Simple Ways to Draw Clients In On Social Media Without Spending a Dime
Do you know how most people discover a new salon? According to Square, a financial services and mobile payment company, 63 percent rely on the recommendations of friends and family. That’s a good reason to invest in keeping your current clientele happy. But what else can you do to draw more new clients to your salon or spa? The answer is simple: use social media.
A full 36 percent of consumers look for online reviews when searching for a new hairstylist, nail artist, esthetician or massage therapist. Nearly a quarter (24 percent) consider social media recommendations, and 18 percent evaluate the salon or spa’s presence on social media. Long story short, if you’re not showing off your beauty industry skills on social media, you’re missing out on new clients.
While Facebook is the undisputed heavyweight in the social media game (more than 168 million people used Facebook’s mobile app in March 2019 alone), it shouldn’t be the only social media tool in your bag. If you want to maximize your marketing reach, choose a couple from the list below, learn how to use them well, and post or tweet regularly to see your salon or spa business grow.
Facebook – You probably already have a Facebook profile for connecting with your friends and family. Now you need one for interacting with current and potential clients. If you haven’t already done so, set up a business profile and start posting hair and makeup tips and tricks, your thoughts on the latest season’s trends, before and after transformations, and testimonials from happy clients.
Instagram – With its emphasis on visuals, Instagram is an essential social media tool for beauty industry professionals. While you can post the same types of content you share on Facebook, Instagram hashtags allow you improve your chances of being seen by consumers who are interested in your services and local to your area. Instagram has more than 121 monthly users.
Twitter – With 76 million monthly users, Twitter’s audience is significantly smaller than that of Facebook and Instagram. However, it can still be a useful tool for reaching new clients – especially if you’re paying attention to what people in your area are tweeting about. For example, use Twitter’s search feature to find locals who are tweeting beauty questions or asking for salon or spa recommendations. Simply comment on these tweets to begin an interaction.
Pinterest – This social media platform has nearly 65 million monthly users and is designed around the concept of ‘pinning’ online images and content to a user’s ‘board.’ Users can follow others with boards they like and pin the content they find. This makes Pinterest a natural venue for before and after transformation photos, how-to hair and skincare videos, and other valuable visual material.
By Angela Rose for Creative Images Institute of Cosmetology
