way. All pictures, captions or tweets should match the tone of your brand and be in line with your target age group. Before you post anything on social media, make sure it is something you feel your customer would want to talk about or be interested in.
Salons should post content such as hair and beauty tips or the latest how-to guides or engaging content related to your business that is available in a short, easy to read format. Examples would be an intriguing photo with a simple caption, a short list of beauty tips, a fun beauty vine video or an infographic. These types of content are interactive and appealing to your target audience.
#2: Use Facebook as a Key Communication Tool
Facebook provides the perfect way for you to share your services, post photos of your unique nail art or create contests or giveaways to promote brand loyalty and spread awareness of your brand.
In today’s Facebook era, it is rare that you would find a customer who isn’t a member of the social media site. Therefore, it is the perfect medium to communicate with customers. The following are tips for marketing your salon on Facebook:
1. Write relevant posts that engage consumers – Write posts that customers want to respond to and will enjoy giving their opinion on. An example of this would be to ask questions like “Summer has officially begun! What will be your summer hair cut of choice?” This type of conversation starter is relevant, personalized, and something that majority of salon-goers would enjoy discussing.
2. Post pictures, and lots of them! – One of the best ways businesses can use Facebook is as a visual medium. Your salon should be showcasing the work that it is most proud of. Whether that be fun holiday-themed manicures or gorgeous bridal party hairstyles, pictures provide an outlet to show what you can do. As a bonus, pictures are engaged with more than text-only posts, in fact 120% more , therefore these can also help to bring new referrals through your front doors as your current customers share the photo with their own personal networks.
3. Treat your Facebook Page as a miniature website – When customers arrive on your Facebook page they should be able to find all of the information they may be looking for. Use the various Facebook tabs to show your salon locations, services, photos and reviews.
4. Engage customers through Facebook contests and giveaways – In general, people love free stuff. Whether that be a $50 gift card to your beauty salon or a discount on a beauty package for Mother’s day as seen in the picture below, your customers will love the ease of being able to enter or receive the promotion while on Facebook. Also, they will likely comment on the contest page post or share it to their own Facebook friends, creating more awareness for your business.
5. Provide Facebook Fans with exclusive deals – When Liking a business on Facebook, customers like to feel as though they’re getting something special in return. You can entice them to like you on Facebook by offering 10% off their next visit or by sharing the Page on Facebook to receive a gift with their next purchase. In addition, you can provide discounts to Facebook Fans which are only redeemable by mentioning the specific Facebook Ad, as seen in the example below. By knowing that these offers are only to Facebook Fans, customers will want to follow your Page more closely and will likely tell their friends when they do score an exclusive deal.
6. Target your Ads – Use Facebook Ads to their full ability through targeting. You may want to only target people located close to your salon, or those who like related Facebook Pages. An example would be those who like Aveda Canada who would likely want to try your nearby hair salon that uses Aveda products.
#3: Instagram
With over 200 million users in just 4 years, Instagram is the newest member of the core social media family. Pictures are a great way to market your salon and show a wide variety of your work as well as fun, quirky photos that follow your brand’s theme.
1. Stay on trend – Use trending hashtags to draw more users to your Instagram profile and to find out about your salon. An example would be to use #happyeaster as one hashtag to gain more views while showing a picture of a holiday themed manicure and showcasing the salon’s services.
2. Use geography to your advantage – Use hashtags to point out your location. That way future customers looking for a salon nearby may stumble upon your photo and your salon. For example if you own a hair salon in the Yorkville district of Toronto you may follow your other hashtags and caption with #Yorkville and #Toronto, so that those looking for a haircut that day can locate your business quickly.
3. Use before and after pictures to showcase your stylists’ talent – Reviews and testimonials don’t need to just be a text post when it comes to social media. Use Instagram to show results in your salon. Before and after pictures show transformation and can grab users’ attention.
4. Be fun and quirky – Instagram users tend to be young and on trend, and enjoy fun, quirky posts in addition to just product or service-related posts. Once in a while a feel good post can engage your customers and you can use specific quotes or pictures that you feel defines your brand.
5. Do exclusive Instagram contests – One great aspect of Instagram is that you can have contests that involve user-generated content. Hold photo contests among your Followers, such as “Post a picture of your new summer manicure with the hashtag #Ontrendnailsalon and be entered to win your next manicure for free!” These engage customers and are easy for customers to participate in by simply uploading a picture and including the proper hashtag.
6. Post promotions on Instagram – Post promotional photos on Instagram so that customers are always aware of new things going on at your salon. An example would be to post a picture of a child with writing saying “Back to School Special: 30% off all kids haircuts from now until September 5th.” This informs customers about the promotion or acts as a reminder to those who may have heard about it in the past. You can also make the promotion Instagram-exclusive by telling customers that they have to show that picture in the salon to receive the promotion discount.
7. Provide incentives for Instagram word-of-mouth – Provide incentives for customers to upload a picture of what they had done at your salon such as “Have a new hairstyle or cut from Dropdead beauty salon that you just love? Upload it to Instagram with the hashtag #dropdeadnyc and receive 10% off your next visit.” Word-of-mouth is crucial in the salon business as trust is such a key factor when it comes to hair and beauty, therefore having friends share pictures with their own Instagram network is a great way to stretch your brand awareness.
#4 Products
1. Showcase your products – Another obvious way to make money – make commission from product sales.
Create video content, showcase products or even video styling your hair and using the best products for sale to your customers, bi it through a Facebook Live, a pre recorded video or even a Zoom Consultation.
There is a reason why QVC is the most recognised shopping channel on the planet – Why is that? Because people LOVE to see the Product in action.
2. Affiliate Program – Companies are reducing their minimum spend, offering deliveries to your home instead of salons and even shipping directly to your customer.
Have a chat with your supplier and see how they can support your business and providing your customers with professional products. Customers would prefer to buy from their local salon or a hair expert!
Your customers would buy directly from the supplier’s website on your recommendation and the supplier will ship directly to the customer to save you the hassle of accepting the delivery to re-deliver. You earn the commission but your never have to carry the stock. – Great passive income made easy.
#5 VIP Waiting List
Lockdown’s are the perfect way to make money!
With clients eager to book their hair appointments and to be the first inline. Why not create a VIP Waiting List and charge £10-20 to be added to the list.
In my first lockdown I created the VIP Waiting List and had over 200 client’s added to the list which I Brough over £2,000 income to the business.
Why not create your own VIP waiting list?
How it works – Post your VIP waiting list information and how it works for customer’s to see. Clients can either buy their £10 VIP through your shop or customers can send their payment via PayPal or Bank Transfer – Watch your phone PING!
Once your customer’s have bought your VIP, then add them to the list in a first come first basis. Once Lockdown ends you can call your clients ASAP to book their Hair/Beauty appointments. When the client is at point of sale remove their £10 deposit from their end bill – One happy customer.
Creating your VIP Waiting List makes clients feel important and they are one of the first inline to have their hair service.
You have created income in lockdown which makes you feel stress free.
#6 Gift Cards
Another easy way to make money in Lockdown!
Why not sell Gift Cards at a reduce price or add value to the customers gift card. In all 3 lockdown’s I sold over £3,000 in Gift Card’s which was amazing, and brought income.
Client’s loved the Gift Card Sale – as they got a bargain while in lockdown. Link the sale to your website for your customer’s to buy their gift card product. Issue emails and Text Message bundle’s and watch your phone PING!
