Taking the Red Carpet Social - Creating Hype During Award Season

A shiny statue, fabulous dress and of course, amazing hair equals award season…and your salon is no exception! On the heels of the announcement of our Salon Today 200 honorees, or in conjunction with any other local or awards your salon might have received, it’s time shout your success from the chair! Let’s face it, you work hard day in and day out, making others feel beautiful, and it’s perfectly acceptable to turn your nod into an opportunity to share your story and add a little touch of viral hype.

How you ask? The two-word answer is social media!

Create a simple social media campaign to gain viral-cred, capture new clients – AND, turn the tables on your amazing team. The award gives you a reason to mix it up and offer fun incentives, ask for recommendations and spotlight your talented teams to make them part of your salon’s social brand.

So, it’s time to get social and head to your favorite platform to do so.Here are a few quick steps and some great ideas from our team at Evoke Brands:

1. Get Personal: Mix it up and share what we call ‘hidden gems’ of content. Because social media is all about the human touch (remember, people connect with humans – not logos!),feature tidbits about your staff, share a unique story of what inspires them or makes them tick. It’s OK to showcase the softer side of their personalities, that’s what makes them so unique.

For example, theme a Facebook campaign around featuring the creative stylists “behind the award”. To execute, snap candid shots of your stylists and share their daily inspirations, or ‘thank you speeches’ like the celebrities give when they have won an award (no crying allowed!).Post these images twice a week on your Facebook wall, along with a few exclusive “red carpet” offers to your clients as a thank you for their continued support.

2. Ask For Feedback! Constructive feedback and recommendations are at the heart of making your salon the ‘best of the best.’ Continue that momentum by outreaching to your network, asking them to recommend or ‘share the love’ for their stylist on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Be sure to reward them with goodies for recommendations – perhaps gift cards, or freebies.

We recently executed a very successful campaign for Visible Changes salons in Texas, utilizing this strategy – and within the first week, they had almost 500 recommendations…talk about taking your salon viral. Keep in mind, recommendations on social networks are shared with your clients networks a well. By encouraging your clients to comment or post on your behalf only contributes to more people knowing about your salon’s greatness.

3. Expand to other networks: I’m a big believer in finding your ‘social persona’ and mastering one platform well before you can grow and expand your brand to other platforms. Keep in mind you don’t have to be all things to all people. If you’re more of what we call a #SassySocialite, perhaps Facebook is your platform of choice. But, if you find yourself curating images and finding beauty in everyday visuals, maybe you should capitalize on Instagram. You can use the above ideas as a jumping off point then expand them on other networks that you are currently using.

4. Join The Conversation: You know the saying; two heads are better than one, right? In social media’s case – having your team contribute with ideas is the best way to develop amazing content. When working with clients, we always encourage salons to make social media part of   their weekly staff meeting by asking your stylists and staff to get involved.

Congrats, and best of luck building your social brand this season!  The more positive recommendations and chatter you have on social platforms, the more likely you are to gain new clients. Make it a team effort by motivating and involving your staff to help promote your efforts in the salon!