A Better Business Supplement

DOING BUSINESS IN A

DIGITAL WORLD

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INNOVATION
WORLD CLASS EDUCATION USING
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Learn in a whole new way
Using Pivothead wearable
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FOR VIDEOS AND CLASS LISTING, GO TO

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Help your clients

recreate their
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Leveraging wearable technology as

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Send them the how-to

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George Papanikolas
Eye For Style

EYE FOR STYLE seen on Good Morning America

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Harnessing the Power of

Digital and Social Media

SET MEASURABLE GOALS

HAVE AN ACTION PLAN
ACQUIRE THE RESOURCES NEEDED TO IMPLEMENT YOUR PLAN
MEASURE YOUR PROGRESS REGULARLY
ADJUST YOUR PLAN AS NEEDED
REPEAT
STAY CALMYOU CAN DO THIS
Gordon Miller, Senior Director, Digital
Contributing Editors: Karen Ford and Erin Munsch; Art Director: Jeannie Oberholtzer

americansalon.com

PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF GORDON MILLER

hat you hold in your hands is American Salons first supplement devoted
exclusively to successfully navigating the ever-evolving world of digital
and social media. As someone who considers himself a social media
evangelist in the beauty space, I can say with confidence that the online
world is the great marketing leveler in the salon and spa industry. All of
the promotional horsepower formerly reserved for big business is now
available to you (if you take advantage of the wealth of information and
education out there and find role models who have succeeded in the medium).
Fortunately, weve done the homework for you. In these pages youll find best practices that
can make the difference between success and failure; movers and shakers you can learn from and
emulate; websites that really work to generate new business; insight into how third-party review
sites like Yelp can clue you in to what your customers actually think about
your business; and lots more. Were even providing an overview of the digital
and social landscape (online communities like Facebook or Instagram, apps
and productivity tools, ways to curate or create content for all your social
media platforms, and marketing resources).
Today, your ability to reach people (current or prospective clients) has
never been greateror more powerful. If word-of-mouth is the gold standard
of building success, then your best friend outside of the real-world time you
spend with clientsencouraging referrals, rebooking and retail salesis
social media and its digital cousins.
Gordon Miller
Our industry has the prospect of success in social media written all over
it. You are without a doubt the most social people Ive ever known. You are
engaging, authentic individuals who love to share with those around you, which are all hallmarks
of success in online marketing. Add to this mix an ongoing dose of education and resources as you
work to apply those skills to your day-to-day interactions online, and you will be on your way!
My best advice to anyone wishing to succeed in the digital space is to do as I hope you are doing
in your real-world career and business efforts:

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You Are Here

YOUR MAP FOR NAVIGATING THE DIGITAL LANDSCAPE

americansalon.com

ILLUSTRATION: VEER

he digisphere
is the new
town square.
With tablets,
smartphones
and 24/7
connectivity, our online lives
have become inextricably
intertwined with our real lives.
Americans spend, on average,
about 60 hours per month
online, according to a 2014
Nielsen report.
In just a few short years,
digital marketing and social
media have changed the
paradigm for business success.
No longer is it necessary to have
a mammoth advertising budget
to get results. Now anyone with
imagination, energy and a little
know-how can make a splash not
just around the neighborhood,
but around the world.
Its a paradigm that favors
beauty professionals, because
of their innate creativity and
naturally social nature. Those
who want to use the power of the
Internet and social media to its
fullest need only do two things:
Get educated and let go of their
fears about technology. Once
they do the first, the second
usually follows.
First step: Familiarize
yourself with the landscape of
this brave new world. >

Those who

DIGITAL PLATFORMS
A platform is the means by which users interact
with the digital world. Think of it as a podium or
a grandstand: This is where you go to connect
and to get your message out. With digital
platforms, its important to know whos hanging
out where, because different platforms have
different audiences.
Social Media
Social media encompasses all the online
worlds that mimic the social interactions we
have in real life. Facebook, the most successful
social network, reaches 82.1 percent of
mobile and personal computer users every
day, according to a recent article in the New
York Times Business section. Google+ is a
community that requires a bit more user
knowledge and experience, while LinkedIn,
designed for professional networking, has a
huge beauty segment. There are also social
networks designed specifically for hair and
beauty professionals, such as hairbrained.me
and bangstyle.com and styleseat.com.

want to use the

power of the
Internet and
social media
to its fullest
need only do
two things: Get
educated and
let go of their
fears about
technology.
Once they do
the first, the
second usually
follows.

Third Party Review and Referral Sites

Sites like Yelp, City Search and Google, as well
as industry-specific sites like StyleSeat and
Bangstyle, are where clients go to sing your
praises (or warn others away). Although it may
seem like client-posted reviews are outside of
the salons control, there are ways to maximize
the benefits and minimize the damage on
these very important sites. Read how in Reach
for the Stars on page 48.
Photo and Video Sharing
When clients post selfies of their new cut or
color to Instagram or Pinterest its the same
as good old-fashioned word of mouth, just on
a larger scale. Video sharing sites are ideal for
salon education, and most professional brands
have their own YouTube channels. Salons can
offer clients demonstrations of at-home styling
tips or extend the life of a live event by posting
videos online. >

DID YOU
KNOW?

It's estimated
that by 2017 more
than 70 percent
of connected
devices sold will be
smartphones.

STAND OUT IN THE CROWD

Few brands have conquered the world of Internet
marketing like Sam Villa. By focusing on education,
delivered mostly via videos posted to YouTube
and a blog at samvilla.com, the brand has provided
something of value that keeps stylists coming back.
Take advantage of the fact that social media
is visual," says Sam Villa
Brand Manager Dan
Polhamus. "If people see
you doing great work
and they see you getting
attention for it, theyll
come see you, and theyll
pay you for it.
Polhamus tells stylists
to remember that theyre
building a personal brand.
DAN POLHAMUS
For that reason, everything you
post should be top-notch examples of your artistry.
Make sure its the best of your best work. Just
because youve taken a picture of every single client
you worked on today doesnt mean they should all
go up online, he cautions.
Engaging with brands online is something
that helps elevate reputations and can bring new
opportunities. Something as simple as tagging
Sam Villa in your posts can help, because you
become associated with someone whos respected,
he says. But Polhamus also encourages stylists to
take that interaction a step further, contacting the
brands for further opportunities. The Sam Villa blog
now features videos by several artists who came to
their attention in this way, including Nick Roberson,
Heather Chapman and Cameron LeSiege. It gives
them an outlet with greater reach than they can
achieve on their own, says Polhamus. It gives
them a voice, and credibility.
July 2015

