Being active on social can bring in business but it takes time, effort and inspiration which is why some salons are employing experts to take over their feed. Here’s how to decide what’s best for you
Whether you run a salon or are self-employed, chances are your business has an Instagram account. Then there’s Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube – the possibilities to promote your brand via social are endless – but also necessary, because from business awareness to filling empty appointment slots, promoting special offers to spotlighting staff, social media is the new shopfront for your business.
“Social media is vital for Banya No.1. It not only boosts our brand awareness but also educates existing and potential clients about our unique offerings,” says Kristina Sikorskaja, brand marketing manager at Banya No. 1. “In fact, over the past year, social media drove over 30% of our web traffic.”
THE DIY APPROACH
No-one knows your business better than you, right? Which is why managing your social media feed makes sense. And it’s not impossible, but you do need to dedicate time and resources to it to ensure it doesn’t get lost in the crowd. “As a comms agency owner you might be surprised to hear me say this but ideally, you should be handling as much of your own social as you can because it’s the most authentic and cost effective way to work,” says Sally Learmouth, owner of Gloss Communications. “Social media for a location based business (as opposed to a product or a brand) can be time consuming if you outsource it to someone who isn’t on site.”
Emma Fowler, hair colourist and educator (@emmafowlerhair), found it hard to find someone who knew what to look for when it came to hair and what her followers would want to see. So, instead of handing over the social side of things, she outsourced other areas of her business such as accounts, bookkeeping and daily admin, freeing up her time to create content. “I spend around an hour a day on my social media and try and build it into my daily work – while I’m making coffee for example, or I’ll film myself applying a colour. You don’t need to do a huge production, just build it into the culture of how you work to make it easy. The key is consistency – if you can only post twice a week that’s better than posting daily, then being disheartened and not posting again for weeks.”
Sally is in agreement. “Don’t get caught up in trying to make things perfect and then not posting anything but equally, don’t just post something for the sake of it that doesn’t really say anything about your brand. Keep in mind what you’re trying to do – attract clients through educating, inspiring or entertaining - and use resources and tools such as Canva, Capcut and spellcheck to make your life easier. If you’re struggling with confidence, there are also social media courses available. Vivienne Johns (@thehairdresserssocialclub) runs one which is an incredible resource for hair and beauty pros tackling their own social.”
Managing your social in-house can also help with keeping costs down. “If you’re working with a limited budget, social media is a brilliant choice because it’s cost-effective and measurable, especially when you compare it to traditional, non-digital marketing methods,” continues Kristina. “For us, the best approach is a combination of organic posts, paid adverts and influencer marketing. We partner with influencers who truly like our offerings and are genuine fans of Banya No. 1 which means the content feels real and natural. This year we’ve teamed up with over 30 creators and have seen an unprecedented growth of our Instagram by 35%.”
By producing your own content (or using influencers you trust implicitly) it also means you have complete creative control and can ensure it’s your voice and tone that is being expressed and that you control the narrative. And if you do have a team, make sure to enlist them as they can be invaluable for producing extra content. Get them to save content that has inspired them and have weekly or daily brainstorms about what they would like to share. Another tip is to watch the brands’ socials you’re affiliated with and piggyback their content by posting that to your feed or story too.
OUTSOURCING YOUR SOCIAL
There are many reasons why you might choose to outsource your social and if you struggle with posting or simply don’t have the time, it could be the best thing for you as it will ensure your feed ticks along nicely and brings in clients while you focus on other aspects of your business. “At first, I did it myself as I was watching our funds but as our business became busier, I knew I had to delegate and let someone else handle it and if I’m really honest – you can see the difference! I pay around £300 to £480 per month and their work is more professional – from the use of lighting, direction and ideas. Plus, the free time it gives me now means I can concentrate on my business and not panic at the end of the day that I have to post something,” admits Laura Heywood, owner of The Scented Garden Retreat (@scentedgardenretreat).
It was a similar story for Samantha Beatty at Beauty at the Gate (@beautyatthegate) who realised that as her salon grew, she needed to either employ someone or outsource their marketing and content creation to someone external. “We chose the latter although Emmi, who does all of our marketing is treated like an employee and regularly visits the salon to take images and videos for content,” she says. “We spend four figures a month on marketing but in return we get an expert in her field organising, creating and coming up with new ideas. We have monthly meetings where we discuss what is going on in the salon, how bookings are looking, where we need to focus our attention and it allows us to really pre-plan events, promotions and treatment launches. We also get very few gaps in our days due to missed or cancelled appointments.”
Of course, cost needs to be taken into consideration but often companies will offer different packages depending on your wants and needs. “We offer flexible packages that are accessibly priced to include social and PR and enable you to switch between them so if you can’t stretch to both, you might focus on PR one month, social another or mix them up to keep things affordable,” continues Sally. “The amount of content you can provide vs the amount you want your content creator to produce will also influence the time required and therefore the fee you can expect to pay.”
One option which is popular with businesses who outsource their social is to hold regular days during which you can stockpile imagery, videos and ideas to use over the forthcoming weeks and months.
Choosing the right match for your business is also crucial. If the agency is too big or has lots of larger clients, you might end up getting more of a cookie cutter approach rather than the personalised posts you were looking for. Ideally you need someone on your wavelength and who shares some of the same passion for the industry. “Choose a company that you get on well with and whose work you like - they must inspire you and elevate your business,” advises Laura.
As you would with any aspect of your business, get more than one quote and ask content creators or agencies to pitch to you. If you’re handing over the reigns and expecting a return, you need to feel confident in who you’re putting your trust in. Make sure they break down the costs too as extras like design and scheduling software could be added on top. “You also need to think about ad spend when you’re looking at your budget – are you going to allocate an amount to an Instagram or Facebook campaign with a specific goal such as gaining new clients or promoting a specific service or stylist/therapist,” flags Sally.
There’s also the fact that you’re paying for their knowledge of the marketplace. “A few years ago it was pretty straightforward as there weren’t that many platforms but now there are so many options clients are using and they need to be monitored so by outsourcing at least we know it’s getting done quickly and efficiently,” says Samantha.
ASSESS YOUR SUCCESS
Whether you have a direct booking link to your feed or special promotion codes that are exclusive to your social media campaigns, it shouldn’t be too tricky to track. You should also ask new clients how they found you and if you have outsourced your marketing and social, they will have tools and software they use to monitor click throughs to give you an accurate ROI.
It’s also worth asking your clients if they follow you and what they like or don’t like about your feed and always make sure you’re engaging with followers – whether that’s you or whoever manages your social. “I often try out new content to see how it performs and currently my lifestyle or business related posts are outperforming my hair posts so I know I need to post more conversation style content to keep it up,” reveals Emma.
Personal posts do tend to be the most favourable too so bear that in mind when looking things such as likes and engagement as remember your customers will want to get to know you and the community will naturally build from there. “Curating our Instagram isn’t a quick task but it’s worth every moment as it makes a strong first impression, especially for younger generations who often look at social channels before the website if they’re unfamiliar with the brand,” admits Kristina.
A non-negotiable for businesses in today’s competitive climate, the three key pointers with social are clearly authenticity, engagement and consistency - you just need to make the decision if it’s your time you want to spend online or someone else’s.
Words by: Becci Vallis