Salon Swagger

Hey there, Salon and Spa superstars.

Welcome to Salon Swagger, your go -to
podcast for all things commission -based

salon and spa ownership.

I'm Bri, one of your hosts, and I'm here
with the lovely Chandra, my co -host.

How are you?

Hi, doing good.

Awesome, awesome.

How's your day been?

It's been good.

It's been a little crazy morning, but it's
a Monday, so it's always going to be fine.

Isn't that funny?

It's Mondays used to be my favorite day as
a salon owner, but not anymore.

Like it's not that way anymore.

Cause Mondays we used to have off all the
time, but the world changes.

Yep, now it's like the busiest day of the
week.

Well, today we are going to dive into the
colorful world of social media.

So I think this is going to be a really,
really cool episode.

I know for me, social media is one of
those things that I wanted to kind of not

get into for a very, very long time,
right?

Like I just wanted to stay in my little
comfort zone and do it my way.

But unfortunately, we have to have social
media as a business owner, right?

Yep, unfortunately, yep.

So if being a salon owner wasn't already
hard enough, now we literally have to

become a master at social media if we want
our businesses to grow.

Unfortunately, those days of the
traditional, I don't know, word of mouth

marketing, they've become somewhat non
-existent.

Or even if you get word of mouth
referrals, the first place that they're

going to go is...

Social media, right?

That's what they're going to check out
first so they can learn about you, about

your salon, about your technicians, all of
those things.

And if you aren't representing your
business well online, then the chances of

that new potential client coming in are
going to be very, very slim.

Would you agree with that?

yeah, a hundred percent.

Definitely.

Yeah, it's really funny because I was
doing some research and I was looking at

the number of salon commission salon and
spot owners that are over like the age of

35 and it's like upwards of 85 % of them.

And so I know why social media is so hard
for us, right?

We've been doing things our way for such a
long time.

And I'm going to be honest with you, half
the time I still don't even understand a

lot of the social media lingo, like the
hashtags and the...

especially now you've got so many
platforms like Facebook, I can work that

somewhat okay, but now you've got
Instagram and you've got TikTok and you've

got X or Twitter or whatever the heck it's
called.

There are so many things out there and
learning how to use them all can be

extremely, extremely frustrating.

So I thought this would be a really,
really good episode to do to maybe get

people out of their comfort zone just a
little bit and make them realize how

important social media is to the growth of
their business and

how it can actually be fun if you'll just
give it the chance and use it a little

bit.

Yeah, for sure.

So in the beauty industry, not being
relevant in the social media space, it can

literally make or break you.

It really, really can.

People don't seem to believe us when we
say that, but it's the honest truth.

I know for both of us and our studios,
social media, it was a huge part of the

way that we built our client base.

But not only that, it was a great way or
it is a great way for us to gain new

employees or new talent.

I use it all the time for that.

People always see it on the client end.

but they don't think about it when it
comes to attracting new talent.

And so for those of you out there that are
not using your social media to attract new

talent, change your mindset because it's a
great way.

It's a great way.

Social media is important because it gives
us a direct line to our current and our

potential clients to where in the past, if
we're just doing that word of mouth, we

only have access to our current clients.

We don't have access to those potential
ones.

It's a platform where we can showcase our
work, share our expertise, and connect

with people that are interested in exactly
what we have to offer.

It's not just about posting pretty
pictures.

It's really about creating a presence
where your clients can see your passion

and your skills and your personality and a
million other things.

When you learn to post regularly and when
you learn to engage with your followers,

you are actually building relationships.

And this is where my mindset had to shift
because I looked at it as I'm just posting

pretty pictures.

What is this really going to do for me?

Right.

I never looked at it in the aspect of it
was building relationships and these

relationships, they're crucial for client
attraction and for client attention or

retention.

Sorry.

New clients are going to discover you
through things like posts, through

hashtags, through shared content.

While existing clients, they're going to
stay engaged and they're going to stay

loyal because they feel connected to you.

Social media really just helps keep your
business top of mind, making clients more

likely to return and recommend others to
you.

In short, it is a powerful, powerful tool
that can boost your visibility, boost your

credibility, and ultimately boost your
success.

So,

I just mentioned a few things about client
retention.

So can you share a story of how social
media helps you and your employees retain

clients at your studio?

Yeah.

So we have a lot of situations where the
clients will come in because they saw

something we were doing on social media.

So our existing clients, a lot of times
they want to come in and try the services

that they're seeing us doing on our social
media channels, or they want to purchase a

product of something that they saw us do a
product tutorial on.

And so for our client, our existing client
retention, it helps so much because these

people keep coming back over and over
again, because they want to try all of the

new things.

that they see us doing on our social
media.

And for new clients, they want to come in
and sometimes they just want to meet our

staff.

Like they see the stylist on there, they
almost think they're like a local

celebrity because they come in and they'll
be like, my gosh, I saw her on your videos

and I saw her on your videos.