READY FOR YOUR CLOSE-UP

Haugen Creative is the production company
behind Sam Villas world-class educational
videos. Here, owner and producer Trevor Haugen
presents tips from the directors chair for stylists
who want to make a video splash online.
Good lighting is crucial when striving for a
clean, professional look. We recommend using
fluorescent 5600K lighting. Make sure the
lighting is balanced and soft so your talent
looks as attractive as possible without any hard
shadows (unless that's the look you're going for).
In the beginning, it's easy to overestimate the
importance of what camera you will be using
and grossly underestimate the importance of a
couple of good quality lenses. Any type of digital
single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera will get you
started, but invest a bit more in good quality
glass. Sometimes lenses cost more than the
camera body itself, but will pay off big time for
your overall look.
Directing talent in a way that is both
comfortable for them looks natural on-screen
can take some practice, but the best way to learn
is to do it. Focus on positive direction and energy.
It's tough being in front of a camera, so take as
much pressure off as possible and freely unleash
positive reinforcement.
Behind the scenes at a
Sam Villa video shoot

Publishing
A blog is an online publishing platform. Blogs can
help flesh out the story of your salon in a fuller way,
as well as provide the added value of education
or advice for customers. Sites like Blogger and
Wordpress offer toolsmany times at no cost
for writing and editing blog posts as well as
functionality to incorporate them into the salons
website. Premium memberships provide tools to
add both reach and power. Tumblr has many of
the attributes of a social media site plus functions
that make it easy to share art of all types, including
photos and videos.
Email
In his book The Art of Social Media, Guy Kawasaki
says, "If I had a choice of someone either following
me on a social media platform or subscribing to my
email list, I'd pick email any day. This is because
I'm more confident that a person will read an email
than see a post." Email has the obvious advantages
of being targeted, inexpensive and highly trackable.
Read more about the dos and donts of effective
inbox marketing in Youve Got Mail on page 52.
Digital Productivity Tools and Apps
From online booking to e-commerce, theres
almost no end to the tools available to beauty
professionals. Website/apps like StyleSeat are
designed specifically for this industry, while general
market productivity tools like Evernote help with
tasks like maintaining to-do lists or note taking.
Choosing and using them effectively is discussed in
greater detail in The Toolbox on page 36
Websites
A salon website should be the most direct, specific
and succinct representation of its business. Read
more about building effective websites in Anatomy
of a Website on page 42.
Ready to get started? Advice and tips on how
salons and stylists can make the most of all of
these platforms appear throughout, and in Best
Practices on page 28.

americansalon.com

DEVICES

Where the Toys Are

If platforms are online destinations, devices are
the vehicles that get you there. Knowing whether
your clients are looking for you on a desktop, laptop,
tablet or smartphone is key, but realize that these
days the answer is probably all of the above.
Americans own an average of four Internet-enabled
devices, according to a Nielsen report out last year.
The best advice: Watch your clients and ask them
what they use. And offer a variety of content that
works well on all of your online platforms.

VIDEO STARS

On our watchlist
If a picture's worth a thousand words, what
is a video worth to your online presence?

SNAPCHAT
This video- and photo-sharing
site has become a storytelling
platform. Its drawing in brands in a big
way and seems poised to skyrocket.
Snapchat skews young, so if your clientele
is youthful, connect with them here.

PERISCOPE
This live-streaming video
platform is for more mediasavvy users, ideally multi-salon chains
looking to engage with a large audience.
Stream in-salon events to a wider audience
or give a peek into the daily life of your
salon, reality-TV style.

YOUTUBE

TWITTER

To tweet or not to tweet?

Perhaps no other digital platform has been
responsible for creating more buzzand more
flame-outsthan Twitter. Communicating
anything in 140 characters or less is tricky at best;
at worst its a minefield. A few things to remember
about Twitter: It skews young, so if that's not
your clientele, you may find yourself tweeting
into the void. It's also a platform that requires
constant, consistent attention and a high level of
commitment to really make it pay off and drive
business forward. The moral: Go big or leave
tweeting to the birds.

The number-one search term for

women is beauty and YouTube is
now the second-largest search engine on
the Internet (after Google.) Small-business
content is going up and more tools are
being provided all the time.

FACEBOOK
The first name in social
networks is a top site for video,
thanks to added functionality that makes
uploading and sharing clips easier than
ever. Can world domination be far behind?

July 2015

SHARE & NETWORK

T
T

THE

PROFES
DIFFERE
DIGITAL TOOL KIT
BUILD YOUR BRAND ON SOCIAL

SALON FINDER
DRIVE NEARBY TRAFFIC TO YOUR SALON

SIONAL
NCE

Discover

LPUSAPRO.COM

We believe education is a crucial part

to every hairdressers success.
We offer a variety of digital tools to help
continue your learning experience 24/7.
We continously provide online assets to
help make your learning move your business.

ONLINE EDUCATION 24/7

 Creating Online

Engagement

WANT TO BUILD AN EFFECTIVE

PRESENCE? FIRST, YOULL HAVE TO
DECIDE WHEN TO CREATE YOUR OWN
CONTENT AND WHEN TO CURATE
CONTENT FROM OTHER SOURCES,
LIKE SHARING FROM FACEBOOK OR
REGRAMMING FROM INSTAGRAM.

TIPS FOR CREATING THE

KIND OF CONTENT THAT
DRIVES BUSINESS
Remember, before and
afters tell a story
Post shout-outs and thank
yous to clients and teams
Regram contests, quotes,
beauty tips, how-to videos
and client selfies

CONTENT
CREATION

Any original
content, such as
mini-stories about
a clients new cut
or color, or an
original image on
Instagram
Nina Kovner of Passion Squared

Ways to Enhance Your Online Presence

Nina Kovner offers these tips to help develop your online presence

CREATE a strong
brand identity,
purpose and story

americansalon.com

HAVE a clean,
focused, relevant
and responsive
website

CREATE branded
templates and
content for social
posts such as
before and afters,
quotes, tips and
product launches

CLAIM your Yelp

page and be
sure you have
a system for
encouraging
consistent
reviews

CREATE a blog
hosted on your
website only
when you are
committed
to posting
consistently and
relevantly

HAVE an active
Facebook page
and/or Instagram
page

wenty or 30 years ago,

traditional word-of-mouth
was the only way to build
a client base, but with the
Internet and a proliferation
of online social media
platforms, clients are now
talking online and off. Nina Kovner, founder of
Passion Squared, a company that helps support
creative small businesses, tells hairdressers to
ask themselves one important question: Is your
clients offline experience consistent with their
online experience? After all, many potential
clients encounter your online presence before
they ever walk through the door of your salon.
Awesome offline experiences create
awesome online reviews, Kovner says. You
can have a killer salon, but if you dont have a
social media presence, you wont maximize your
potential for success.
There isnt a black-and-white approach to
creating or curating compelling content, but
committing to building relationships online
and understanding the power of social media
to create leads and increase revenue is a start.
Guy Kawasaki, co-author of The Art of Social
Media: Power Tips for Power Users, says that
the biggest challenge of social media is finding
enough content to share. The good news is that
its not necessary to only post original content
in order to build a strong online presence. In
fact, stylists who are looking to succeed online
should focus on curating great images and
posts from other sources to share on their
social media platforms instead of focusing only
on creating original content. However, there is a
purpose and value to both content creation and
content curation.
CONNECTING TO BRAND VALUES
Before you test the waters of social media

Awesome
offline
experiences
create
awesome online
reviews. You
can have a killer
salon, but if
you dont have
a social media
presence, you
wont maximize
your potential
for success.

