Right now many people are looking for new beauty businesses to discover and love. Potential clients, some who have never even given a salon a chance, are desperate to get their nails/lashes/hair/skin done after months of being cooped up inside. Now is the perfect time to reel in some big beauty business, and I know you’re anxious to get back to it. 

But there’s a caveat - getting an appointment at a place clients are interested in might not be easy. Going forward, salons may be booked up for months. Potential clients also might not have access to the information they need to help them make a decision, such as opening dates, price adjustments, safety measures etc. Between not being able to grab a seat, and not having enough information available to get an appointment, all over your city there are lost souls right now, looking for their new forever beauty home - so it's time to look at how to make your salon their favorite new place, and clinch the sale and their hearts!

Some salons haven’t done a great job communicating during the shutdown, and they might have lost clients because of it. You probably had all your frequent clients book in with you right away when you first opened. But what about those clients that you haven’t heard a peep from in months or even years? Don’t you worry, they’re still around - checking you out to see if they want to come back for an appointment. Are they getting the information and feedback they need to come back to you?

Between regulars, ‘on-the-fence’ers, and potential new clients, there are a whole lot of people out there that might book appointments with you in the next few weeks and months, if you do some things right.

One of those things you’ll want to pay close attention to is your social media. Is it doing an amazing job of selling you and your salon services to your clients? Is it drawing people in to book an appointment with you?

Today I’m going to show you how to set up your Facebook and Instagram profiles so they’re like honey to bees: irresistible to potential clients! You can get people to book with you (and stick with you) if you follow these guidelines and tips. I’m also going to show you the 3 posts that you absolutely NEED to have on your profiles post-COVID to seal the deal. 

Why social media is so important right now

The news is everywhere that salons are opening back up, and you’ll have oodles of clients who haven’t seen you in a while checking up on you.

People are doing their research. As well as the regulars, new eyes are looking your business up every single day to see what you're all about. Often that research starts on Google, leads to your website, and ends on Facebook or Instagram. You can also guarantee that people are asking their friends for recommendations of places to get their hair/lashes/nails etc done. Their friends will usually send them a link to your Insta profile, so that they can get an aesthetic sense of your salon and the work you've done.

Social media is a great platform to show the real side of your business. It allows you to showcase the vulnerable, personal side of you - the behind-the-scenes stuff that makes you relatable. Clients view your social media pages to find out if they vibe with your salon's style, and you as a business person. 

It is also a portfolio of the work you’ve been doing. It shows the progression of how you’ve gotten better. Who doesn’t love to see how far someone has come from when they began? Showing off those glossy, beautiful pictures of your latest work is a great way to promote yourself and attract clients.

And of course, social media is also really crucial for communicating about what’s happening in your business: closures, reopenings, new policies, etc.

We’ll get to the types of posts that are really important to make in just a minute, but for now let’s talk about how to optimize your profiles on Facebook and Instagram. 

Optimizing your Instagram profile 

Your Insta bio is crucial to capturing the attention of potential clients. It needs to tell the story of your business, and what you specialize in. If you specialize in volume lash extensions, put it in your bio! If you have hired a top notch team of microblading experts, that needs to go in there. Whatever your main sales pitch or focus is in your salon, it needs to go at the top of your headlining bio. Maybe you specialize in balayage and healthy blondes...call that out in your bio, for sure! Highlight the specific things your team prides themselves on, so that clients know they can come to you to get it done right.

As well as listing your specialty service, it’s also a good idea to list other great services your salon provides, such as teeth whitening, hair extensions, waxing, nails, etc! 

I love how AW Salon has made it super clear who they serve and what they are the experts in:

Secondly, has your salon recently reopened after lockdown? You need to update your clients on this! If you have a future date and are accepting bookings or pre-bookings, be sure to include this info in your bio, and a link to your booking page on your website. 

Be Bronze spray tan studio has made it ultra clear on their profile that they’re now accepting appointments, and exactly how they want to receive requests (not through DMs please!):

Speaking of websites, the third thing to include in your bio is all the information clients need to get in touch with you. Your website, address and contact information should be easily identifiable and accessible for your clients.

As a step further to staying in touch with clients, I highly recommend quick-replies for DMs. Super easy to set up, these replies can give your clients info they need about booking appointments and other FAQs. They'll provide a warm 'thank-you' to clients for reaching out as well as giving them next steps, and all it takes is two quick taps to do it. Quick-replies save you time and effort...so easy, so convenient! Click here to learn how to set them up.

Optimizing your Facebook profile

Facebook is still one of the best marketing tools your business can use. A professional-looking, regularly updated Facebook profile will tell your clients you're open for business and keen to help. 

A very important first step to maximizing your client reach is to pin a post to the top of your page about your opening plans and info, along with a link to book appointments (more information below!)

It is also crucial to update your hours and info in the “About” section, particularly if they’ve changed quite a bit since reopening.  

It’s a great idea to update your cover photo with announcement info so people can easily see when you will be open for business, or if you already have. 

Keeping your Facebook posts updated at least once a week with the latest news about your salon, even if it's just to let clients know you're still waiting for an opening date or reminding them about the amazing services you offer, is incredibly important to keeping business coming in from the online crowd. 

The 3 crucial posts to share on your Instagram during COVID

There are going to be so many new and returning clients checking out your Instagram profile in the coming months and weeks, looking to book an appointment with you. But for those who are undecided, or need some extra information from you first, these are the posts they want to see from you.

To start off, a warm, smiling photo of yourself, welcoming people in and telling them how you’re feeling right now is a really great way to draw in clients. Even go as far as reintroducing yourself, as if to an old friend after a long while. Clients haven’t seen you face-to-face recently, so your smiling face will be welcoming to them. This is when you can briefly talk about how the past few months have felt for you. Keep it positive, hopeful and filled with excitement to see friendly faces again! Clients will respond positively to this type of personal touch.

I love how Shonna at Recreating Rays has been so personal about her journey in opening back up, and so welcoming to clients for their grand reopening recently:

Very soon after your personal photo post, you will need to post some sort of graphic text that basically states 'we’re open, here’s everything you need to know'. Make sure it's something big and eye-catching. You could make this a single photo post or a multi, as long as it's visually appealing and includes all the info clients will need about new hours, procedures, price adjustments and the like. You can use Canva to make graphics like this.

Summer Hours Salon has laid out everything that’s happening in their salon to make sure clients and staff are safe after the pandemic:

Finally, if you have developed any 'post-quarantine packages' to drive sales after reopening, be sure to make a post about that. This can include any promotions or products, such as deluxe packages or specific treatments that you recommend post-quarantine - tell your clients what’s included and what they can expect. Get them excited about coming in for some pampering after a long while. 

If you are sure to cover these 3 post topics in the next little while as you reopen your beauty business, I promise you'll reap the benefits of it with loyal, happy and informed clients that will keep coming back for more of your salon's magic touch. You’ll also have more new clients paying attention to what you’re doing and getting excited to book with you - while also following through and finding their way to your chair!

The bottom line

Whether you’re planning to open soon or already back open, just remember that you need to look beyond your priority rebooking list and communicate really well in other places too. Even though you can't see them, past clients and potentials who are shopping around are looking at your business and want to hear what you have to offer, and when they can access your services. Your goal is capture the interest of these 'window shoppers', as well as excite your past clients to return to see you.

Remember, particularly during this exciting but strange time, that what you say on social media matters. People do pay close attention to it and use your interactions on your socials to gauge how they feel about your business. Make sure you stay in touch, keep it positive and exciting, and keep everyone who interacts with you on social media excited for more.