And they want to come in and have that
experience that they're seeing us post.

And so I think it definitely brings in new
clients all the time, just from seeing the

things that we're doing.

And like you said,

It really builds a community.

So it's kind of like you're building a
community for your salon or spa and those

people want to be connected to you in
person, not just online.

So it definitely helps keep that retention
rate up and it brings in a lot of new

business.

Yeah, definitely.

It definitely helps.

I love that people can see personalities
through social media, you know, and really

kind of get to know.

I have noticed a difference in people that
find us on social media.

They already feel like they're part of the
family before they ever even step foot

into our door.

I mean, we have clients that come in that
are brand new and they're like besties

with the technicians that they've never
even met before.

So it's really, really, it's really,
really neat to see.

The cool thing about social media is it's
really a digital storefront that is open

24 seven, giving those potential clients a
peek into your world.

And we forget about that.

It runs all night.

People book appointments with us in the
middle of the night all the time now to

where as eight years ago that didn't
happen as much.

You know what I mean?

With the right strategy.

You can use social media to reach a wider
audience than you ever even thought was

possible.

And you can turn curious browsers into
loyal clients almost instantly.

Would you agree with that?

Yeah.

absolutely.

We, yeah, I would have to say something
funny really quick that when you were

saying that our online booking, when we
look at our analytics from our online

booking, almost all of them, like the
highest percentage is after midnight.

And it is, it's people like searching,
looking at our videos in the middle of the

night and then clicking to book online.

So it's really funny how that works.

Yeah, 100%.

I remember when I was doing some analytics
and I started looking at it, that's why I

brought that up a second ago because I was
shocked at the amount of requests that

came in like two o 'clock in the morning
and I'm like, what the heck's going on

here?

But it is, it's all from that social media
and it's really, really cool.

I feel like social media pages are like
the online face of our business.

They reflect.

our personality, they reflect our values,
they reflect our culture, they reflect all

of these things.

So when people visit our pages, they
should immediately, immediately get a

sense of what your business is all about.

We have to start posting content that
looks good, that feels consistent, and

create that strong and memorable brand
identity because without that,

people are going to be confused.

I like to, when I'm talking to my team
about it, I always say, think about

decorating like a window in a boutique.

You know what I mean?

You want everything to look inviting.

You want everything to look cohesive and
it all just needs to flow very, very well.

Your feed on your social media is going to
be the same way.

It's going to help people recognize your
brand.

It's going to help people remember your
brand.

And it's going to make that lasting
impression that keeps them coming back for

more.

With that being said, how do you make sure
that you have that well curated feed that

people recognize?

They know without a doubt, this is
Chandra's brand.

There's no question about it.

Yeah, I mean, we do try to keep all the
posts very cohesive.

And we try to have a very laid out, like
structured posting schedule, right?

So we make sure that we're putting in the
pictures of the hair when we're doing the

pretty hair pictures, all of them sort of
have a similar look.

The background is kind of similar.

The shots are fairly similar.

We try to change it just a little bit here
and there, but for the most part, when you

see any of the pictures on our feed that
are like a hair picture.

There's a similarity to them that looks
like our brand.

And then any of the videos, we try to do
the same thing where we try to keep a

similar personality coming through in
those videos.

So sometimes we might post a funny video,
but it really helps to show people like

that we are fun, we're fun, we're a fun
place to come, you know, so and so it's

just making sure that you're keeping that
fairly consistent.

So you're not just kind of posting a bunch
of random things all over the place.

and it looks disorganized and chaotic.

So you wanna make sure you're posting
things that kind of go together.

So if you have a cover for some of your
stuff, have a similar cover on your videos

or on your posts that all look somewhat
consistent.

That way when people do come, they might
see our videos, right?

If they're scrolling through their own
feed and our videos pop in, they can

recognize, this is from Ohana, like this
is from her salon.

So they stop and watch it because they
know it's our content.

So definitely making sure that you are
keeping that consistent look amongst all

of your posting.

That's what we do.

Yeah, I agree with that.

I think consistency is obviously
important.

It's key, right?

You have to make sure that you're doing
all of that.

Even when it comes to your posting, you
have to post regularly, but you don't want

to overwhelm your followers.

You have to kind of find that sweet spot
that works for you, whether that's daily,

bi -weekly, monthly, weekly, whatever it
is.

And then timing, consistency with the
timing of your posts are going to be very,

very important.

You have to figure out when your audience
is most active.

This is going to just help ensure that
your post gets the engagement that it

needs.

Now, with what you said earlier, I want to
make sure that people don't misinterpret

because variety is important.

Variety is the spice of life.

So you want to mix up your content with
before and after photos, client

testimonials, behind the scenes peaks,
introducing your team and technicians.

You want to show your audience the magic
that happens in your salon.

Like Shandra was saying, it all needs to
look consistent, but you've got to have a

variety of different things.

It's the only way to keep your feed
interesting and showcase different aspects

of your work and of your business,
especially if you have a big team.

