Staying social in a busy salon - what should you post?

Too busy to post on your social media pages? Every hair and beauty specialist wants problems like that! But being busy doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re packed with bookings - sometimes personal matters arise, or you’re simply too overworked with pencil pusher tasks that keep you from maintaining a social media presence. Potential clients always flock to a salon’s social media pages to see their work, so, what does a vacant profile say about your business? Nothing good.

How valuable is a social media presence for hair and beauty businesses?

So valuable that it can sway clients’ decisions to actually visit your business. Would you go to a salon which had the most recent content on their social media pages from 2017? Or would you prefer to visit one that regularly shares pictures of their treatments, customer reviews and news? And sure, they can have great reviews on a number of pages without being active on social media, but how do you know if they provide the right treatment you’re looking for? You might be on the lookout for a Billie Eilish green and black combo, but your blind date of a salon specialises in hair treatments for elderly clients, who rarely, if ever, go with your style. Now, with that out of the way, it’s time to address the elephant in the room - how can you stay social when you’re busy?

Don’t go overboard with your content

Rarely posting content is a telltale sign that your hair or beauty business might not be doing too well, but does that mean you ought to flood your fan pages with content 24/7? Your customers would definitely love that, but let’s be real here, creating too much content or spending hours on end editing a few before and after shots will hog up much of your time, resulting in poor work organisation and burnout. We recommend that you keep things simple and have just a handful of various types of content. Your creative instruments include live streaming, videos and pictures - using a combination of all three is great, but chances are you might not have the time for creating each, especially the live streams.

Unless you cater to Hollywood movie stars or you have a highly-reputable business and a name to live up to, bringing out light diffusers or lamps and spending much of your time editing photos and videos isn’t necessary. If you have adequate lighting, a somewhat good phone camera and a few editing apps, then you’re good to go. Obviously, you want your content to look amazing, but investing in pricey equipment and setting it up isn’t necessarily convenient.

What should I post?

Everything that says something about your business and what you provide. There - we can answer that question with one sentence, however, there’s more to it. When posting a picture, video or live stream, you should have a goal in mind, other than filling the empty void that is your social media feed. Bear in mind that each medium has its benefits.

• Videos and live streams: why should customers purchase your products and treatments? With all of those reasons in mind, put them into video content! Create short clips, describing the benefits of a certain service, or how to apply one of your products at home. Additionally, consider doing a Q&A once in a while, where clients ask you questions concerning your profession. This type of content shows them that you’re a professional in your field and it gives them all the reason to book with you. Such content is ideal for increasing sales and getting more bookings, as well as bonding with customers.
• Pictures: before and after shots, pictures of your salon’s interior or your team show clients what they can expect upon visiting your business. With this medium, your creativity can flourish! Add pictures of your team having a laugh, or a wondrous rainbow balayage. But also include marketing materials, such as info on your latest offers, last-minute availability, or dates for certain events. Pictures are ideal for conveying information to clients, as well as promoting what you have to offer.

Make time!

If you’re stuck doing paperwork, calculating staff commissions, generating sales reports and so on, then you’re not streamlining your tasks. As a result, you have less time for creating and managing your social media content. To help make better use of your time, automate these tasks with Booksy, hair and beauty business software. Using it, you’re able to put most of these time-consuming tasks on autopilot.

Tip: grab your free account here and follow along with us!

Booksy allows clients to book with you 24/7, sends automated appointment reminders, lets you take prepayments, generates all reports in real-time, keeps an eye on stock levels and makes sure to keep client data in one spot and secured. With so much time on your hands, you’ll be able to fit social media content creation and a lunch break into one day! But besides a reliable hair or beauty business software, you should also have a calendar for social media content posting, which will help you to significantly improve how you manage your time. By doing so, you’ll be able to take pictures or record videos ahead of time, and simply post them on the right day. Bear in mind that consistency is key - if you post content every other day, your customers are going to expect it then, so if you plan to take a break, make sure to let everyone know!

Sure, you can continue sharing social media content once every full moon that lands on a Friday the 13th, but we all know how that will turn out. If you’re looking to truly make your social media pages stand out, start with an easy to manage schedule, the right mediums and a time-saving tool like Booksy. Your free account is in the link below - sign up today and start making time for yourself!