We caught up Kyle Kerchaert, social media/TikTok expert with @Glossgenius, to find out how salon professionals can use TikTok to expand their brands. Here's what she told us.
What advice can you share for a salon professional who wants to get their brand out there on social media?
The great thing for anyone just getting started is that the social landscape has really changed in the past couple of years. Consumers are exhausted by overly staged and airbrushed social presences–they see right through it. The people and businesses succeeding on social media today are leaning into authenticity over perfection. There’s room to just be yourself. Don’t let the pressure of trying to put out the perfect presence keep you from putting anything out at all.
If someone is really new at this, where do they begin?
Step one is to identify what makes you and your business unique. You can then build your social media plan from there. It can be almost anything–a service you specialize in, a certain technique or skill set you possess, or a specific clientele that you’re an expert in servicing. Once you’ve got that down, you can simplify your approach to brainstorming content. Think about it in terms of these three categories: education, inspiration, and community. The most effective pieces of content will deliver on at least one of the three.
How do they handle photography and video?
When it comes to actual content creation, don’t get overwhelmed. Even complete beginners can succeed–you just need to know how to ask your social media algorithms to help you out. Become an active digital citizen by following strong influencers and brands in your field. There are also so many coaches on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube dedicated to teaching easy content creation hacks and flagging new trends. Start engaging with content from these accounts regularly, and you’ll teach your algorithms to feed you the best posts to serve as inspiration and instructions for your own content.
Social media apps are also taking steps to make content creation more accessible to beginners, so take advantage of these features! On Reels, look out for templates; the feature lets you copy the format of another creator’s post by uploading your own photos or videos, and then it takes care of the editing for you. TikTok has been pushing easy-to-use templates as well through the video editing app CapCut. The two apps share a parent company, and TikTok seems to currently be rewarding creators who use these templates on the platform.
How much time should they take out of each day to work on this?
The best amount of time is the amount that consistently works for your schedule. Choose something realistic or you run the risk of inconsistency turning away any audience you build. You may also find it more helpful to work on social content in batches rather than every day. For example, if you set aside one evening per week to batch-produce your content, then you only have to invest in getting camera-ready and setting up your equipment once a week rather than each day.
Do you have any success stories to share for those salon professionals who have really succeeded in this area?
I love hair educator Leysa Carrillo’s content. She’s a curly hair expert who uses her platforms to educate stylists on working with textured hair and motivate continual career growth. Her brand is a strong example of someone who has successfully identified their niche and applied it to the three key content categories I mentioned. Her focus is primarily on education and community.
I also really enjoy following Amanda Lyberger of @thehairygodmotherr. She does an excellent job of turning what could simply be portfolio content into a meaningful brand that inspires vivid styles and fosters a safe community for LGBTQ+ clients.
What are some of the long-term benefits a salon owner can benefit from in terms of dedicating time to their TikTok marketing efforts?
TikTok is the most powerful marketing tool out there right now and it’s totally free to use. Invest time into this platform and expect to reach new clients, build your online professional community that can support your business goals, and even connect with brands for potential partnerships. It’s also the best platform right now for having two-way conversations with your audience. You’ll learn so much from them that will help you better your business and content ideas. And lastly, have fun! It can be a great channel for reinvigorating your passion for your craft and pride in all you’ve achieved.
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