The Top 4 Bad Excuses Why Salon and Spas Avoid Social Media

There seems to be a common theme among business owners choosing not to put effort into social media marketing for their business.

Something we at SalonTouch Studio call EXCUSES.

Not to be harsh.  We simply know the value of social media marketing for salons and spas—perhaps better than anyone else.  We’ve seen countless examples of how social media can help drive revenue for brands in our industry.

There are a variety of reasons spas, salons, and tanning salons don’t engage in social media marketing.

But once you know the numbers, it’s easy to see that none of them are good reasons.

Ignorance Is NOT An Excuse

Successful entrepreneurs don’t wait for extraordinary opportunities.  They create them.

Ten years ago, 7% of Americans actively used at least one social networking site.  Today that number has increased over tenfold.  An immense majority of 78% of American internet users use social media.  

According to the latest Clutch digital marketing survey, 82% of small business owners consider digital marketing at least “somewhat important” to the success of their business.  Of all the digital channels, social media leads the pack with 73% of small businesses currently using social media or planning to by the end of 2016.

Compare these finding with their findings from last year and you’ll see just how quickly businesses that ignore social media are being left behind.  Not to mention, these platforms are especially favorable for salons and spas looking to connect with their audience.

Truth be told:

Most of you already know this.  You just choose to ignore it—which brings us to the first of the major excuses:

Excuse #1: “We’re Already Doing Fine”

If stagnation is your thing, by all means stay idle.

Some business owners fear growth.  To a degree, this is understandable.  However, financial success is something every entrepreneur should be striving for.  Simply no one is able to building a successful business over the long haul while staying complacent.  

Picasso understood this when he said, “action is the foundational key to all success.”

Comfortable might be nice.  But you’d be foolish to think that brand loyalty alone will sustain any  business heading into the late 2000-teens.  

Why not expand brand awareness?  

This is probably the worst excuse because the arguments in this vein are so silly.  Afterall, a steady stream of new clientele can allow you to expand or might even save your business if other sources dried up.

If you truly have raving fans already, you have a good chance to leverage your current goodwill in the marketplace and explode exposure.  Understand this and you see that this excuse is actually a reason why a business should begin to implement social marketing campaigns.

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Excuse #2: “It Takes Too Much Time”

If this is your excuse for not investing in social media, your frame of mind is the main problem.  

Again, comfortable feels great.  But true entrepreneurs know how to adapt.  As a business owner, time is your most valuable asset.  Understanding how to manage hours—both your own and those of your staff—is one the most essential management skills.
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Start by auditing yourself: your schedule, its flexibility and priorities.  Then proceed to your upper level staff and continue on to your lower level staff.

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You may find that it makes the most sense for you to learn it and manage it yourself.  From there, you can eventually turn over the reins to your staff.

Or, it might be better for you to assign one or more of your staff to your social media marketing campaigns from the beginning.  This way, you can have plenty of oversight without spending much of your own time learning or executing.

Perhaps, your time is so valuable that you would do best to hire a dedicated social media firm.  Even education takes time.  Plus, in-house social media management poses its own problems.

That’s why we often recommend salons, spas, and tanning salons delegate their social media outreach to a company that specializes in digital marketing for salons and spas.  

No matter what, if you fail to make time to market your salon on social media now, there’s a good chance your brand will get left behind. ​​

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Excuse # 3: “We Don’t Know How”

This is probably the weakest of all of the excuses.  

Every entrepreneur has things to learn, as does every staff member.  We understand that technology can be intimidating and no one ever likes figuring out a new digital interface.  But the fact is, it just isn’t that difficult anymore.

Not only do social media platforms compete to be the most user-friendly, but there are so many social media management resource available.  This includes both education and tools.

For example, Hootsuite allows users to set their posting on auto-pilot.  Other brands, like Quicksprout and Social Media Examiner, have built businesses around social media education.  Simply take the time and learn.
Not to mention, you can find a variety of social media tips and tricks as well as a step by step guide on salon and spa social media marketing.

Once you’ve got the fundamentals down, you can actually let the creative juices flow and have little fun.  Just make sure to track the responsiveness of your creativity.  This is how you come up with a finely-tuned method that you can duplicate over time.  

Again, you can simply hire a professional digital marketing firm to relieve the stress and increase your chances for rapid results.

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Excuse #4: “There Is No ROI”

On the one hand, this excuse seems rather understandable.

Some have tried social media without a solid plan (or the wrong one) and had no success.  Others have never tried it themselves but have heard from other business owners about how ineffective it was for them.

However, in the twenty-first century, the Internet is king.  Measuring return on investment directly from social media can be somewhat complex, but the value is there.  You just have to make sure you implement the correct steps.

Many locally owned salons and spas try to use social media to engage their audience with content and motivate them to take action with product releases, sales, and offers.  Those are all good practices.  

But there’s always a reason why they don’t affect profit margins.  Never post blindly all over the Web without a proven strategy and expect to see results.
For salons, spas, and tanning salons, social media marketing is a powerful way to boost brand awareness, drive engagement, and increase revenue.  They key is proper implementation.

Again, if sounds like too large a burden for you or your staff, simply outsource it.  As long as you select a reputable agency, the ROI is all but guaranteed.

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However you decide to manage it, you have to get your social media presence up to date and stop making excuses—whichever yours are.

Social media is more than a trend.  It is a cultural phenomenon that looks to continue indefinitely into the future.  It is also an integral part of the marketing landscape moving forward.

For business owners in the salon, spa, and tanning salon industries, social media should be looked at as a vital tool or a crucial ally, no matter how intimidating it might be.

If you’re looking for some training and advice to make social media marketing for your salon or spa less intimidating, you can find a wealth of resources on our blog.  Or, if you’re interested to see how SalonTouch Studio’s software can make your social media campaigns both simpler and more effective, don’t hesitate to contact us today.