Social Media 101 - Using Social Media to Promote Hair Replacement

Did you know that more than 70% of small businesses reported they use social media to drive business and to market themselves? 

With nearly two billion users daily on Facebook alone, it’s becoming more and more vital to utilize social media to promote your business and drive sales, especially during a pandemic.

It is an unfortunate truth that many businesses have closed their doors, meaning consumers are relying more and more on the internet and social media to search for their newest preferred restaurants, coffee shops and of course - salons & barber shops.

In this guide we’ll walk you through the basics of using social media to promote your salon so you’re set up to bring in your next generation of customers!

Platforms

Facebook and Instagram are by far the two best platforms you can use to promote your salon. This is because they are “picture first” social media sites, meaning the content that gets the most engagement is images of the services you provide.

Instagram, of course, is an “images only” site, and with Facebook now owning Instagram, it has had an effect on the user base of Facebook too and the way they engage with content.

We would also recommend setting up a Pinterest page to promote your business. Pinterest is an image/ideas board site where people “pin” ideas to their profile. Many people use this to find new recipes, share funny videos and also save new hair styles they want to try out next time they visit their stylist.

Having a Pinterest profile that shares hairstyles, cuts and colors regularly can go a long way to boosting your business. 

This is true for customers that don’t even live close to your salon. If you have an ecommerce website and sell products online, you definitely should be promoting them wherever you can, as this opens up a brand new stream of income that was never really possible before social media.

Setting Up

First and foremost, you should be using your social media sites as an extension of your business.

You want to make sure that the information from your site is mirrored on your social media pages. Ensure that you have the correct business name, address, phone number, website, business hours, photos and more! 

This goes for your Google MyBusiness page too. Customers in this “digital age” may never actually go to your website or even call your business before their first appointment, so making sure it’s easy for them to find you wherever they’re looking is vital.

Content, Content, Content!

If you take one thing from this blog, it’s that good content is your key to success.

You will need to post content regularly that appeals to your target audience, while also promoting your highest selling products.

For example, if you are a Micro Point Certified Salon and find you make most of your profits that way, you should gear your content toward hair replacement/restoration with Micro Point Solutions in mind.

If you find that most of your sales come from your ecommerce store, create content that highlights these products. 

Take photos of clients in the chair after using a specific shampoo/conditioner and then post about it with the product in the shot and a link to your site where they can purchase it. If you don’t have an ecommerce platform for your site, offer a small discount if they purchase it alongside a cut & color.

Post multiple times per week, especially during the day on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Sunday nights. Statistically these are the days and times where consumers make purchases and schedule appointments.

If you don’t have the time to post this often, there are certain sites that can help you schedule out social media posts for the month and beyond, and we’ll go into them shortly!

Before & After

Consumers want to know what they’re getting before they get it, so Before & After images will likely be your best performing posts and will drive the most engagement and appointments.

Every stylist knows the feeling of seeing a client who is so happy with the results, and these people are the best to ask to post for your before and after images. Use clients that have been coming to you for a while, know you and know how good you are at what you do.

These clients are also the most likely to leave glittering reviews for your business, which is generally one of the first things a potential client looks at when researching for a new salon or stylist.

Special Social Media Posts

Sometimes you’ll have to get creative to drive sales and appointments to your salon, and that’s where some special social posts can go a long way.

Consider doing a monthly giveaway if you’re able to with one of your best selling products. As your followers to “Like” your post and your page, tag a friend or three and also share the post to their own Facebook feed.

Another option is to offer events in-salon, or online Zoom events like free consultations for certain products and offerings, as opposed to always giving things away for free.

This effectively triples your audience (sometimes even more than that) and can really fill up your appointment book. 

If 50 people share your post, and each of those people get one person to follow the rules of the competition, you’ve already added 50 people to your audience simply by offering the giveaway.

Even if one of those new 50 people don’t win, they now follow your page and will see the next giveaway, tag their friends and share it, and the cycle continues. Eventually they’ll be seeing enough of your content that the giveaway is long forgotten, and they may even call you to make their next hair appointment or buy something from your online store.

Get creative here! You can simply do a $50 gift card to your salon, keeping the business inside your doors, or you can team up with a local business who offer a service that compliments yours.

For example - you could offer a $50 gift card to a local massage therapist or spa, and in turn have them do a giveaway for a gift card to your business. Sharing clients with local businesses is an easy way to create contacts close by and drive up sales. Win-win!

This is where you can really nail down your niche. If your clients are most likely to be searching online for hair restoration for men or women, you already have a leg up on the competition if you're offering them a way into it with a deal or a "freebie."

If your best sellers are hair pieces for men, you could offer the first appointment free if they sign up for 12 months.

There are many different ways to promote and sell hair restoration and hair replacement, but knowing your audience will help you with fine tuning these specials and giveaways.

On top of this, make sure you’re active in the comments section. Reply to all questions, thank people for entering the giveaway, and even tease the next giveaway to keep people coming back to your page!

Get Creative

There are many free tools online to create fun and engaging social media posts. You’ll want to follow your “look” or your brand.

Try to use your logo in every post. Add it in to the bottom corner of your Before & After images and all of your giveaway posts so people start to recognize the logo and associate it with your page and brand.

If your salon uses a specific set of colors in its design, utilize those in your posts so people have a familiarity with them when they walk in the door, or when they see you online.

Customers having a connection to a business and brand is proven to drive more sales, so make sure you stick to your brand guidelines in each social post and email.

Use services like Canva to create free graphics and social media ads that follow this style. Canva is completely free to use (and also offers a paid version with more features) and can really up your social media game with professional looking design.

Maintenance

Many people get into a good rhythm for a week or two and then life and work take over, so you forget about it, or find you simply don’t have enough time.

It’s vital to keep up with your social posting because, while it can take a while to build an audience, it will result in more appointments and sales.

You can use a tool like Hootsuite to schedule out social media posts for the month, meaning you would really only spend an hour or so creating the posts, and then they’re automatically scheduled out for you. This will keep you on track and help you from getting burnt out.

Add in notes for specific days on your calendar like Mother’s and Father’s Day, National Puppy Day, National Ice Cream day and other non-salon related days for fun posts. These don’t necessarily drive direct sales or appointments, but this is another way to keep your brand awareness high and be top of mind for the next person that’s looking for a service you offer.