“If your business is not on the internet, then your business will be out of business.” What Mr. Bill Gates said has unfortunately been proving true in the contemporary times when countries across the world have imposed a state of lock-down.
The current pandemic has caused havoc for economies across the globe. The Coronavirus outbreak has dramatically affected most of the industries, forcing companies to shut operations and reduce the workforce. It has created an uncertain situation for businesses.
Social media has been our savior in times of social distancing, allowing us to connect virtually and share our experiences. It has also been the ultimate tool for businesses to maintain contact with their customers and to engage with them regularly.
The businesses that already have a digital or online presence found it easier to connect with their customers and maintain their brand presence. Some of the smaller retail businesses that lacked online presence have lost a significant portion of their revenues, especially in the beauty and personal care segment, for example, Salons.
There are plenty of social media platforms that can be leveraged by businesses to connect with a diverse set of audiences depending upon their ultimate objective. Some of the widely used ones are Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Instagram has gained huge popularity in recent years.
It has given a plethora of options for businesses to promote their products or services. To ace the game of social media marketing, you need to have a very specific strategy instead of just randomly targeting people. Let’s delve deeper into how small businesses like Salons can use social media to boost their business.
Facebook Strategies
Facebook should be your top priority given the size of its audience; if you want to reach a large segment of the audience, then you should be focusing on the below-mentioned strategies while using Facebook to boost your Salon business.
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Post relevant & engaging content
You need to make it about the customers instead of just blindly promoting your brand. Posting relevant content is the key to winning on social media. You should post content that your target customers can relate to. You can keep the seasons and upcoming events in mind to promote a relevant offer on your products and services.
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Use video content frequently
In addition to posting relevant content, you should also keep in mind that your contents are engaging and not mundane. Video content is naturally more engaging and performs better than a simple image. You can use free outro maker no watermark to create engaging videos for your page. As per research reports, video content has proved to perform better on social media channels. You are more likely to get new customers if you post a relevant video to promote your services than an image.
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Contest & Giveaways
Businesses today are more about giving back to society instead of blindly maximizing profits. Organizing an online contest and rewarding the winners with free giveaways will surely help you a lot in creating a brand value. You will be able to profit a lot more in the long run as customers appreciate brands going the extra mile for them. Also, these online contests will drive more people to your website and Facebook page and ultimately boost your marketing returns.
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Facebook ads targeting
Facebook ads are undoubtedly the best-paid advertising tool on the internet today. It helps you target a very specific audience set and make the most of your marketing expenditure. Given that it is among the best-paid advertising mediums, it is also very competitive, and you need to have a robust ad strategy in place to reach your customers without spending a fortune. You will need to research your target interests thoroughly before posting your ads.
Instagram Strategies
Instagram has established itself as a unique social media platform that is used by millions of people across the globe. It has a very different interface than Facebook and is more focused on visually appealing content. Also, the vast majority of the audience is young, making it the best choice when your customers are in younger demographics. Let’s explore some crucial Instagram marketing strategies to increase your customer base.
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Catch the trend
When you are marketing your business on Instagram, always remember to hop on the trend if you want an instant boost in your sales. You can research the trending hashtags and use it in your posts to attract the audience to your page. This will helps them to find about your brand and know about the products and services you have to offer. Eventually, when you have a large audience size, you can also create your trend, for example, a trending summer haircut.
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Before and after evidence
You can use the before and after pictures of your happy customers to your advantage. You can even post a video featuring a haircut transformation. This will help to engage with the audience better and act as a proof of concept and help to bring more customers to your business. Before and after pictures can quickly viral and can bring a large number of people to your website, increasing your brand value in the process. You can use Instagram video editor android for easily creating cool videos on your android phones.
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Posting promotions
You need to make your customers aware of the new offerings that your Salon is providing. Posting promotional content, including photos and videos, will help your audience to know about the on-going offers on your brand. You can start with a promotional campaign to target a specific audience, for example, “College funk: 20% of on haircut for college students”. You can put terms and conditions such as a college ID that will be necessary to avail of the discount offer. This will drive the impulse buyers quickly to your business.
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Fun content
When you are using Instagram as your marketing medium to gain new customers, remember to use fun and quirky content that resonates with the audience. You don’t have to be strictly professional in your posts as the audience is fairly young and can get bored with a formal lingo.
