Increase your bookings through social media in under 5 minutes
The Law of Attraction - the ability to attract into our lives whatever we are focusing on.
While this may be a great philosophy to apply to your relationships, everyday life and dealing with hardships, this is absolutely the wrong way to run a business. So why are you applying this to your salon? Your salon decor is beautiful, your regular clients keep returning and everything seems to be looking after itself. But times have changed - and your marketing plan might need to be updated to keep up.
Social Media is your new shop window
Really think about it - what are you trying to achieve with the effort that you are investing in social media, and do your actions match your goals?
You don’t need to be told that people are spending more time at home, and less time walking around discovering your salon - especially now the weather is getting colder. Why bother going to the cinema when you can get the blankets out, get on the sofa and fire up Netflix? This means that your marketing strategy may need to be updated to combat this shift in consumer behavior. If you already have your business's social media set up and running, you are 70% of the way there already, but the real key is having great conversion. Conversion is the point at which your marketed audience performs the desired action. So what is your desired action then? Really think about it - what are you trying to achieve with the effort that you are investing in social media, and do your actions match your goals?
Some common themes/ traps with social media relate to chasing “engagement”. Engagement is super important metric (read about it on our blog post), however it shouldn't become a distraction from your overarching marketing goals. Would you rather 10 more likes per picture or one extra new loyal client? A lot of salons that we have spoken to have a crystal clear marketing goal - “get discovered by local people, and turn them into new clients”. However, their conversion rate is low due to having a leaky sales funnel, and a poor call to action.
Call to Action
“Link in bio” We have seen every influencer on Instagram write this at the bottom of their posts showing off the latest skinny tea or teeth whitener. This is a direct call to action, and although often parodied there is a reason why it persists - because it works. The influencers goal is to get people from their Instagram page, into the shop where the product or subscription is sold. Your goal is to get people discovering your social page, sat in your salon. Instagram in particular is constricted as it does not allow hyperlinks on particular posts or stories so you have to make the best of the framework provided, which means use that bio wisely. So at the end of every picture say those magic words. "Booking link in bio.”
Cut the Friction
This is key. The best way you can optimise your social channels is to have a clear and concise path to get your audience to do what you want. If you want to get them into the salon, then the thing you should absolutely be pushing is “BOOK NOW”. Not a link to a website, not a phone number, not an inspirational quote. You want that individual to book an appointment there and then. Having a link to a website may seem like a good idea, however it can bring problems of its own, and at a minimum it is an extra step to drop out on, before the potential clients discovers how to make a booking. This is the most important part of any social media marketing strategy looking to get new clients, however it is too often overlooked.
Take bookings through social in 5 minutes
With Beu, we allow clients to book individual stylists direct through your social media. We give every stylist unique URL which clients can use to book appointments, without ever having to leave Instagram or Facebook. Try Beu now for free to see how this small change will improve your conversion rate. It only takes 5 minutes to get set up.