Long gone are the days whereby a feature in the local business directory, or a simple advertisement in the weekly newspaper were the most effective ways to promote your nail salon business. In 2018, salon businesses need to have a dedicated social media presence to help attract new clients and build up a loyal community.
We have already touched upon the best ways to create a successful Facebook page for your salon and here we are sharing the best ways to leverage Instagram for the benefit of your business.
Related: How to attract new clients through social media with Not Another Salon
Why Instagram?
Instagram is by nature a visual medium. Because of this, it has the potential to reach a wide audience, making it an ideal platform to showcase the beautiful and creative nail art that is coming out of your business. With over 25+ million business profiles worldwide and 200 million+ Instagram users visiting at least 1 business profile a day – your nail salon business will be in good company on Instagram.
We recommend setting up an Instagram for businesses page which will allow you to:
- Monitor your page’s activity
- See insights into to how your posts perform
- Discover the best times to post
- See where your followers are from
It is worth taking the time to study this information carefully to understand your audience/followers, who they are and what interests them.
What should I be posting on Instagram?
We strongly recommend that all creative nail salons showcase their own nail work on Instagram. Not only can you show off the vast breadth of skills pouring out of your salon, but you can also show the diverse range of services that you offer. It’s okay to feature a polished French manicure next to a bright ombre stiletto nail – You never quite know what your audience are looking for! If you happen to be uploading other people’s work, perhaps for inspiration or to talk about the colour or technique used- always be sure to credit and tag the source of the image.
How will I attract a following on Instagram?
To build that all important reach, we recommend posting content regularly at the times your audience are most engaged. (You can find this info in your Instagram insights tab that we mentioned above)
In order to round up your homegrown content, create a library by engaging your nail technicians in your new Instagram venture. Persuade them to take a quick snap of any nail work they’re particularly proud of. The more content you have, the more engaged your audience will be as they know they can expect consistent, quality content from your feed.
Hashtags
Hashtags are incredibly useful for when it comes to people far and wide finding your content. Instagram allows you to have 30 hashtags per post, though we recommend using 4-5 relevant hashtags describing what your post is about – For example if you’ve created some wicked nail art use the #nailart hashtag or if you’ve worked on acrylic or gel nails use #gelsnails – other hashtags such as #stilettonails or #nailsonfleek are popular with users looking for nail related content. We also recommend using hashtags relevant to the products you’ve used – you can even tag the brand in your picture to attract their attention and give your post some extra weight.
Competitions
Competitions are also a useful way to attract new followers and improve the engagement on your posts. Can’t think what to run? You could ask your existing followers to post a picture on their own timeline of their favourite nail look that your salon has created in order to win a free nail treatment. Make sure they tag your page so that their followers know who you are! You never know, they may be inclined to check you out as well.
Related: The business of nails with Sharmadean Reid of WAH London
Instagram stories…
Bring your salon culture to life by utilising the ‘stories’ option on your account. You could showcase nail treatments in process, client before and afters, or staff profiles introducing themselves and your salon to your audience. This personable approach allows existing and future clients to get a flavour for the kind of nail salon that you are.
Make time for Instagram…
We appreciate that updating Instagram can be time consuming – we always recommend nominating a dedicated person to upload the content on a daily basis – perhaps your front desk receptionist could lend a hand? And whilst it can take some time to get into the routine of using the platform, Instagram truly has the ability to make a difference to engagement with your brand whilst spreading the word about the fantastic work that you do!
Time for more? Setting the right mood in your beauty treatment rooms | Brand spotlight with Zalon Pro | Brand Spotlight with Beauty Pro