CONTENT
CURATION

Finding other
users content,
summarizing it and
sharing it with your
online audience

Facebook, Instagram and Yelp are the three

biggest drivers of businessits important to
have a clear understanding of your brands
story or mission statement. Everything you
share should be in line with brand values. One
important question to ask when crafting your
online identity is, how can I add value to my
online audience and what content is relevant to
my brand purpose and story?
The bottom line: Without a strong brand
identity, any content curation will be unfocused
and unsuccessful. On the other hand, having a
strong brand identity will help you to pick and
choose the best content to share on your social
media platforms. For example, regramming
is a great way to curate content. Lets say a
client shares a selfie of the new cut or color you
just did. Regramming it on your Facebook or
Instagram pages gets the word out to a wide
audience. The result? Someone who likes what
they see will find a phone number or a link
to your website (that you can include in your
post) where they can conveniently book an
appointment.
For hairdressers and other beauty
professionals who spend hours every day
engaging with clients in real-time and sharing
product information, mastering the art of social
media should be a breeze. After all, social media
is all about being social, and it's an ongoing
conversation. So, if you put a quote on your
Facebook page and then dont post anything
else for a month, youre not being social. If
you only post only once a week, it wont be
enough to create engagement. Social media
is about conversing online. The good news for
hairdressers is that image-driven platforms like
Facebook and Instagram are made for them.
However, Kovner suggests that if youre just
starting out, choose one platform to master
before moving on to the rest. >
July 2015

CONTENT CURATION AND CREATION HELP

Both Redken and Pureology provide salons
retailing their brands access to box.com where
they can request product images for use on
their social media platforms and other salon
promotional areas. Redken also has a tool
specifically for beauty professionals called
Redken Facebook Content Creator, which
creates content that automatically posts
to your Facebook page. More specifically,
all content is related to Redkens styling
collection including product imagery, consumer
testimonials and how-to videos.

and remember to only share that content that

relates to your brand or story.
Piggyback on curation services such as
Redken Content Creator.
Share what's already popular within your
network. Something that's trending on Twitter
may not be trending on Facebook.
Use lists, circles, communities and groups
to share content. These lists or groups share a
common interest and can become a powerful
tool to find great content to curate.
Create a collaborative Pinterest board and
invite people who are great curators of content
related to your field.

Salons retailing Pureology products can register at

pureology.com/images to download content to share.

FEEDING THE CONTENT MONSTER

So what is content creation? Taking a picture
is creating content. Making a video is content.
Even commenting on what you learned at
a professional educational event counts as
original content. Another tip: Blogs dont have
to be long-form writing. They can be as short
as 100 words or as long as 2,000 words. As a
beauty professional, its helpful to not only pay
attention to what your manufacturers offer
you, but also notice what other stylists and
professional beauty companies are sharing.
Sharing their images on your Instagram page or
other social media platforms is a great way to
curate content.
TIPS FOR GREAT CONTENT CURATION
Share posts from those people you follow on
social media. Pick the best content to share
americansalon.com

These runway shots

from Tadashi Shoji
during Fall/Winter
2015 Fashion Week
represent some of
the original content
from Cutler Salons
in New York City.

TIPS FOR GREAT CONTENT CREATION

Do your posts pass the share test?
Use content creator tools
Be valuable
Be interesting
Be brief
Be thankful
Be visual
Be organized

 We rounded up a few examples of beauty professionals and programs

that highlight effective content creation and curation strategies.

Dominic Greco-Trupia

NAME
Dominic Greco-Trupia
WHO HE IS
A Redken Certified Design Stylist and Salon
Partner at Industry 80 Salon in Tuckahoe,
New York
FIND HIM AT
@industry80 on Instagram,
at facebook.com/Industry80 and
industry80.com
WHY HE MATTERS
By using Redken Content Creator, he boosted
views of his Facebook posts by 348 percent in less
than a year. It constantly updates his Facebook
page with fresh images promoting new ideas for
styling and product knowledge. It makes things
a little easier if you miss a day or two of posting.
His clients love hearing about new products and
whats hot with color each season. Ninety percent
of what the salon shares is original content, like
client photos, but they occasionally curate content
from other sources like Redken content. >

Industry 80 Salon
July 2015

NAME
Style Link Recipe Gallery and Mix Makers
WHAT IT IS
A collection of hairstyles, lengths and textures that
Matrix stylists can search using the QR Code on the
back of Style Link product bottles.

NAME
Evie Johnson
WHO SHE IS
Certified Trichologist, platform stylist/educator
for Mizani and owner of E&E Hair Studio in
Upper Marlboro, Maryland
STATS
16K followers on Instagram
FIND HER AT
@contactevie on Instagram and
styleseat.com/eviejohnson
WHY SHE MATTERS
Johnson is an excellent content creator and
curator and has a large following on Instagram.
She highlights the importance of mastering one
platform before moving on to others. Johnson
primarily uses her Instagram page to spread
the word about her work and to inspire her
online community. Her feed is a combination
of professional and personal images. She has
posted about finally getting to see the Tower
of London, sent thank yous and shout outs to
fans and other beauty professionals, always
remembering to tag those who have shared
her posts. She also shares original content,
including photos of her work.
americansalon.com

WHY IT MATTERS
The link provides stylists with online how-tos for each
look that can be accessed through any digital device. It
also provides access to the global Style Link community,
where stylists can grab screenshots of their favorite
looks for inspiration. In the recipe gallery, you can
choose to see the highest-rated recipes created by
other Matrix stylists and can even upload your own links
into the gallery after using the formulas.
NAME
Matrix Eye for Style Program Pivot Head Initiative
WHAT IT IS
Wearable technology
geared toward beauty
professionals
WHY IT MATTERS
It leverages wearable technology from a service
perspective to create content that can be shared
socially. The first phase of the program featured The
Blogger Video Series, but other uses for this technology
include educating Matrix salon professionals by
allowing stylists to study with their favorite educators
online. The initial video lineup includes a color and cut
tutorial with Artistic Director Christopher Benson and
a long-hair upstyling program led by Nicolas French.
Using Pivot Head wearable technology, French and
Benson can record their classes and post them online
for stylists to review whenever they need a refresher.

