A social media identity can be the difference between surviving and thriving, especially for beauty pros working in an incredibly competitive industry. To illustrate how influential the social landscape can be, Redken worked with Michelle Krasniak, a social media marketing consultant, on Promoting Your Salon on Social Media for Dummies. The guide highlights pitfalls to avoid and best practices to consider. Social media comes with its own set of rules, and one comment, post or “like” can have a huge impact. Read on to learn more dos and don’ts from three artists who have successfully built their brands.
Engage
In a presentation during Chicago’s Social Media Week in 2012, Ed Malthouse, professor and research director for the Medill IMC Spiegel Digital and Database Research Initiative at Northwestern University, explained how brands should be “more human” when engaging with their audiences. Six years later, this truth remains particularly relevant. Silvia Reis (@silviaxreis), Redken brand ambassador, makes it a point to engage with her followers and other beauty pros daily. “The whole point of social media is to network, and complimenting someone else’s work is beneficial to both parties,” she says. This not only helps Reis’ brand image, but allows followers to get to know the person behind the brand.
Spread Positivity
A 2018 Statista report predicts that the number of worldwide social media users will grow to 2.95 billion by 2020. With such a large and impressionable audience, Redken artist Sami Skinner (@samiskinnerhair) strives to be a positive force on her social profiles. “I aim to be inspired, help build confidence and keep it positive,” Skinner says. Though it might be difficult to let a negative comment slide, Skinner doesn’t waste time engaging in banter. “If someone has something negative to say, I prefer to open up a dialogue and ask why they feel that way. I’d rather spend my time being someone that builds others up,” she adds.
Set Boundaries
Kyle Pinneo (@kyle.redken), Redken national educator, says his social media accounts provide digital snapshots of his day-to-day life, but he keeps a healthy respect for boundaries. “If I don’t want my mom to see it, I won’t post it,” he says. In short, he steers clear of posting anything political and religious, or something that might be considered racially insensitive. He thinks it’s equally important to show snippets of his life as a regular person. “People follow people, and I believe they want to know you as a person, not just a hairstylist,” he adds.
Many thanks to our program sponsors Matrix & Redken for making this Digital Supplement possible. To view the entire supplement, click here.