Yep, for sure.

So what are some of the things that your
team that you post to make it variety wise

besides some of the things that I
mentioned earlier?

Yeah, I mean, we try to create some sort
of schedule, right?

Like we know we need before and after
photos.

We know we need transformation photos.

We try to make funny videos.

We try to make culture videos.

We try to make videos that are team
oriented.

So let's say like if some of our team
members are doing something really

amazing, we want to showcase them on
there.

So we try to, we always mix it up and have
like a variety of a lot of different

things.

We post product tutorials.

We post.

you know, maybe something from a
manufacturer, video from a manufacturer,

just to kind of keep some of that
cohesiveness with our brand.

And so it's really about making sure that
you have kind of create a list, right?

That's what we do.

We know we need a list of all these
different types of posts, and then we

start making sure we create those on a
weekly, monthly basis so that we have that

content to be able to change it up.

So it's not the same exact thing every
single time.

Viewers are getting different types of
content from us.

every time we're posting.

Yeah, and we're definitely going to get
into that in just a little bit about how

they can create kind of a social media
marketing plan because that's very, very

important.

It's kind of funny.

Social media, honestly, is kind of like a
marriage in some ways.

It's a two -way street if you think about
it.

You have to make sure that as the business
owner, you're responding to comments and

you're responding to messages and all of
those things.

but you have to do it in a very timely
manner, right?

It's that two -way street.

It takes back and forth.

You can't wait a week or two to respond to
somebody.

That's just not going to do you any good.

You have to make sure that you are on the
ball when it comes to your response times,

you know, commenting back, all of those
things.

You have to also make sure that you show
your followers some love because when you

do that, they're going to return the
favor.

So,

For those of you out there thinking you
can simply just make a post and forget it,

that's never going to be the way that your
business is going to grow.

Without interaction like this, this is the
only way, this interaction is the only way

to make people feel valued and to make
them feel more connected to your business,

which is going to boost loyalty and
engagement.

And so it's really, really important.

So keep in mind, it's kind of like dating.

You got to flirt a little bit.

You got to go back and forth.

You've got to respond and you've got to do
those things.

With that being said, Chandra, how do you
make sure that you are communicating, that

you are, you know, showing people on your
feet love, that you are responding, that

you are doing all of those things?

Yeah, I mean, we respond immediately to
anything that comes through.

So I have access to all of our social
media.

So if somebody makes a comment, if
somebody likes a photo, we always reach

out and kind of show them love back.

So either I do it myself when I get those
notifications immediately.

And we have some people on our team too
that help us with our social media.

So if I'm not like getting to it right
away, they know that and they're

immediately commenting or reaching out to
that client.

We get a lot of appointment requests
through our social media messages.

And so we have to stay on top of that all
the time.

So if we'll even have maybe our front
desk, if they've got downtime, go back

through, make sure everything's been
responded to and create kind of a process

so that you know, okay, if I didn't check
at this hour, I got to make sure that if

anything came through that I didn't miss
anything because like you said,

It's all about building that community,
right?

They want to talk to you if they're
commenting or if they're sending messages.

And so if you're not responding, they're
going to kind of lose faith in your

business and think that you don't care.

And so you've really got to make sure that
you are hitting those right away.

And like we talked about those algorithms
a little bit earlier, the algorithm knows

if you leave people sitting.

And so you want to make sure that you're
having that engagement back and forth so

that, you know, those social media
channels know that you're somebody who's

responding and they will help.

push your posts a little bit further when
you do engage with people online.

Yeah, 100%.

So we know that it's important for us as
business owners to post, but I think it's

important that we talk about getting our
clients involved a little bit too.

It's important to get your clients to
share their salon experiences, to tag your

salon or your spa.

And then you, as the salon owner, you can
repost their content and that's going to

help you build a community and kind of
showcase those real life testimonials.

This is super, super important.

It not only provides authentic content,
but it also makes your clients feel

appreciated and involved in the process.

And this is just going to strengthen their
connection to your brand.

This is something that we do all the time.

It is a non -negotiable for my
technicians.

So, and I know you're the same way.

So do you want to talk about that just a
little bit?

How do you encourage your clients to get
involved?

Yeah, I mean, we, we just ask them,
really, we, we tell them, you know, post

this tag us, we might do contests with
people to try to get them excited about

wanting to tag us in their posts.

And they get excited with it.

Sometimes they'll even do little selfies
with the stylists.

Like the, the team members will get
excited about it and be like, here, let's

take a photo.

And then they'll tag it in their social
media and we'll share it.

people get.

We do it so much that we've, you know,
once in a blue moon, I'll say we've missed

something and the client gets upset.

Like, you didn't share my post because
they're so used to seeing us do that.

And so we want to make sure, you know, we
are always doing it.

So we encourage it.

And we've kind of fostered that sort of
culture of sharing those posts and getting

clients excited about it.

Because when we're excited about something
we did on them, they're extra excited

about it.