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF : DOUGLAS MCCOY

CONTENT CREATION
Douglas McCoy took his cue from Andy Warhol
when he opened House of POp, his salon in
Spokane, Washington, where he's hoping to
channel the kind of creativity that existed at The
Factory, Warhol's studio in New York City. McCoy
is not only a talented hairdresser but also a gifted
photographer, who shoots all of the work he uses
to promote his business in-house. The black and
white photograph is the type of content he creates
to regularly feed the social media monster.

July 2015

Movers
and
Shakers
THE BEAUTY PROFESSIONALS ON THESE SIX PAGES
HAVE BECOME ROCK STARS IN THEIR OWN RIGHT
WHEN IT COMES TO SOCIAL MEDIA.

here was a time when you had to be a

platform artist working on a big stage
in order to become well-known in our
industry. But with the advent of digital
and social media platforms, weve seen

a huge change in how stars are made. Today, celebrity is

not so much a function of geography and budget as it is
one of how effectively the artist uses the platforms and
tools available to create a meaningful presence in front
of the growing online audienceone that dwarfs that of
real-time events.

americansalon.com

A STAR IS BORN

FROM:
West Hollywood, California
WORKS AT:
Salon Republic, West Hollywood,
California
WHY HE MATTERS:
It all begins with talent, and
Guy Tang has it in spades. The
self-proclaimed hair activist
is known for his expertise in
balayage, ombr and fashion
colors and attracts huge crowds
whenever he appears onstage.
No wonder his Instagram feed
has so many followers or that his
YouTube videos have been viewed
millions of times. Because he
isnt affiliated with any company,
hairdressers trust him to provide
his honest opinion about a variety
of products.
GUY TANGS TOP SOCIAL
MEDIA TIPS:
Be Original: Dont be afraid
to be yourself because your
personality is what sets you apart.
Be Unique: Do something
thats unique to you, whether its
braids or updos, but dont copy
what others are doing.
Ignore the Haters: When
you do have some social media
success, you will attract some
haters. Just ignore them.

PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF GUY TANG

SOCIAL MEDIA STATS:

Instagram 567K followers and
counting
Facebook 266K likes
YouTube 144,192 subscribers,
nearly 5 million views
Twitter 9K followers
HOW TO FIND HIM:
Instagram @guy_tang
facebook.com/guytanghairartist
youtube.com/guytanghair
Twitter @guy_tang

July 2015

PHOTOGRAPHY: SHALEM MATHEW

Co-founder of the Sam Villa brand and

Redkens Education Artistic Director
FROM: New Mexico
WHY HE MATTERS: Sam Villa has been a hairdresser and educator for
more than 30 years, so he knows a thing or two about this industry.
He jumped on the digital bandwagon in 2010, first on Facebook and
then on YouTube. His mission was simple: inspire hairdressers by
offering them quick video tips, styling solutions and tricks they can
use behind the chair. One of the biggest payoffs has been the success
of his online education videos. Through paying forward education to
stylists everywhere, they support us as well by buying and using our
tools, says Villa. Hes a great example of one of the cardinal rules of
online engagement: Be positive and support others. Through his free
education videos and support of other stylists in the industry, Villa
has become a powerful force online.
HIS ADVICE: As stylists, we must embrace social media and the
power that it has to grow our business behind the chair.
HOW TO FIND HIM:
facebook.com/samvillapros
youtube.com/samvillahair
Instagram @samvillahair
Twitter @samvillapro
pinterest.com/samvillahair
samvilla.com

PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF TRACEY CUNNINGHAM

SOCIAL MEDIA STATS:

Facebook 176K likes
YouTube 169,450 subscribers
Instagram 76K followers
Twitter 8,386 followers
Pinterest 3K followers

Redken Celebrity Colorist

FROM: Seattle
WORKS AT: Co-owner of Mche Salon in Beverly Hills, California

SOCIAL MEDIA STATS:

Instagram 113K followers
Facebook 11K likes
Twitter 4K followers
HOW TO FIND HER:
Instagram: @traceycunningham1
facebook.com/traceycunninghamcolor
Twitter @traceycolorist
americansalon.com

WHY SHE MATTERS: Part of Tracey Cunninghams success

online comes from her success as a celebrity colorist offline,
but she navigates both worlds exceptionally well. She noticed
that more of her clients were coming to her with pictures of
celebrities theyd seen on Instagram asking for that exact look.
She soon realized that social media had the ability to create
a huge impact among many people instantaneously and
create awareness around the newest trends in haircolor. One
of the platforms that she uses effectively is Instagram. I post
absolutely everything on it, from my travels to my client looks
and the formulas I use for each, says Cunningham, who has
gained a large following in the process.

FROM: Dorset, England

WORKS AT: Global Creative
Director at Redken

PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF GUIDO PALAU

WHY HE MATTERS: In the last

decade, Guido Palau and Redken
have worked hand-in-hand to
create some of the most iconic
hairstyles and influential trends
that continue to shape the
fashion and beauty industries,
so its not a surprise that hes
attracted so many Instagram
followers since the beginning of
2015. He launched his account
at the start of the Fall/Winter
2015 Fashion Week as a way to
showcase his portfolio. Within a
few months his following grew
to over 24K, partly because
Fashion Week itself is such a
highly anticipated and talked
about event, but also because
Guido consistently shares a
variety of original and iconic
looks inspired by current trends
as well as content that reflects
his creative inspirations. Im
fortunate to have worked with
those who already have huge
social media followings such
as Kate Moss, Marc Jacobs
and Pat McGrath, says Guido.
Being able to reach designers'
online fans through his original
content has significantly grown
his online audience.
SOCIAL MEDIA STATS:
Instagram 24.3K followers
Twitter 15.1K followers
Facebook 8,466 likes
HOW TO FIND HIM:
Instagram @guidopalau
Twitter @guidopalau
facebook.com/guidopalau

July 2015

PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF JASON BACKE

Brand Ambassador and Artist for

LOral Professionnel
FROM: New York City
WORKS AT: Co-owner of Ted Gibson Beauty
WHY HE MATTERS: He co-leads a class called
Brand Yourself with Suzie Bond thats geared
toward salon owners, managers and stylists.
How to navigate social media is a strong
focus of the two-day workshop that helps
beauty professionals to identify what makes
them unique to the salon down the road or
even to the hairdresser next to them in the
salon, all of which is important to understand
when building an online presence. Even
though Backe has mastered several social
media platforms like Twitter and Facebook,
the one that he engages with the most is
Instagram. As an artist, Instagram is really
the platform I can be the most expressive
on, says Backe. The posts his followers
appreciate the most are before and afters
and stories about professional relationships.
Reposting and sharing is how I feel like Ive
hit home, says Backe. Thats where the
magic happens. His online presence is also
aspirational. Everything we do at Ted Gibson
Beauty has the intention of elevating our
industry, so I want my online presence to
reflect that, he says. It would be difficult
to find a picture of him holding a drink or
posting something negative online.
SOCIAL MEDIA STATS:
Twitter 13.8K followers
Instagram 5,504 followers
HOW TO FIND HIM:
Twitter @jasonbacke
Instagram @jasonbacke
tedgibsonbeauty.com

HIS ADVICE

Set yourself apart online and develop a

unique identity.

