Are You using Facebook to build your Salon Business?

Incorporating social media into your business building strategy can sometimes feel a bit like herding cats. There are so many different platforms and each has their own set of rules. While it’s helpful to understand the pros and cons of each, and how they can work for your business, today we are going to focus on one of the OG social media platforms: Facebook.

While at may have started off as a way for coeds to stay connected on campus, Facebook has evolved into an internet juggernaut. These days it works particularly well for reaching a specific audience, in a specific area. With tools like pages and groups, you can leverage Facebook’s algorithms to attract more clients to your chair.

Who You Are Talking to

Social media platforms are basically just digital meeting places. Each platform has it’s own unique style that caters particularly well to a specific audience. When Facebook initially launched back in 2004, its users were all university students. Now, more than a decade later, that audience has grown up. This makes Facebook a great place for attracting 35-54 year olds, particularly women. For salon professionals, this demographic generally makes up a substantial percentage of your clientele.

Facebook groups can work really well for getting even more specific with who you are reaching. There are groups and pages for specific towns and neighborhoods, which can be really useful for attracting new clients in your area.

When to Post to Facebook

Social media algorithms dictate what is shown, when and to whom and they can be really tricky to navigate. That being said, it’s not so much about how often you post as it is about posting high quality content that will get you a lot of engagement. We will get to that in just a moment, but the main takeaway here is: less is more.

It’s recommended that you only post on Facebook once per day, in order to stay relevant and show up in your followers feeds. On your business page, this will be people who “like” your page. You may want to play around with different times of day to post, but a great starting point is between 8a-12p. Facebook shows the highest user activity across the board around these times. That being said, your audience’s active times may vary a bit from the norm, so be sure to test out different times on different days to see when you get the most response.

What to Post to Your Page

In general, you will want to post examples of your work, with a healthy mix of other information thrown in. Obvious topics like specials and promotions are useful to share with your audience, but so are tips and tricks, beauty advice and a healthy dose of humor every now and again.

A lot of businesses spend hours strategizing their social media calendars and content, but at the end of the day, you’ll get the best response by being authentic. Try to imagine an ongoing conversation that you could have with a client and plan your social media posts that way. You’ll keep your current clients engaged and also attract new ones that are like-minded.

You don’t have to pour tons of time into creating a social media plan that works well for your business, if you take the time to learn how each channel works best and who it works best for. Facebook is one of the easiest platforms to learn, and one of the most effectively for salon pros, since it speaks directly to a prime audience for our industry. It’s time to dive in and start connecting!