And they want to tag you in that and post
your work as well and share your stuff.

So we...

We always make sure we're kind of going
back and forth and sharing that in our

stories and talking about, this amazing
client.

Look at like, and, new clients will see
that and they'll, you know, want to come

in for it too.

So definitely encourage that, do contests
or get your team excited.

Cause that's where that's when they do it.

It's the excitement.

So if your team's not excited about it,
then the clients aren't going to be

excited about it either.

So having that excitement going is key.

Yeah, definitely.

I agree with that 100%.

It's a great way to build just trust all
the way around and build credibility.

So I feel like we kind of armed people
with kind of some posting best practices.

Now, I think we should move on to an area
where a lot of people get very confused

and that's capturing effective content.

So how do we go about capturing those eye
catching photos and videos that are just

going to make your social media

pop just a little bit.

I would say one of the number one things
is going to be lighting.

Lighting is everything.

Natural light is going to work wonders.

You have to learn to play with angles and
compositions so that they highlight your

work.

And you've got to remember to use clean
backgrounds so that you're keeping the

focus on your fabulous creations.

I don't know how else to put it.

Make sure everything is tidy, right?

I have gone through social media pages and
I'm like,

my gosh, that's a chaos.

That's a mess.

And it looks very unprofessional.

And one thing I want to say really
quickly, and I will wait for the hate, but

ring lights are awful.

They are not the best for creating
content.

They can create really, really harsh
shadows and unnatural highlights.

I can almost always tell when someone has
used a ring light.

I don't know about you, but.

Yep.

have natural lighting in your space, try
using some diffused, soft diffused

lighting to create a more flattering
natural look, because this is going to

help your work look at its best, more
authentic in my opinion.

So what type of lighting do you use at
your studio?

we really do use most natural light.

We do have a lot of windows, but our
window area is kind of shadowed.

And so it's not a great place to take
photos.

So we always open a door.

We open our front door or we have a back
door, we walk clients over there.

And we always open that door to get that
natural light in.

That is 99 .9 % of the photos that we post
and they come out phenomenal.

You can see every...

accurate color in the hair.

You can see all the hairs and make sure
they're all in the right place.

And at night, sometimes we do them at
night, right?

So you don't always have that opportunity
for the natural light.

And 100 % agree with you, Bree, ring
lights, no go for us either.

They always come out bad.

And I think they do make the color look
weird sometimes.

It doesn't even look like the accurate
color that you're trying to show when it

comes to hair color, things like that.

And so we...

You can get a lot of really great standup
lights on Amazon that are a full light.

They're not just a little ring light with
the shadows.

And if you place like two or three of them
around your client, you can really start

to capture this, a similar lighting to
what it looks like when you're in a

natural light.

And so I would recommend looking for some
lights that are not with the ring, with

the shadows and things like that.

And, doing your research a little bit to
find things that will work for your

business, but natural light hands down is
the best.

but.

Yeah, if you don't have the access to
that, then definitely get some other

lights besides the ring light.

Yeah, I was on the same page with
everyone, you know, I saw ring lights and

studios everywhere, but I used to do
photography.

And so we used box lighting for
everything.

And I had all of my box lighting still.

And so at times when we were capturing
content or doing certain things, I would

take my box lighting up and we were so
impressed with that, that we never bought

another ring light.

Like they, they suck.

I'm sorry, but they suck.

Sorry.

I'm sorry.

All right.

So aside from lighting, we've got to talk
about editing.

And there are many great apps out there
that are going to enhance your photos and

videos and things like that.

You've got Lightroom, Canva, InShot,
Cap...

I mean, there are so many out there.

It's not even funny.

But people, just make a few tweaks.

These tools are only there to help polish
your visuals and make them more appealing.

Editing...

can be overdone.

It is so easy to go overboard and over
editing.

It can make your images look unnatural.

It can distract from the real beauty of
your work if you're not careful.

So you want to make sure that you're
sticking to subtle adjustments that

enhance rather than transform your photos.

So aim for more of that natural look that
stays true to what your clients see and

look like in person.

This honesty is, it's your, it's just,
it's honest, right?

Like people bring in photos all the time
and I'm like, that's Photoshopped, like

for inspiration pictures.

If you aren't honest with your work,
you're not going to be able to build trust

with your audience.

So what apps do you guys use and how picky
are you on editing of the photos?

Yeah, we actually don't edit any of our
photos, none of them.

We don't edit any of them.

We do use CapCut for videos for when we're
editing any kind of reels and things like

that.

We usually use CapCut a lot.

And actually, Instagram even has some new
editing tools that work really, really

well for editing videos.

But.

As far as photos go, we are very
transparent and we don't edit any of them.

We don't even adjust the lighting in the
picture because I think you can tell.

And when you do start looking through a
lot of, when you start noticing the

unedited photos versus the edited photos,
it really starts to make your feed look

bad because people can see that, see right
through that and they can tell that that

doesn't look accurate.