Your social media platform should have

some personalitydont post the same hair
pictures, and include a variety of content.

If you teach a class, encourage the

participants to post about the class on their
social media pages. Remember to ask them to
use appropriate hashtags and handles, so you
can find and share on your own platforms.

The number of followers you have is less

important than the quality of your interaction.
americansalon.com

Founder of Beauty-Snap.com and

Pureology Brand Ambassador
FROM: New York City

PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF NATASHA SUNSHINE-ANTONIONI

WORKS AT: Beauty Snap in Austin, Texas

WHY SHE MATTERS: Shes an expert in
personal and business branding for salon
professionals and recently launched a beauty
blog for women called Beauty-Snap. The
purpose of the blog is to offer quick hair,
makeup and wellness tips for busy women. It
started out as a passion project thats turned
into a business. Having been a stylist and
then a salon owner for the last two decades,
this blogging world was all new to me, says
Sunshine-Antonioni. But shes a quick study
and learned that the best-performing posts
were the ones that came from her heart.
Being authentic, she says, is essential for
attracting an online audience. As a brand
ambassador for Pureology, a lot of stylists
and salon owners followed her work. When
she started her blog, she tailored some of
her content to their interests. They, in turn,
re-shared her posts on their social media
platforms helping Sunshine-Antonioni to
build her fan base. Her first blog post to go
viral was 5 Haircuts that Work on All Face
Shapes. And although her social following
is in the early stages of growth, she has an
authentic online presence that's on the rise.
SOCIAL MEDIA STATS:
Beauty Blog Over 3K visitors a month
Facebook 1,810 friends
Twitter 1,257 followers
HOW TO FIND HER:
beauty-snap.com
facebook.com/natashasunshineantonioni
Twitter @beautysnapblog
Instagram @beautysnapnatasha

HER ADVICE

Love what youre writing about.

Be consistent with your posts.
Be as authentic as possible.
Find your unique offering.
Be willing to be vulnerable.
Know your audience.
Know your values.
July 2015

Best Practices
WE TALKED TO INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS WHO HAVE EXCELLED
AT USING SOCIAL MEDIA AND ASKED THEM TO SHARE THEIR BEST
PRACTICES. FOLLOW THEIR LEAD IF YOU WANT TO EXCEL ONLINE, TOO.

M
Daniel Roldan

atrix Artistic Director

Daniel Roldan considers
social media to be part of
a larger plan to maximize
his success in the salon.
His advice for maximizing
online engagement is
to share photos, like and comment on other
peoples pages, and post comments to your page
regularly. He also suggests using appropriate
hashtags. According to Roldan, when done
correctly, creating your own hashtags can be a
powerful thing, adding a viral effect to your work
if it leads to the gold standard of trending
among your circle of followers. He also finds
that its much easier to maximize your social
media impact by connecting with and engaging
online with others who share your interests. For
example, following the latest hair-related trends
and conversations can help you to refine and
perfect your skills behind the chair, while also
building your online presence.

MAKING THE MOST OF

EACH PLATFORM
Yelp
Yelp provides businesses with a selection of free
tools to create a profile and to connect to the
larger community of consumers searching for
services.
Follow these rules to make the most of
your Yelp profile:

Make sure you have compelling images to

showcase to potential customers.
Complete your profile, including street
address, telephone number, hours, services
americansalon.com

offered and website address.

Strive for consistently positive reviews

over time.
Respond professionally and in a timely
manner to not so awesome reviews.
Monitor your page as part of your larger
marketing plan.
YouTube
YouTube offers any number of educational
videos or how-tos about subjects ranging
from how to do great hair to how to use
Facebook as a small business to how to create
an e-newsletter or website. Use these free
resources when learning the ropes in online
marketing.
When to use or not use YouTube as a
marketing tool

If youre a beauty educator, YouTube can help

get your how-to's to a wider audience.
If youre a bridal salon, say, in Atlanta,
sharing bridal hair tutorial videos on YouTube
could drive business to your salon.
If you have a small salon and are mainly
interested in increasing foot traffic, YouTube
may not be the platform to use. Facebook or
Instagram may yield better results.
Twitter
Stake out a position and enter conversations
on Twitter to seek out relationships that are in
line with your aesthetic or brand values. Twitter
is more democratic than Facebook, which
requires people to "like" your page or share
your posts in order to reach a wide audience.

Twitter is about
Business owners can also pay a fee to promote
their pages and increase exposure. According
to Gary VaynerchukNew York Times bestselling author, including Jab, Jab, Jab, Right
Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social
World (Harper Collins, 2013)Twitter is about
news and information. So if youre a beauty
professional, you might want to tweet about
the hair you see on the red carpet at awards
shows like the Oscars or Golden Globes. Or, you
might want to tweet when Katy Perry changes
her haircolor again or a starlet known for her
long locks suddenly shows up sporting a pixie.
Still, its important to use appropriate hashtags
like #oscars2014 or #katyperrysnewhaircolor to
draw people to your Twitter feed.

news and
information.
So if youre
a beauty

Pinterest

professional,

Pinterest is another image-driven platform like

Instagram, but it has a high female demographic,
which makes it perfect for the beauty industry.
Use Pinterest to showcase a collection of your
work, but make sure that when someone clicks
on an image that there is an active link that
directs them to your website, your Facebook page
or another social media platform.

you might
want to tweet
comments
about the hair
you see on the
red carpet at
awards shows

Facebook

like the Oscars

Facebook is the social platform that is ideal

for telling stories, but its becoming more
challenging to get your story into the News
Feed of those you most want to reach. So how
exactly does Facebook determine which stories
show up in your Feed? For a while, they used
EdgeRank, an algorithm that gave users a more
personalized News Feed. Today, EdgeRank has
been replaced with a more complex algorithm.
The bottom line: Facebook lets you find a
community that shares your values or interests,
while Twitter offers access to a broader group of
people.

or Golden
Globes.

Ginnette Minarik proudly displays her book, A Cosmos

Guide to the Industry, next to Guy Tang.

# The Art of Hashtags

Instagram
A photo- and video-sharing social app (owned
by Facebook), Instagram is perhaps the fastestgrowing community of interest to salon and spa
pros. Reporting higher levels of engagement
than Facebook, Instagram's 100 percent visual
nature lends itself well to the kind of beautyrelated content that pros and consumers alike
covetwith visually appealing before and afters
topping the list. The key to success: learning

the basics of good photo composition and also

linking photos to an engaging comment or
caption.

