3 Steps to Start Building a Social Media Plan that Works

These days it seems like creating a social media plan for any business just means doing a whole lot of everything. You need to be making fun, engaging, educational, valuable, relatable content while also remaining really approachable, inspiring and above all, totally authentic.

That all sounds exhausting.

When it really comes down to it, the best social media plan is the one that works best for your business. Your plan will likely look different from anyone else’s and you probably won’t have to do EVERYTHING, all of the time.

By identifying some key goals and unique aspects of your business you can build a social media plan that works smarter, not harder.

1. Know Your Goals

Not all social media channels were created equal. Some platforms are better at connecting, while others are best for selling. Which ones you decide to invest your time and money into depend largely on what you would like to achieve.

Are you looking to grow your clientele? Maybe you’re doing fine with how many clients you have, but you’d like to keep them happy and connected? Perhaps you are more interested in selling more retail products?

Facebook and Instagram are both geared towards growing communities, and integrating e-commerce. Since beauty services are so visual, many stylists flock to Instagram.  However, the locally based groups on Facebook can be a great place to find new customers and get your name out in the community. Neither is better than the other, they are just good for different things.

@coloredbyliz is a wonderful follow for education and inspiration on Instagram. This account has a great mix of content that works really well on this particular platform.

Main takeaway: Try to identify 1 or two main goals and choose the platform that is best suited to helping you achieve that goal.

2. Know Your Audience

You may feel like you know your clients on an individual level, but how often do you think of them as a group? While they may have a lot of unique qualities among them, all of your clients have at least one thing in common: you. There is a likely a similar aesthetic, style, or even shared value that is common to all of you.

Why does this matter? Because identifying some key unifying factors among your current clientele can help you create content to engage them. This approach will also go a long way to attracting new, like-minded people to your chair.

If you’re having a hard time coming up with similar or unifying traits on your own, you can always take notes! Jot down a few key points from conversations that you have with your clients during their appointments and soon enough you’ll likely notice some patterns. Bonus, if you start asking about their social media habits (what they like, who they follow, etc) you may pick up a few good ideas!

Main takeaway: Use your existing clientele to help you build an online presence that will resonate with current and future clients.

This is a big one and probably the hardest to tackle. Playing to your strengths is just good life advice and it is no different on social media. Start with your business strengths. Are you great at blond balayage? Maybe you’re the master of the angled bob or layered shag? Or are updos more your thing? Try to pinpoint a few main strengths to not only decide what to share on your profile, but also to begin building your hashtag and keyword library.

Not only will this help you show off your skills in the best light, but also to the audience who is specifically looking for someone of your talents. A great example of this is @shanaelissestudio, an Orlando-based independent stylist who knows how to show her serious blonding skills .

Next, start to think about your personal strengths. This is to help you narrow down the types of content you are going to be most successful at posting. Are you comfortable on camera? or do you prefer to let your work do the talking? Maybe your conversations skills are what set you apart. There are so many different ways to be present on social media that knowing what you are comfortable with is the best place to start.

Main takeaway: Start with what you know and are comfortable with and commit to growing from there.

Social media gets a bad rep for perpetuating stereotypes and promoting hustle culture. When it comes to creating an online presence for your business, you can be as involved as you want to be. The main goal of developing your business’s social media plan is to put it to work  for you. There is no one right way to be here,  just be honest with yourself and you will create the right online presence for you and your business.