10 instagram story ideas for salons
Instagram Stories are a fabulous low-pressure method to show your clients a peek behind the curtain of your salon environment. You can show your personality and teach about your business in a format that disappears in 24 hours.
The best thing about Instagram Stories is that you don’t have to burden yourself with how your story post will fit into your feed or how it will look in a week or a month. Since it’s extraneous content, the rules are less stringent. But when I hear “additional content opportunity,” I think oh great, now I have to think of more things to post!
Fear not, dear reader! Instagram Stories are an opportunity and not a burden. They do get more engagement than anything else on Instagram right now, and your stories are the perfect place to experiment and learn what works well to engage your audience. A story is more likely to be seen by potential clients and can lead to more profile views, AND story views and engagement count towards how your profile ranks in the overall algorithm (oooh mysterious!)
What to Post
When you’re feeling stuck for ideas for your stories, refer to the following list for inspiration. Post whatever feels right in the moment, and post thoughtfully. Think about what will help you reach your goal for that day, month, or week. Keep your messaging consistent, brand right, and client-focused.
1. Process Story
Everyone loves to see behind the scenes of what it actually takes to create a beautiful color correction or nail art masterpiece. With time-lapse video available on almost all smart phones, set your phone in the corner and get to work! This is also a great opportunity to teach clients what it really takes to go silver from black box dye, or what a full volume set of lashes takes to apply. You can chop the video up into Instagram-sized pieces right inside the story section, or with an app like Continual. Drop a few captions into the videos so clients know what they’re looking at and post the before and after in your feed. Send your story viewers to your feed to see the final look and vice versa. Process makes perfect, and this story is sure to leave your viewers wanting more. 10 instagram story ideas for salons
2. Before & After
Show, don’t tell. When you’re shooing and posting Story content, video is your friend. Try to refrain from taking photos and dumping a bunch of text on them. Instead, take a video and let it show what you’re doing. Before and After posts are a huge part of any beauty business’ feed, but to be able to show a short before video and a short after video will help fill in some of the blanks for your audience. Narrate your client’s Before condition and desired result, and show how you deliver on that promise in the After. Any time you show a before, you know that people will be invested in seeing the After, so make sure you remember to post it! 10 instagram story ideas for salons
3. How to Style at Home
How often have you heard “I wish my hair/nails/skin looked like this all the time!”? Take some time out of your day and shoot a few short videos showing your clients how to achieve a style or popular look themselves at home using your product line. Have someone knowledgeable demonstrate on a willing victim. Showing clients how to maintain a result at home makes good business sense. You increase your expert position and the client learns something, while accepting that you are the go-to person for current beauty trends.
4. Introduce New Staff
New face at your salon? Introduce them on your Instagram Stories! Have the stylist tell your audience about their experience, their expertise, and help them get to know what an asset this new team member is! This is an opportunity to show off what a great salon environment and team you have, while helping your client base be at ease with a new staff member. And it doesn’t have to stop with an intro. Check in with the new staff member throughout their new month to help their transition into your business. 10 instagram story ideas for salons
5. Announce Something New
Whether it’s a new service, a new product, or a new paint color, use Instagram Stories to make a fuss over newness in your business. You can run a “teaser” campaign for a few days before you finally reveal what it is. Feel free to have fun with it! Your big announcement could even be that someone has a new hair color or you broke a nail. Whatever it is, allow your audience to be a part of it and you’ll have clients who can’t wait to see what you post next.
6. A Day In The Life
Show your clients what it takes to be you for a day. Pick a day on your schedule that will be the most varied and interesting, and start from your first sip of coffee to your last client of the day. We all love feeling like we get to see something no one else does, so sharing what it takes to run your business is a great way to show how hard you work and how much you care. Share only what you’re comfortable with, and keep it professional, of course.
7. Stories Takeover
Allow a responsible staff member to take over your Instagram Stories for a day. Have them show the client services they are comfortable sharing, and let them teach your clients something. Have them cover a salon event so you can run it and be present, but still get some social mileage out of it. You can also hand your phone over to one of your best clients and have them take some short videos of their experience in your salon, to give potential clients a real impression of what it’s like to visit your salon. 10 instagram story ideas for salons
8. Salon Field Trip
Heading to the beauty supply? Having a team outing? Share a few snaps of you and the group out together. Heading to a beauty show or taking a class? Bring your clients along and brag about how you’re learning and bettering your business for them. Clients will feel secure in their choice to pick you again and again because you are on the cutting edge of what’s current. and potential clients will want to be a part of it.
9. Clean on Camera
Advertise what you sanitize. Show how you clean and disinfect your tools and surfaces. Explain how you meet or exceed state board regulations. Show the bottles and the processes, just make sure you’re following regulations and manufacturer’s instructions. Many salons keep this process in the background, but I feel strongly that clients care about how you protect them, and they want to know more about it. Feel free to shout it from the rooftops that you do everything possible to be a clean environment. 10 instagram story ideas for salons
10. Artistic Vision
You’re the artist, and clients pay you for your vision. Let them be a part of your process and give them a peek into what it takes to make your vision come to life. Similar to the before and after, show your client’s before, their vision for the end result, but this time, describe their hair type or skin type, and what steps you will take to get there. No need to give away trade secrets, but give a general impression of the steps you’re taking, showing what goes into them, and how you’re the trusted expert that they should come to for all of their beauty needs.
If you’re feeling stuck with what to post, think about these 10 possibilities. If you’ve posted these, try a variation of each. Ask for input from your coworkers and colleagues about what they like to see from you. Listen to feedback from your clients. See which stories get the most comments and engagement from your clients and post similar content.
10 instagram story ideas for salons
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