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Social media influencers can help grow your salon or spa business

Social media influencers are an important part of your salon or med spa's marketing plan. By partnering with top digital influencers, you will save money on advertising and increase your client base through word of mouth marketing.

Leveraging social media influencers will help grow your business.

We recently discussed the importance of social media marketing for business. We’re going to expand on that and talk about the role of partnering with social media influencers to help increase your client base and, in turn, your profits.

What is a social media influencer?

Many people confuse an influencer with a celebrity spokesperson who endorses a product or a brand. They are actually not the same at all. An influencer is someone whose online presence has the power to sway people’s buying decisions.

Influencers have this power because of their authority and expertise in their niche. They have spent time establishing meaningful relationships with their followers, which makes them valuable assets for your business.

  • Influencers are credible and easily relatable.
  • Social influencers are everyday people like you and me.
  • Authenticity is their trademark, having established a sense of community with their followers over time.
  • Social influencers share products and services they genuinely like.
  • Influencers are trusted by their followers.
  • They have the ability to drive sales because of this established trust.

All of these traits are what make social media influencers such an asset to salons and medical spas. They are not paid spokespeople, which makes their word hold much more value. People want to know that they are hearing genuine commentary, as opposed to a paid advertisement. Social media influencers can provide the legitimacy and authenticity that a traditional marketing campaign simply cannot.

Influencer marketing should be part of your salon or medical spa’s strategic marketing plan.

We live in a world that is driven largely by social media and this trend will continue. Business savvy salon and med spa owners know that using social media influencers is a smart way to generate buzz.

Industry leaders continue to speak about the benefits of working with the Instagrammers and bloggers who drive business — and with good reason.

Halla Rafati is the PR director of the Four Seasons in Toronto. She is sold on the concept of partnering with social media influencers to increase business. “I can’t stress how important it is to integrate top influencers into a marketing plan,” she says. “When you create that digital awareness, people really will start reaching out to you.”

It’s a matter of trust.

According to Nielsen, only one third of consumers trust advertisements, while 90% of them trust the recommendations of their peers. Working with influencers can help give your brand a more “human” voice, making your brand more relatable and approachable.

Instead of composing a generic business-related tweet in an attempt to drive customers to your salon or spa, a genuine mention on social media from an influencer has a much stronger impact.

This goes back to trust and the importance of authenticity. The reason the influencer has so many followers is because they worked hard to establish trust and their word goes a long way.

Posting a photo on Instagram with a caption reading something like “The chemical peel I just had at ABC Med Spa was out of this world amazing! Just look at my skin!” holds much more clout than ABC Med Spa posting on Twitter, “Chemical peels 15% off today. Book your appointment now.”

Influencers can target your key demographic.

As a business owner, you want to be sure that your method of marketing is reaching the people who are interested in spa services. They already spend money taking care of their skin, so they would be potential clients. Plus, they are interested in new treatments and will need to come back for maintenance appointments. Attracting people who regularly purchase high quality skincare and cosmetics is another goal.

Instead of paying to target your ads toward that demographic, your influencers are already doing that. People follow influencers because they are interested in what they have to say and the products that they use.

The influencers you want to work with are ones who are already sharing content that is in line with your brand. For a med spa or salon, you will want to partner with influencers who share skincare and hair care posts and photos. Their followers are interested in those topics.

Do not just reach out to someone with thousands of followers for the sake of the number. An influencer who talks only about car racing, for example, has followers also interested in car racing. It would not seem credible to have that influencer start posting about laser treatments — you want someone who sticks to his or her niche.

Identifying the right social media influencer to work with

There are many ways to partner with social media influencers to promote your business. Head to Google to research top beauty bloggers and You Tube vloggers who are local to your business so you can get a feel for who is out there in your area. Compile a list and then see whose writing and posting style seems like a good fit for your brand. 

Spend some time checking out the influencer’s social media accounts to see how many followers they have. More importantly, though, observe the level of engagement the influencer has. Are there many comments? Is the influencer responsive and conversational? Those things are equally, if not more so, important. 

Finding the right fit for your brand is essential and can take time, however, it is well worth the effort. If you are a med spa specializing in organic and holistic skincare products, seek out someone who is passionate about green beauty is important. You want the influencer’s values to align with your business. This as a partnership, and as such, your salon or med spa is seeking someone whose social media accounts are a complement to your brand. More important than having an influencer to work with is an influencer who works for your brand.

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