If your social media strategy is subpar or even nonexistent, it’s time you take a look at the power of what social media can do for you. Social media is here to stay, and it’s time you get excited about its power of connection and business growth. Don’t be scared; we’re about to tell you exactly how to do it.
1. Know your why.
Have a purpose and set intentions for why you are getting involved. Some hair professionals have a social media presence to help reinforce the client experience they provide and show it to potential clients. Others have social media accounts to connect with other hairstylists to help reinforce their reputation. There are also platforms licensed professionals use to share their education on techniques—how-to videos, formulas, and new trends. There are also some platforms used to connect with clients and share before-and-after pics. Some questions you can also yourself to figure out your why may be:
- What am I good at?
- What makes me happy?
- How do I make money?
For example, if you’re a rock star at color techniques and sharing your foil patterns and formulas is what you’re good at, then that’s a great way to start sharing your knowledge on social media.
2. Share only your why.
Most people on social media will start going down rabbit holes after some time. For example—you start a social media page sharing your awesome color techniques. People start following you because they see value in what you are sharing and why. It educates them, and they like watching what you are doing. When people start following you, they do it for the main reason of what piques their interest about you. When you start branching out and sharing topics or ideas that do not target your audience, you are likely to lose followers. Ask yourself: Who’s this for? What’s this for? If the content is speaking to the audience you want to speak to and saying what you got on social media to say (your why), share it. And share content like it. Don’t muddle your social media presence with content that doesn’t serve your why.
3. Build an audience that appreciates your why.
Garnering a huge following of random people is pointless; they will never fulfil your why. Having a following of any size that’s your tribe (people who appreciate your why) is far more fruitful. Think about an entire stadium of strangers that came to watch a football game. They are there because they want to watch the game—not see a ballet. This is the same concept of your followers and your why. They want to see what content you share based on your why. When you have a social media community of people who appreciate your why, they become your tribe. To your tribe, your marketing can say, “People like us do things like this,” and they will understand they are the “people like us” and they will want to “do things like this,” a.k.a. the behaviors you want them to do—like booking an appointment, purchasing a product, signing up for your class, etc. Build this audience by continuously sharing only the content that supports your why, using strategic hashtags to represent the content so your tribe can find it. And don’t be afraid to reach out to your IRL (in real life) network and ask them to help share your content and cross-promote. Don’t just wait for your social network to grow. Get in there and engage, look around, comment, and make your presence known. .png)
4. Create a strong emotional connection to your why.
People on social media are seeking someone they can look to for guidance, a trusted friend, or someone that they can connect with—not just a product or service. A connection must be made, and a loyalty built before you can sell or ask for anything. If your social media presence is nothing but smoke and mirrors, people will see through it. Let people get to know the real you in order to establish a true connection. Many top social media influencers will keep their website clean and professional but share insights into their life through Instagram or Facebook stories, which are temporary. That’s a story worth making a remark about, a story your clients or followers will want to share. Dig deep; you have one! Consumers can get a haircut anywhere, but what is the story behind you and yours? That is something your client will repeat and refer their friends to, especially when it coincides with the lifestyle they want to have.
5. Fulfill your why.
You are on social media for a reason, right? Always remember your why. Don’t get caught up in the likes and follower count; that’s all for vanity. Treat it like a hobby and it will pay like a hobby. Treat it like a career and it will pay like a career. Only after you’ve established why you have a social media presence, posted only content that supports that why, attracted your tribe, and built a genuine connection with them—only then can you expect your social media following to give you business. Just as the conversation should happen in person, begin by offering what you bring to the table and clients will want to join you.
Many of us think using social media for our business must be hard because only a select few are really excelling at it. Don’t let this incredible, free, business-building tool’s potential go to waste. With a focus on your authentic why and a lot of persistence, you can make social media work for you.