It looks weird.

And so we actually, we don't edit any of
our photos.

But definitely videos, if you're shooting
reels, sometimes you have to edit.

But even the videos, we don't
aesthetically edit anything.

We just edit certain things to make the
videos speed up or things like that.

But aesthetically, they're all raw.

I love it.

I think that's so, so, so important.

So we've talked a little bit about the
lighting, right?

The apps that you can use for your videos.

We've talked about over -editing.

Now I think we need to talk about
captions.

So creating compelling captions on social
media, it involves a few key strategies to

ensure that your posts are engaging and
that they're memorable.

This is very, very important.

Please do not leave the caption empty,
whatever you do.

Don't do it.

Yeah.

let's talk about captions for just a
second.

Let's talk about what you put into a
caption, why it's important, and how you

can engage your audience with these
captions as you're doing that.

So go for it.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Caption is super important.

I mean, the way that I kind of view it is
we should, you have to keep them kind of

short.

They shouldn't be like a whole big old
paragraph of something.

Definitely keeping them sort of short and
to the point.

So if you're describing your photo, let's
say, you know, you could put a fun name

with a, for example, if it's a hair color
and it could be like, you know, mocha

swirl brown or something like that, like
make it fun and kind of engaging, but

don't, don't make it sound robotic.

You definitely want to make it sound like
it's coming from you.

I know a lot of people are using a lot of
the AI platforms and things like that.

And sometimes we'll use those to get an
idea of what to post if you're having like

a day where you're blank and you're like,
I don't know what to call this or what to

say.

You can use those platforms to kind of
give you ideas, but definitely change that

to sound more like it's your brand and
coming from you.

And make those captions have sometimes a
call to action.

Like that's, you know, if you want to get
engagement from people, like engage with

people, ask them like, you know, would you
love this hair color or try to get

engagement for people to comment or to
leave a message to you for something.

so having a call to action, there is
another really good, tool that you can

use.

And I also think having keywords.

So don't, don't go crazy, but like if you
put Bollyage into your caption, that helps

the algorithm know what you're trying to
promote and trying to say.

So make sure your captions also include
what your picture's about.

Don't just put like, look at this amazing,
you know, mocha swirl on my client or

something, but outputting like a balayage
or look at this beautiful highlight or,

you know, stuff like that is going to get
you more engagement because it's going to

tell the algorithm what it is people are
searching for.

And those posts will have those keywords
in there.

So really, you know, try to keep it short
and simple, try to keep it, you know,

sounding like yourself and.

do a little bit of description and add
that call to action.

Like that would be my biggest, you know,
key things to add into those captions.

100 % social media users, they often skim
through content very, very quickly.

So you want to make sure that your message
is clear and it is impactful without the

unnecessary fluff.

That is the way that I always phrase it
when I'm talking to my employees, because

so often I go through captions and it's
like fluff, fluff, fluff, fluff.

And I'm like, I don't have time to read
all of that.

I don't have time.

Literally you have one and a half seconds.

two seconds tops to grab the attention of
whoever is scrolling through.

So it's got to speak volumes very, very
quickly.

Something else that you want to think
about is those researching those popular

hashtags in your industry.

Make sure you're including those in your
captions.

Now I am not going to lie to you.

Some people say don't use more than five
because it will mess up the algorithm.

I have been to a million social media
classes.

Some people say 10, some people say 15,
some people say five.

I don't know what the real answer is.

So just research the best you can and
figure that out.

But you've got to grab their attention
very, very quickly and don't put a bunch

of fluff in there.

So I want to talk really quickly about
highlighting clients on social media.

I think that's a really, really fantastic
way to showcase our work, to build trust,

to engage the audience.

So.

How do you go about creating compelling
client highlights?

Like, what do you do?

Let's say before and after photos.

We know that those are good, right?

To visually demonstrate the change and
things of that nature.

Testimonials, those are good.

What is maybe an outline of how you guys
post those things or how you make those

work for you?

Yeah.

So we kind of set those up so that we kind
of tell a little bit of a story sometimes

too, for that client.

And so that helps also get some engagement
as you're kind of telling a little bit of

a story through that transformation of
their hair.

And so when you're kind of outlining that,
you want to make sure you're capturing a

really good before, you know, maybe
capturing a really good after as to why,

how does that client feel now?

Like make sure you can put that in there.

If they feel like really amazing and
really great.

You want to include that stuff in your
transformation because people really feel

that coming through in your social media
post.

And so they want to feel like, I want to
feel like this person.

They're so excited and happy now.

And so you want to make sure you're
outlining your posts so that it's not just

a plain old like, look at this
transformation before after done.

Like you want to get those clients
engaging with it as well and get them

sharing it as well.

we just did a makeover story that was
really kind of a fun idea.

I can share with you guys where.

We did a contest where we took in some
clients, people nominated clients for, or

just people, didn't have to be a client,
but someone for a makeover.

And cause we're trying to get more
creative with those transformations.