DID YOU
KNOW?
300 hours of video
are uploaded to
YouTube every
minute, and the site
has over one billion
users.

Ginnette Minarik, Redken brand sales educator

and renter at Dollhouse Salon in San Jose,
California, offers a few tips for creating
compelling and appropriate hashtags on
Instagram. Lets say you post an application or
color-correction photousing a hashtag like
#colorcorrection will help people anywhere in
the world searching for that topic to find your
page, says Minarik, who has used Instagram
to help promote her book, A Cosmos Guide to
July 2015

TIPS FOR
SUCCEEDING
ONLINE
Create goals that
link to your overall
sales and marketing
plan.
Use a content
calendar to plan your
online activities.

Minarik showcases her balayage work using

relevant hashtags.

the Industry. Shes posted images of the book

cover as well as selfies of her holding the book
with other industry celebs like Sam Villa (who
endorsed it) and Guy Tang. Including their
names in a hashtag helped to lead people
searching for their names to her post, thereby
increasing her online audience. She says its
also important to use appropriate hashtags
when sharing others posts. As a Redken brand
educator, Minarik also uses Instagram to
create an online buzz around Redken product
launches. Her advice to beauty professionals:
Be proud of your work by posting before and
afters. If they like it, referrals will happen,
says Minarik.

Get and stay

educated.
Acquire the
resources needed to
execute your plan.
Find digital role
models.
Be consistent in
engaging across all
platforms.
Commit to your
plan.

Create a YouTube Buzz

Liz Rose-Worman, a Redken artist and certified
haircolorist, is the owner of Salon Ethos in
Newport, Oregon. She recently launched
a blow-dry bar at her salon, mainly using
YouTube as a promotional tool. Most of the
people in our demographic didnt know what

Ones to Watch on: YOUTUBE

Guy Tang youtube.com/user/guytanghair
Sam Villa youtube.com/samvillahair
Nomad Barber youtube.com/thenomadbarber
Jenny Strebe Hairstyle Confessions youtube.com/hairstyleconfessions
Matt Beck Free Salon Education youtube.com/salongratitude
Jenny Fox Miss Jen Fabulous youtube.com/missjenfabulous
americansalon.com

a blow-dry bar was so we had to educate

the community, says Rose-Worman. With
her team, she organized a photo shoot that
showcased seven looks representing Fall 2014
Fashion Week trends. These looks are just
some of the options clients can choose from
on the menu. She also posted a video of the
shoot on her YouTube page, which helped to
create a buzz around the opening of the Blow
Dry Bar. Worman also streamed the YouTube

Liz Rose-Worman used YouTube to create an online buzz

around the opening of her Blow Dry Bar at Salon Ethos.

videos at the opening event, so she didnt have

to give a formal talk about the process. This
freed her up to chat with potential clients. Her
advice: As a stylist behind the chair or a salon
owner, the first thing to understand is that you
cant do it all, she says. Choose one platform
to master in the beginning, but make sure its
the best platform for your purposes.
Be Innovative
Rodney Cutler and Jeff Vicente of Cutler
Salons in New York City gave us the low-down
on using technology in the salon to reduce
overhead costs and to inspire clients and

Be Tech Savvy
Vito Mazza of Vito Mazza Salon in Woodbridge,
New Jersey hosts an interactive kiosk in his
retail area. The kiosk resembles a giant iPad
and was originally used to promote the Matrix
Biolage reinvention. Clients used the kiosk to
take a quiz about their beauty needs and were
then matched to specific Biolage products. It
was a great way to boost product sales, says
Mazza, who also uses the kiosk to capture
client data, stream social media platforms
like Twitter and Facebook, and allow clients to
purchase products. The word fun is important.
Keep the buzz and excitement going for the
client, he says. One of his goals is to use this
technology to bring business owners in his

Ones to Watch on: FACEBOOK

Inspired hairdresser photography and video sharing Hairbrained
Education, tools and more Sam Villa
Leading business coaching and consulting Strategies
Inspiration and insights into career and business Passion Squared
Inspiration, news and stories American Salon

Vito Mazza used this interactive kiosk to boost product

sales during a Matrix Biolage promotion.

The word fun

is important.
Keep the buzz
and excitement
going for the
client.

area together through cross-promotion. As

long as their brand values align, Mazza believes
this is a great way to build relationships
within his community. The biggest payoff of
this technology, however, has been increased
sales. The salon increased product sales by 30
percent in one year with the Biolage promotion.
One out of five people used it to find out
the best styling products for them, says
Mazza. Metroclick,
the company
that created
the interactive
kiosk, also offers
statistics for insalon promotions to
help salon owners
determine which
ones were most
Vito Mazza
successful. >
July 2015

PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF VITO MAZZA

PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF RODNEY CUTLER

stylists. Cutler
installed an
iPad as a
key piece of
point-of-sale
functionality
at his newest
location in
Brooklyn.
Its a smaller
salon and
runs selfsufficiently
without the
Rodney Cutler
need for a
dedicated front desk staff, says Cutler. The
iPad is used as an appointment-booking tool
that helps to cut down payroll costs while also
giving staff members the means to service
guests from start to finish. This kind of set-up
allows for a more intimate, hands-on salon
experience, and can reduce overhead costs for
smaller salons. Another piece of technology
that Cutler uses in his SoHo location is Crown
TV, a subscription program that streams online
channels and programs of your choosing.
Cutler streams video that showcases his
backstage work, fashion show presentations
and informative how-tos from Redken.

BE POSITIVE

In 2010, LOral Professionnel Artist

Jay Wesley Olsen attended an
education event led by Ted Gibson
and Jason Backe where he learned
a valuable lesson about the power
of Twitter. He had opened a Twitter
account shortly before the event,
mainly exchanging snarky comments
with a few friends. I wake up the
next morning in Florida and see that
Ted Gibson is following me, says
Olsen. I gasped. As he walked down
to the hotel lobby, Gibson waved
him over. It turned out that Gibson
gave Olson some very sage advice
that changed the way he approached
social media. Gibson asked Olsen if
he knew what a powerful tool he had
with Twitter. This is your portfolio.
Do you want people to see negative
posts on there? Olsen immediately
closed his Twitter account and
started fresh. His advice to any
beauty professional: Be positive and
present your best self. Anything less
is not acceptable.

Olsen understands the power of

hashtags to build a successful brand
identity. For example, he created
the hashtag #braidsandbalayage
to promote his and his partner
Jenny Strebes Braids and Balayage
Program on Instagram. Eventually,
the hashtag caught on and other
stylists started using it on their
social media platforms. The result:
Olsens online presence grew
exponentially. He now has over 18K
followers on Instagram.
Jay Wesley Olsen

HIS ADVICE:
Attract the attention of some big
accounts online.

