How to Create a Healthy Relationship with Social Media!

By Kayla Zigic - Socials for Salons

“I hate social media” is a typical conversation among many salon owners. The world of social media is changing so fast, and it seems every Thursday, the head of Instagram posts a new video on the latest “Instagram updates,” and we are screaming at the phone, “I haven’t even got the hang of the last update.”

Not only that, but many salon owners hate social media because they feel like they are on this never-ending hampster wheel of posting daily and not getting any results. Some have even described it the same as a health kick gone wrong. E.g., You’re exercising daily and eating healthy, and nothing seems to be changing. What usually happens when we do this? Things become all too hard, and we end up frustrated and ready to give up (sounds just like social media, right?)

The truth is social media isn’t going anywhere. So, like it or not, we must start creating healthy relationships around social media and losing the “hate” status. But how do we do this?

Having a healthy relationship means focusing on the things you can control e.g., building relationships with your audience, building your brand awareness and brand authority through your content, and focusing less on the things we can control, like updates and follower counts.

Here are some tips to help you have a healthier relationship with social media:

1. Set realistic expectations. Everyone on these social media platforms started with 0 followers. Not only that, but you don’t (I repeat, you don’t) need 10k followers to have a successful business. I’ve worked on many social pages, and I can promise you, more often than not, salons with 1000 followers are busier than businesses with 10,000 followers. Nothing is ever as it seems.

2. Only post as much as you can. There is no magic “posting” number. Set yourself a goal and stick to it. If you can only post three days a week, post three days; if you can commit to six, post six. But don’t over-commit yourself. Like a health kick, if you set a goal too high and don’t stick to it or achieve it, you become frustrated with the process and give up altogether. Choose an amount you can post and stick to that amount.

3. Quality over quantity. You can get more engagement by posting 3/4 times a week if that content is created with defined objectives and goals and a solid strategy than posting without purpose seven days a week. You don’t need to post daily if you aren’t posting with intention.

4. Avoid Comparison: It’s easy to get caught up in comparing yourself to other salons online, but it’s important to remember that what you see is often not the whole picture. Avoid comparing yourself to others and focus on your business and online journey.

5. Everyone is in the same boat: Every salon is dealing with the same updates as you. Don’t ever feel like you are the only one.

6. Follow Positive Accounts: Follow accounts that make you feel good and inspire you and help keep you up to date with social media updates and changes.

7. Focus on connections over follow count: Growth is slow these days; instead of focusing on your follower numbers, start changing your mindset and building genuine relationships with your followers.

8. Set Limits: It’s essential to set boundaries regarding your time on social media. Try to limit yourself to a certain amount of time each day and stick to it. This will help you avoid wasting too much time scrolling through feeds and feeling deflated because you’ve spent more time aimlessly scrolling socials when you could have used the time more productively.

Unfortunately, we cannot control the number of people who see our content each time we post. Still, we can ensure that the content we publish is focused on our target audience and helps address a pain point and offer them a solution.

Stop hating social media and start using it differently to build your brand awareness through entertainment, establish your brand authority through education and inspire and build advocates through meaningful relationships. @socialsforsalons www.socialsforsalons.com.au