11 Salon Marketing Ideas for Social Media

Are you stuck posting the same content on your salon’s social media platforms? It can be difficult to think of original content that will also boost your engagement, however with the right social media knowledge, content creation becomes second nature.

To help you out, we’ve broken down 11 salon marketing ideas for social media and how to implement them in your own salon business.

Stick around until the end, as we’re offering a Free Digital Review of your salon business!

Salon marketing ideas for your social media platforms

• Post user-generated content 

Not got a lot of time on your hands to get creative with graphics or take endless client photos? Even if you do, user-generated content is a great place to start when uploading to your socials.

But what exactly is user-generated content? Well, it’s anything that is created by your audience, for example when your client posts a picture of their new haircut. 

User-generated content can not only save you time, but consumers are 2.4 times more likely to view it as authentic compared to content you create yourself. It’s the perfect way to build that all-important trust!

Remember, before you post that client selfie, make sure you have permission from the user to do so.

• Share before and after photos

It really is a hair stylist’s guilty pleasure to see the before and after of their work. We’re sure your team is already snapping those photos daily, so make sure to keep a collection of them.

So, what’s the best way to post them? We recommend having a side by side comparison, with the before and after clearly labelled. 

Or, if you like your feed to look consistent with pretty hair pictures, include the after and then the before as a carousel post. In your caption, encourage users to “swipe to see the before.” This can improve engagement as users will spend more time swiping on your post.

• Film a hair or beauty process 

Did you know that video content typically performs better than any other content type on most algorithms? This should come as no surprise with Instagram turning to a more video-centric platform, and TikTok becoming more popular by the second.

An excellent way to easily incorporate video content onto your platforms is to film a transformation. Your audience will be infatuated by the process and you’ll also get a chance to show off your team’s expertise. 

The best part about filming a transformation is that it doesn’t have to have high production value. Simply shoot on your phone to make your video seem more authentic and real. 

• Create relatable memes and implement humour

When you’re using social media, what type of content do you enjoy the most? We’ll take a guess that it’s content that makes you laugh, or simply makes you feel good.

This is the case for most social media users! Users want to be entertained when they’re scrolling through their feed. In turn, funny content will be shared more frequently, highly engaged with and your audience will see your brand as authentic.

But, keep in mind that your content still needs to be on-brand. Whilst a funny cat video might tickle a few of your followers, it doesn’t really scream “you should book a hair appointment.”

Instead, keep your content on-topic. You might find a trending video or gif and add the caption “when I start to see my roots growing out.” Or, hop on a funny trend, for example on TikTok and make it your own!

• Start a live video

Feel confident talking to your audience in real-time? If not, we’re sure you have a team member that loves the spotlight. Either way, live videos are gold-mines for engagement.

You can go live on most platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. But why is live streaming so engaging? Well, it gives you the opportunity to connect with your audience and build a personal relationship with them. 

Some ideas for your live video include:

• Answering FAQs
• Live streaming a hair transformation
• Having a Q&A
• Tour of your hair salon
• Explaining how to use a product available at your salon

• Introduce your team members

It’s time to give your social platforms a human-makeover. By this, we mean showing that your brand has real-people behind it.

An excellent way to do so is to introduce your team members. Have your team write a mini introduction about themselves and share these along with a photo of the team member so your followers can get to know them.

You can be sneaky and have them write what service they are best at, for example “Alex is a master at balayage.” This subtly encourages your  followers to book a balayage appointment with Alex. 

• Promote your salon

This next salon marketing idea should be taken with a pinch of salt. Social media users, as previously mentioned, want to consume useful, entertaining content. They are constantly advertised to across the digital world, so organic promotional posts should be kept to a minimum.

That being said, the occasional promotional post is never a bad idea. As best practice, try to include an incentive, for example a special offer. This will ensure your post is still seen as useful and beneficial for your followers.

• Share your reviews and testimonials

Nothing builds trust better than a testimonial. It’s the next best thing after a personal recommendation, which is still one of the top ways that salons acquire new clients. Infact, 93% of consumers say that online reviews influence their purchase decisions. 

Whilst you might have a Google My Business profile that shows off your reviews, posting them to social media allows new users to instantly have more trust in your brand. Therefore, they’ll be more likely to take an action on your page.

Our top tip for posting your reviews is to screenshot the exact review. You can make it look pretty with graphics, but a screenshot is a lot more reliable than a typed-out review.

• Host a giveaway

If you’re looking for a quick way to increase your engagement and following, then look no further than a giveaway. This marketing idea comes at a price, however, when executed correctly, it is a great investment for your social platforms.

The trick with giveaways is to make them appeal to your target audience. This ensures you don’t get a large following of users who are not actually interested in your salon business. For example, if you give away an iPhone, you could get entries from anyone.

Instead, a great giveaway idea would be to give away a free appointment. This ensures that you will get entries from people in your local area and who are interested in having their hair done by your salon specifically.

Additionally, always encourage people to like, follow and share the post in order to enter. Your giveaway will then reach a wider audience organically, rather than just your original followers.

•  Shoot a “day in the life”

Here’s another piece of video content to leverage that high engagement! If you’ve rinsed hair transformations to death, another content idea is to film a “day in the life.”

If you haven’t come across these before, a “day in the life” is a video where you show what you typically do in a day. These can be excellent for adding that human-feel to your social media accounts, and can also highlight aspects of your business.

For example, if you were to film a “day in the life of a salon owner” video, you could shoot your team sanitising the salon to show your followers how you follow COVID-19 guidelines.

•  Post tips and tricks

Everyone loves a life-hack! And more importantly, useful content generates high engagement on social media.

As mentioned, everything you post should be linked to your brand. For salons, this will be anything hair-related. For example, you could create a post about:

• How to reduce split ends
• How to get a sleek ponytail
• How to stop getting greasy hair

The list goes on, but the great thing about tips and tricks content is that you can format it however you like. We recommend filming a short video, or posting engaging graphics to make the most of this social media marketing idea.

Get a Free Digital Review for your salon business

Do you have the time and resources to implement a strong social media strategy for your salon business? At Green Shoot Marketing, we are experts at making your salon sparkle on social media.

To give you a helping hand, we’re offering a Free Digital Review of your salon business! Request your review below.

Request a Free Digital Review Here

Got any questions about social media? Feel free to get in touch with us and we can point you in the right direction.