And we told her story online and it got so
much engagement and she had really was

very deserving of that makeover.

So trying to be creative too, and coming
up with ways that you can get engagement.

from the people that you're working on in
that chair that day, or from an audience

of strangers to kind of feel compelled to
want to click on those photos and want to

click on those before and after videos.

And when you outline it that way, I think
it makes a really big difference where

it's not just a plain old, here, look at
this change I did that day.

You want to have it be somewhat
compelling.

And we try to do that with most of our
transformations.

Yeah, that's awesome.

I actually meant to tell you because I
know that like I kind of gave you that

idea of the, you know, drawing and stuff
like that.

I saw that on your social media and I
thought that it was so heartwarming.

And I meant to mention that to you, that
is awesome.

And I commend you for doing that because
it was phenomenal, but it worked well for

us and people just have to learn to think
outside of the box, right?

When it comes to those things.

So,

Yeah.

doing with your large team is amazing.

And that was very heartwarming.

And I think that you guys are going to get
a lot of engagement further on and you're

just going to be able to build off of that
moving forward.

So it was super amazing.

Just want to throw that out there really
quickly.

All right.

So now we've got the content.

Yeah, it's so fun.

The first time that I did it, I did it for
Mother's Day and I wanted all moms are

important.

don't get me wrong, but I wanted to
provide a single mom with something.

Or I just, you know, a lot of times they
don't get the self care and the self love.

And so we did it.

I'm telling you girl, I sat there for
hours reading the nominations and I went

through five boxes of clinics.

Like it was that heart wrenching when I
did it like seven years ago.

So very, very cool, very, very great way
to kind of build something.

And we used to do it every year.

We haven't done it in a while, but
definitely glad you tried it because it's

awesome.

So now that we've kind of got the content
creation down, it's time to develop what

Chandra was talking about earlier.

And that is the social media marketing
plan, because that's really what's going

to tie everything together for you.

It's the only way to get consistent,
right?

So first things first, you have to think
about what do you want to achieve with

your social media?

That's going to be one of the first
questions to ask.

Is it brand awareness?

Is it client bookings?

Is it product sales?

Like what is the main things that you want
to achieve?

And then you have to identify those clear
objectives when it comes to that.

So you want to set specific and realistic
goals that are going to guide your efforts

in that.

Knowing your main focus is going to help
you to be able to tailor your content and

your strategy to meet those targets
effectively.

So we always at the Beauty Biz Agency,

Talk about smart goals, right?

Specific, measurable, achievable,
relevant, time bound.

I think I got them all there.

But those things are going to ensure that
your targets are clear and that they are

trackable.

All right?

Because posting on social media is just
not something you do.

It should give you data.

Every decision you make in your business
should be trackable.

It should give you some sort of data.

so that you can make decisions moving
forward.

With that being said, let's first talk
about the goals that you set for your

salon and how you track those when it
comes to social media, and then we'll talk

about a content calendar.

Yeah, so we actually have gotten to a
point where we do set a lot of goals at

one time.

And I think, you know, in the beginning,
if you're just starting out, just focus on

one or two.

But what we do is like, we have engagement
as a goal.

We want to hit a certain amount of
engagement or increase by a certain amount

of engagement.

And so for instance, we might create,
we'll sit down and brainstorm content.

What's going to be the most content to
give us engagement on social media?

So we might think of.

some funny videos.

These aren't necessarily gonna be videos
that are gonna bring in a ton of clients

or going to boost other parts of our
social media, but they might give us

engagement.

People will comment, people will share,
people will like and all of those things.

And so we set those goals and then we
create, okay, well, how much do we wanna

increase this by?

Let's say we wanna increase our engagement
by 10 % with this post.

And then we'll measure it by...

We track it, we track it on our social
media channels, like the analytics are on

there.

You can look in Instagram or Facebook and
you can see exactly how your posts are

performing.

And so we track those specific posts that
we're working on for that goal.

And we see if we're hitting those numbers,
if we're getting that engagement, because

if we're not, then we're doing something
wrong.

So then it's time to kind of back off and
be like, okay, how do we adjust these

videos or these posts so that we're
getting that engagement that we're trying

to reach?

And so definitely, you know,

for stuff for engagement, things like that
are good.

We'll set goals for say, you know,
bookings, like we're trying to increase

the amount of clients booking online.

So then we might create some posts that
are geared for services that will put the

call to action for online booking.

So we can track that.

So if we post something and we're showing
a specific service, then we know that

people are booking online when we can see
that those analytics are going up as we're

running those posts.

And so you really want to create, set
those goals and then,

Create how you're going to track on, like
you were saying, like making sure, okay,

don't let it go too long because if you're
creating a bunch of content that's not

working, you want to change it up before
you waste a bunch of time on a lot of

those posts that don't work.

So creating those goals and really
tracking them, making sure they're working

and staying on top of it is what's going
to be the most successful when it comes to

trying to reach any goal that you're
setting for your business.

