How Does Social Media Affect Hair Salons

In this tech savvy world we live in I often get asked whether it has had any impact, if any on my business.

Below is an answer I recently submitted to an industry magazine about the effects the internet and social media has had on my business.

The Internet. How hairdressers and their clients use it and interact with each other - ie Social media, are the biggest changes in the last ten years.

When I opened my salon in 2007 I was advertising in Yellow Pages. You were crazy not to. By 2009 that was obsolete. The gfc had kicked in and people were not spending. So the new form of advertising and reaching a far larger audience came in Groupon, Spreets, Deal of the Day etc. where salons advertised ridiculous discounts to get you in. Happy and unhappy clients then took to Google to praise/criticise the salon. Although reviews can have an impact on a salon, it also turned out that the more reviews, regardless of content, the further Google placed them as relevance on their website and salon owners saw the benefits more-so of being on page one. Search Engine Optimisation started to become the norm for salons to invest in, and having a relevant website that was mobile phone compatible and a strong presence on social media sites from Facebook to Instagram to Twitter took off faster than you can say 'just a trim today thanks'. With these platforms salons can advertise directly to their chosen audience, showing off their work; advertising promotions (including 'checking in' or 'tagging' to receive discount); opening hours and days over holidays; advising when an availability for a colour and cut has suddenly become available last minute,- an incredible new and innovative way of not just advertising but interacting with our clients.

When I opened we were still using paper appointment books but very quickly swapped to computer bookings. Then Online Bookings became a standard feature, allowing clients to book or change an appointment from anywhere, anytime of day or night.

The Internet along with Social Media and how I've utilised them has turned my business around for me.