5 Social Media Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Social media is a fun and effective marketing tool. It’s a great way to open up dialog with your clients and share what’s going on with your salon. But it’s also easy to fall into bad habits. Here are five common social media mistakes and how to avoid them.

1. NOT ENGAGING WITH YOUR AUDIENCE

Social media is not a one-way street. It’s all about the conversation. The whole point of social media is interacting with your community online. It’s easy to stay in touch, share information and get to know people. Don’t set up your accounts and forget about them. Make sure that you share interesting information, post pictures, ask questions (and respond to questions), and request feedback. Your followers will be happy to share their thoughts, and you’ll gain important insight into the wants and needs of your clients.

2. LACKING PASSION AND POSITIVITY

If you’re not excited about your salon and your work, your followers won’t be either. Approach your online world the same way you approach your work in your salon – with professionalism, positivity and full of passion. Your digital attitude will not only represent how you handle the day-to-day interactions in your salon; it will become contagious to your followers.

3. OVER-SELLING

Nothing get older than constant sales pitches. Your followers want to know what’s going on with your salon. They want to see pictures of your work and hear about your promotions. They want to know if your hours are changing or if you just received a shipment of exciting new products. But getting dumped on with promotional messaging is annoying. Keep your online promotion steady but sporadic. Make sure that you share other kinds of content, too.

4. NOT ENOUGH CONTENT

Your audience is just like Goldilocks. They don’t want too much from you, and they don’t want too little. Strike a perfect balance by regularly updating your accounts with relevant information and responding to your clients’ posts and questions. Don’t set up your social media accounts and then drop off the face of the earth! Set a goal for yourself to sit down and respond to followers and post new content at least once a week.

5. NO PLAN IN PLACE

Figure out what you want to get out of social media, draw up a plan, and stick to it! Make sure that your social media messages adhere to your brand and your mission statement. Don’t put anything out there that doesn’t completely reflect you and your salon. Also remember that you can’t be everywhere, and you shouldn’t try to be. You’re a busy professional, and social media should enhance your marketing strategy without causing stress. Figure out which channels of social media work best for you, and set out to really take advantage of them. Maybe you just want a Facebook page, or you think Instagram would be a worthwhile addition. Whichever it is, don’t feel like you have to jump on every new social media avenue out there. Focus on the 1-2 platforms that you feel most comfortable with and take it from there.