The Power of the #Selfie

Selfie: Noun

A photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website. A word that has been named the 2013 word of the year by the Oxford dictionary, selfies are nothing less than a social phenomenon. With everyone from Barack Obama to Ellen DeGeneres getting in on the action, selfies have exploded into one of the biggest social media trends in recent history. Selfies are no longer just a silly time-waster; they can be harnessed as a marketing tool for savvy brands. And the salon industry might be one of the best industries to employ the power of the selfie. I don’t know about you, but the first thing I do when I leave the salon is snap a selfie to share with my friends. It’s fun to show off a new ‘do!

Get Your Clients Involved

It’s a wonderful idea to encourage clients to share selfies before they leave their appointment, whether on Facebook or Instagram. Selfies taken by your clients showcase your talent in a very real way. Customers who are excited to share their new look with the world are the best possible advertising for your business. Looking at selfies also gives prospective clients a peek into your various skills and style. When a client posts a selfie, ask them to tag your salon and include a hashtag or two that you choose. Hashtags are words or short phrases preceded by a hash (#) that designate a specific topic. If you search for hashtags on social media sites, all the posts with that hashtag will come up in your search. Hashtags that are short and sweet work best.

For example, #solaselfie is a great way to categorize selfies taken at any Sola Salon Studios boutique salon. You’ll want to pick something more specific to you. Feel free to use multiple hashtags on a post, but don’t get carried away because too many can distract from your photo. You can also share selfies of your clients on your own social media channels. Ask your clients to take before and after selfies with your phone, and share them side-by-side on Facebook or Instagram (with your clients’ permission, of course). Pic Stitch is a great app you can use to create before and after collages.

Host a Promotion

If you have targeted goals, like booking more appointments or selling more products, a selfie campaign can help you reach those goals. Say, for example, that you want to sell more products. Offer customers a percentage off their purchase if they post a selfie holding the product they are buying and tag your salon. Not only will your client be encouraged to purchase the product because of the discount, all of your client’s followers will see that your salon sells that particular product. They’ll also see that your client is so happy with your salon’s selection that he or she is posting about it. If your goal is to attract more clients, you can also host a more general selfie promotion in which clients are entered to win a free service for posting a selfie and tagging your business. Have fun with selfie promotions, and get creative! Make sure to use selfies in your marketing plan while they are still popular.