Use catchy and fun hashtags to

Ones to Watch on: INSTAGRAM

Updo educator and braid specialist Heather Chapman @heatherchapmanhair
Mens stylist Andrew Kozak @andrewdoeshair
Independent hair artist Larisa Love @larisadoll

create your brand identity.

Post eye-catching and unique hair

photos.

Tag other beauty professionals

and trade magazines.

Hair activist Guy Tang @guy_tang

Share color formulas and other

Celebrity hairdresser Kristin Ess @kristin_ess

beauty tips.

americansalon.com

PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF JAY WESLEY OLSEN; ILLUSTRATION: VEER

HIT EM WITH A GOOD HOOK

Ones to Watch on: YELP

Red 7 Salon 210 W Kinzie St, 2nd Fl, Chicago, IL 60654
Butterfly Loft Salon & Spa 17401 Ventura Blvd, Ste B-19, Encino, CA 91316
Queen Bee Salon & Spa 10182 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232
Todd Jameson Nue Studio 3470 E Coast Ave, Ste 113, Miami, FL 33137
Liquid Hair Studios 640 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02118

ANALYZE THIS
Analytics are tools that help you see how well your efforts are
working. Can you afford not to know?
FACEBOOK

SALON WEBSITE

Facebook calls its analytic tool Page Insights,

and its designed to provide users with a host of
stats about everything from the business page's
reach and levels of engagement to follower
demographics and behavior. Accessed via the
Insights tab at the top of the page, this free
analytic tool is easy to use, with analysis that
goes from broad brush to in the weeds.

The most powerful free tool is Google Analytics.

Once you click the Access Google Analytics at
google.com/analytics, youll get a tracking code
to paste onto your pages so Google knows when
your site is visited. The reporting is extensive,
especially for a free service.

INSTAGRAM

Remember,
what was eyecatching two

Iconosquare for Instagram provides stats

on your Instagram profile once you sign up at
iconosquare.com. With measurements like your
Love Rate (how many people like your posts)
and Talk Rate (how much they comment on your
media), this is more of a big-picture tool.

months ago

YOUTUBE

may not be eye-

YouTube Analytics provides info on viewer

demographics; how viewers are finding your
videos online; how long theyre staying; and
what else theyre watching on the channel.
Accessed via your channel dashboard, it
provides all-important information to reach your
target audience and keep them coming back.

catching now.

HOOTSUITE
A popular, fee-based service, Hootsuite lets
you monitor multiple platforms. There is a free
version, but going Pro allows you to track the
performance of your social media campaigns at
a more in-depth level. hootsuite.com

EMAIL
Most service providers have their own version of
email analytics to help you get a handle on your
inbox marketing efforts.

TWITTER
Twitter Analytics provides stats on
impressions, engagement and engagement rate
of tweets. You can also see how many retweets
youre getting on an average day, how many link
clicks and more. Its free: Just click the Turn It
On button at analytics.twitter.com.
July 2015

Im the original social butterfy...

Weve been

pinned

over 40

thousand times,

tumbled
over 35

thousand times,

tweeted more than

207 thousand times,

and we have 1.3 million friends on

facebook!

Last, but not least...

a million thanks to our

over 1 million followers on

instagram!

All of this making essie

the undisputed

queen of
social media!
Special thanks to all our fans...

we love you!

Visit www.essie.com/pros for access to new product videos, salon education and more!

USAs nail
salon expert.
Since 1981.

The

Toolbox

THESE DIGITAL TOOLS AND MOBILE APPS BOOST PRODUCTIVITY

FASTER THAN YOU CAN SAY FREE DOWNLOAD.

nce upon a time, hairdressers most

important professional tools were
the ones they kept in a drawer and
sharpened once a year. Nowadays,
beauty professionals have a whole
host of online tools and apps to help
with everything from craft to business-building.
These are tools that sharpen you.

PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF SALON MAYAN (OPENER)

Ben Aharon used the

free merchandising
tools available online at
mymatrixfamily
.com to customize
display materials
for his retail area at
Salon Mayan, a Matrix
Flagship salon in
Huntington, New York.

americansalon.com

Online booking
WEB-BASED PLATFORMS
There are many types of tools available online
but the two most important categories for
beauty professionals are locators and online
booking. Theres a lot of crossover, with many
sites offering both features plusmore often
than nota review function. Most integrate with
social media in some way; those that dont are
moving in that direction.
General market locators like Yelp, Google and
Yahoo provide search results that are derived
from algorithms which are proprietary to each
one. To keep companies from gaming the system,
they wont tell what drives the algorithms, but
most experts agree that engagement across
multiple online platformssocial media, the
salons website and other search sitesis a key
factor in moving up in searches.
There are also a number of locator sites that
are specific to the beauty industry: StyleSeat,
Bloom and Bangstyle, to name a few. Most major
brands have locators on their websites for salon
customers. Redken and Pureology both have
salon finders on their websites that link directly
to StyleSeat.
Online booking is perhaps the single biggest
game-changer in the salon business today.
Clients are accustomed to shopping online,
making transactions with a click or a touch of the
screen; forced to take that extra step of making a
phone call to book an appointment, many wont.
Online booking enables clients to book in the
middle of the night, from a subway platform, at
the beach, in a noisy nightclubwherever and
whenever the mood strikes them.
StyleSeat is a scheduling/booking site
designed specifically for salons and spas.
Schedulicity, a more general-interest site, books
appointments for everything from restaurants
to psychics. Businesses register on these sites
to get found, and in the case of StyleSeat, its
free. On most online booking sites, the schedule
lives on their platform, and interfaces with the
salon in different ways. Some dont actually
schedule at all, but send an email to the salon
with the appointment request, which must then

is perhaps the
single biggest

TED GIBSON STRIKES AGAIN

game-changer

On Instagram, he has more than 105K

followers, and 172K hang on his every tweet.
Now celebrity stylist and eponymous salon
owner Ted Gibson is in your phone. The
new Ted Gibson app enables clients of his
Manhattan salon to book
appointments day or night,
whether theyre stuck in
traffic or strolling the High
Line. Clients can also check
their balance on the salons
Gibson Girl points rewards
system andif they
download the app while in
TED GIBSON
the salonget 10 percent
off their next service. Says Gibson,
Were always thinking about new ways to
reach our customers.

in the salon
business today.
It enables
clients to book
in the middle
of the night,
from a subway
platform, at
the beach,
in a noisy
nightclub
wherever and
whenever the
mood strikes.

be followed up with a text, email or phone call.

Others integrate with the salons own scheduling
software. This provides a more seamless and
comprehensive approach, since the site is able
to see where actual availabilities exist and book
appointments to fill them.

DESKTOP SOFTWARE

DID YOU
KNOW?

Worldwide mobile
app downloads
are expected
to reach 268.69
billion in 2017.