But that's how we do it.

Yeah, I would agree.

So let's just put it in perspective just a
little bit.

Let's say that you are looking for post
engagement.

That's what you're looking for.

You are a KPI that you're tracking is
sales revenue and then follower count.

You want to be sure that you're tracking
all of those different things, right?

So those three things you're paying close
attention to.

You also want to be sure that as you're
going through and tracking this stuff,

that you look out for red flags.

Like if you are posting consistently the
way that you're supposed to.

and you have zero new clients that are
coming in, you've got to look at that and

see what's going on.

If you have a sudden drop in follower
count, you've got to look at that and see

what's going on.

I don't mean like three followers, right?

But like a drastic drop in follower count.

If you have a really, really low
engagement, you've got to look and see

kind of what's going on and make some
moves, make some changes.

The one thing that I will say is as you
start adjusting or making those changes,

be very, very careful because if you
change too many things, you're never going

to know what actually worked and what
didn't.

So be conscious in all of those decisions
that you're making as you're tracking.

But I think Chandra said it best, if you
are not tracking your social media right

now, think of about two or three main
goals or main KPIs that you can track,

start there and then work your way further
in depth.

Now,

Let's talk about a content calendar
because it can be your best friend.

This can save a lot of stress if you plan
your post in advance to ensure that you're

having that balanced mix of promotional
and value driven content, right?

It's going to help you stay organized,
consistent.

You want to be able to have a little bit
of everything.

It's going to make you...

Stay on top of things the way that you
have to with social media a lot better.

There are some tools that you can use like
Trello, Google Calendar.

There's all kinds of stuff that'll help
you like visualize it and see it and make

sure that you're staying on top of it.

But this is an area that I see commission
salon as well owner struggle with when it

comes to social media.

And,

They just, they don't want to plan things
out.

So how do you go about planning yours out
or creating that content calendar?

Yeah.

So we use a Google like spreadsheet.

We use a Google sheet and we, cause then
we can share that amongst our team as

well.

So they know, you know, we're trying to
get content for this or this, and they,

they need to also be responsible for
shooting it.

So we use that Google spreadsheet and
share that with them.

And then we create a calendar of posts we
need.

So we know we need X amount of
transformation posts per month.

We need X amount of fun videos per month.

We need X amount of pretty hair videos per
month.

We need, you know, we come up with a.

You know, we need product tutorials.

We need this many, we need this many
service tutorials.

And then we start laying them out on that
calendar.

So we know, okay, you know, this week
we're going to post a transformation, a

product tutorial, a fun video, a team info
post or whatever that looks like.

and so we start creating that calendar for
the whole month and then we share that

with our team.

So we know that we need to capture those
videos from them while they're working or

if they have downtime or whatever that
looks like on their end.

But they're very clear on exactly what we
need.

And so you have to plan it out for a month
like that, at least a month ahead of time,

because if you don't, you're not going to
have any posts and then your, your content

is going to start getting inconsistent.

And you want to feel like you're ready.

You know, if you've got all this stock of
posts sitting there, ready to go, then

it's easy.

You just pop them in there this day and
you know, kind of get that done and you

don't have to be stressing about it all
the time.

So that's, that's kind of how we do our
calendar.

And it works really, really well.

Mm -hmm.

Yeah, so I agree with that.

I would highly recommend for those of you
that are towards the beginning of the

year, try to come up with somewhat of a
plan for the 12 months, then break it down

into quarters and come up with major
things throughout those quarters, and then

break it down to your 30 day content or
content calendar.

It's a great way to do it.

But as you get into it a little bit
further in depth, you'll be able to do

that.

And then it becomes a breeze.

It really, really does.

It's like anything else.

All right, we have to talk about this
really quickly before we get done for the

day.

But one of the areas that I see people
push back on all the time as we're

coaching owners of salons and spas is
getting their teams involved.

We have to allow our teams to get involved
in this process because it can be a huge

boost to our online presence.

People are so scared to get their staff
involved because they don't

trust them, they don't maybe like what
they're going to post, they don't, I don't

know.

But commission salon and spa owners are
terrified to allow their team to get

involved.

And I think that they are doing themselves
a disservice.

I think that our team members can help us
out tremendously when it comes to this.

You have to set clear guidelines.

I can't talk.

To help maintain that consistency and the
professionalism, you want to make sure

that everyone understands how to represent
your business online, including things

like the type of content to share,
appropriate language, how to engage with

followers.

That is something that they have to be
trained on, but they have to be involved.

So how do you go about making sure that
your team is involved with your social

media posting and social media in general?

Yeah, I think in the beginning it was a
little hard, you know, because I felt like

I was pushing them up a hill sometimes
trying to get them to do it.

But after a while we really just created
that as part of our culture.

Like I don't really even have to try
anymore.

They're excited to make those videos or to
do those posts.

And we did the same thing.

They have a very kind of a guideline that
they have to follow.

Like, and in the beginning, if they send
me, if we get hair photos that are...

questionable, like that's tangly or it
doesn't look nice, you know, we won't post

it and we'll work with them to train them
on the best way to do it so that it looks

good.

But I don't even, I, I'm not a social
media person.

I don't even really like social media.

I wouldn't be on it if I didn't have to
be.

So I rely on them.

I need them to come up with those content
with that fun stuff.

And they come up with some stuff that I
think is hilarious or amazing.

And I would have never even thought ever
to post.

And so once you start giving them that
little bit of leeway and loosening up that

rope a little bit, they can start getting
really creative and start putting out some

really fun content.

And you just keep it within the guidelines
that you want because especially the newer

generations of stylists that we have
coming in, that's their world.

They know how to do it better than
anybody.

So if we give them that job and say, Hey,
you want to do social media videos there?

They think it's fun.

They think it's exciting.

I don't have to keep pushing anybody up
the hill anymore.

And so I think if you can start really
creating that, letting them be creative,

letting them come up with some posts or
giving them that opportunity to have their

own ideas, then it becomes easy.

You don't have to be stressed and you have
to trust them.

That's, that's number one.

Like you can't hang onto that.

Like, I don't want them doing this, or I
don't want them to have access to these

things because you've got to be able to
trust them and know that they're going to

do a good job.

So train them, give them the guidelines
and then let them run.

Well, and I don't think it's just about
trusting them on what they're going to

post.

It's about trusting them in general,
right?

So many commission salon and spa owners
are scared that their employees are going

to start building their own brand by being
able to post on social media, right?

They're building their own brand that
they're going to take with them, but that

is why your culture is so important.

So without building your culture, nothing
else is going to matter.

So,

whether they're posting on social media or
not for you or with you or whatever, if

your culture is not intact and amazing,
things are going to happen anyway.

And so it's time for us commission salon
and spa owners to open up a little bit, to

hand over a little bit of trust, to
believe in our team as much as we want

them to believe in us.

It's time to revolutionize the way that we
think.

And I mean, crap happens.

It's life, right?

People quit jobs every single day.

People leave jobs every single day.

It is what it is.

We have to do the best that we can do to
build our brands and give our teams

everything that they deserve.

All right.

With that being said, today was a journey.

Today was a journey.

We talked about the importance of social
media, best practices for posting,

capturing effective content, developing
kind of a marketing plan.

getting your team involved.

We talked about measuring the success
some.

I feel like we've given people a lot of
tools to take their social media game

really to the next level.

So now all they have to do is put these
tips into action.

They need to start planning their next
post, involve their team, keep an eye on

those analytics.

And don't forget, if you need more
guidance, you can always reach out to the

Beauty Biz agency because we're here to
help you every step of the way.

Now, before we wrap up, Chandra, do you
have any final tips or words of

encouragement for our listeners who are
just starting to ramp up their social

media efforts?

I think just start doing it and don't kind
of be afraid of it or be anti -social

media.

Cause I definitely was and still sometimes
can be, and it hinders the growth of the

business when I am not focused on that.

So it had to become a part of my life and
a part of what I do on a regular basis,

even though it wasn't something I really
wanted.

So I think.

I see a lot of salon owners kind of put it
on the back burner and try to ignore it

and pretend like it's not there.

But in this day and age, like in the way
that things are with technology, if you do

not have a stellar presence on there, it's
going to hurt you and it's going to hurt

you really bad.

So definitely just embrace it and start
doing it.

That's my best advice.

Yeah, I agree with that 100%.

I mean, I was honest at the beginning of
this.

I was the same way.

Like I hate social media.

I don't like any part of it.

And I will be completely honest.

There are even times where my team will
post something and I'm like, what are they

like?

What are they thinking?

What are they doing?

However, I mean, it's never, you know,
horrible.

I'm just like, it's not something that I
would have ever posted or put on there.

Maybe it's a trend on TikTok that they
know about that I don't.

And so I see it and I'm like,

crap, crap.

But the engagement is insane.

And so we have to be able to allow them to
teach us just a little bit because that's

what it's all about.

So I mean, that's a wrap, guys.

Thank you so much for kicking it with us
on Salon Swagger.

Now go out there, create some killer
content and make some boss moves because

that's what's important.

Do not forget to subscribe to our podcast
for strategies.

interviews with industry experts and these
amazing in -depth discussions that Chandra

and I have.

If you have any topics that you would like
us to cover in future episodes, you can

reach out to us.

Chandra, how do they do that?

Reach out to us on social media, like
we've been talking about.

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

Send us a message if there's anything you
would like to have us do an episode on.

We would love to do that.

You can also reach out to us by email at
admin at the beautybizagency .com.

Yeah, definitely visit our website, www
.thebeautybusagency .com.

We have some amazing free resources and
some strategies that you can implement

immediately to level up your studio.

With that being said, until next time,
keep slaying those business goals with

style, sass, and a whole lot of swagger.