Salon productivity software has been around

for a long time. Whats new and different these
days is the ways in which these programs are
interacting with social media, and facilitating
mobile access to functions like scheduling and
reporting.
Our clients are heavy users of social media,
says Lauren Beatty, product manager for
Daysmart, makers of Salon Iris software, which
enables users to post directly to Facebook and
Twitter from within the program. It also has an
online booking feature that allows the salon to
embed its booking tool on its Facebook profile, so
visitors can book directly from that site.
Millennium Systems International, makers of
Millennium salon software, recently partnered
with Demandforce to offer online bookings
through Yelp, effectively integrating aspects of a
July 2015

review site and social media with the online booking

function. Millenniums scheduling function is uniquely
suited to the needs of the salon industry, according
to John Harms, company founder and CEO, because
appointments can be segmented to allow the stylist to
take on other scheduled tasks during downtime, say,
while a clients color is processing.

dont cause you to lose sight of whats already working

well for you. And be sure to show up in all the places
your clients expect to find you online; your competitors
will certainly be there whether you are or not.

MOBILE APPS
The word "app" was originally short for application,
a somewhat wonkified term for a piece of software
with a fairly specific purpose. Its used these days
almost exclusively to refer to mobile apps, which work
on smartphones and tablets. Mobile apps may have
companion desktop versions, but the app will usually
be scaled down and nimbler, designed to be used on
the go. It will also be scalable, meaning the content
sizes itself to the device.
Apps have revolutionized beauty professionals'
lives, from enabling mobile access to color
formulations to capturing client contact information to
making it possible to post to social media directly from
the chair. In a business where everyone moves around
a lot and almost no one works behind a desk, apps are
a no-brainer.

Naja Rickette is a living example of the power of social

media to level the playing field. The former owner of a
West Hollywood, California nail
salon, Rickette is now flying
solo, glamming up celebrities
like Katy Perry and Lady Gaga
and doing sold-out pop-up
tours around the country. Shes
hit the Facebook cap of 5K
followers, with thousands more
following her on Instagram
and Twitter. Fans are hooked
by Rickettes cutting-edge nail
designs and upbeat persona, both of which are on
display in the nail selfies she regularly posts. Your
posts should always tie in to what you do, she says.
A lead educator for Essie, Rickette also runs VBP,

BUILDING YOUR TOOL KIT

Start online with appointment scheduling and a
locator. Sites like StyleSeat and Google spend loads of
money, driving consumers to their sites. Registering
there and taking ownership of your salon presence on
these platforms means you benefit from the kind of
marketing effort even the biggest salon couldnt make
on its own.
Be a student of business. Every beauty show has
seminars on digital marketing and social media. Trade
magazines like this one, and trade organizations like
the Professional Beauty Association, are resources
that offer help and advice thats tailor-made for you.
Determine your level of comfort with technology
and let that be your guide. Or find the resources, either
inside your organization or outsideas you would if
you needed a plumber or electricianto take on what
you need to get done. Are you a pioneer? Most of us
arent, so its better to stay with the tried-and-true. If
you are, spread your wings. Just make sure your efforts
americansalon.com

a consulting business for beauty professionals, which

she and partner David Anthony built on nothing more
than their accumulated talent and social media savvy.
Rickette says the booking feature of StyleSeat has
been a business builder. The new companys first class
sold out thanks to the one-two punch of social media
and online booking. I started posting a month or two
before the launch, getting people excited. Then when
we were ready to start, we did a few posts on Facebook
and Instagram: Sign up now. Were only taking 20
people. Because there was an easy way to book online
through styleseat.com, the class filledfast. I made a
profit of $6,000 off three or four posts, Rickette says.
Because shes no longer affiliated with a brickand-mortar salon, Rickette also uses the e-commerce
function of StyleSeat for retailing. She links to the
site via social media posts and fans click through to
StyleSeat to purchase online: instant gratification
all around. Says Rickette, I dont have to carry any
inventory, or do any shipping. And I get commission on
every sale, as if I were working in a big salon.

THE APP STORE

Here are just a few of the mobile apps beauty
professionals are using to be more productive, build
business and connect with both colleagues and clients.

Use Evernote to record, upload and manage everything

from to-do lists to photos. Built-in speech recognition enables

you to dictate notes while your hands are occupiedgreat
for documenting new techniques. Every note or image is
automatically uploaded to your storage account for roaming
access to all your files. The free app is powerful; the premium
version has more sharing options and greater upload
capacity.

Redken and Pureologys new Salon Finder app, launched

in May, is now integrated with styleseat.com to drive

consumers to book appointments and purchase products 24/7.

The My Matrix Family apps color formulation tool

includes a virtual try-on function that lets stylists and clients

compare different combinations of color, effect and intensity.

Web-based Salon Iris Cloud allows mobile access to a

salons reporting dashboard, marketing tools and more via a

smartphone, tablet or laptop.

The StyleSeat app gives clients the ability to book

appointments on the go, while member salons can use the

mobile dashboard to send client emails, check bookings,
upload photos and more from a smartphone or tablet.

Every year 500K hairdressers visit Hairbrained at

hairbrained.me for inspiration, connection and education.

Users can build their industry profile, find mentors or
followers and stay connected with passionate hairdressers
through discussion and photo- or video sharing.

Meevo, from the makers of Millennium salon

software, is a complete scheduling, booking, marketing

and client communication tool, scaled for mobile use.
Meevos Success Center motivates staff members
by gamifying goal-setting.
July 2015

THE
LOral
invents haircolor

Biolage
transformed retail

1909

Redken Shades EQ
is the rst demi haircolor

Trusted by:
FOR SALON PROFESSIONALS ONLY.

FUTURE IS HERE
Social Media
made nail art popular

TODAY

Salon Front Desks

added POS systems

StyleSeat & top brands

ofer FREE digital tools to salons
& modernize the industry

Learn more & join at StyleSeat.com/SalonTools

Anatomy of a

Website

Tips for Building and Maintaining an Effective Website

eres the good news: Your

website doesnt have to do
everything, or be everything
to everybody. It just has to
do a few simple things well:
help clients find you online; make it easy
to book an appointment; list the services
you offer; and convey the essence of your
salon brand.
Discoverability is key. Your clients are
trying to find you online, and if your salons
name doesnt come up at the top of a
Google or Yahoo search for salons in your
city, your website isnt working as hard as
it should. Search Engine Optimizationor
SEOis the technical term for practices
that include using keywords and metatags
to capture the attention of the major
search engines and cause websites to
move higher in the list of search results.
Many Web hosts, like Squarespace and
Wordpress, come with SEO built in. Even if
you are on a platform that offers such help,
SEO is one reason to engage the services
of a professional, at least in the initial
design and launch of your website.
Happily, discoverability is also boosted
by a number of factors that are easier
for non-techies to understand (and to
do something about). Engagement is a
blanket term that encompasses the ways
in which visitors interact with online
content: commenting, tagging, reposting
on social media, online booking. All things
being equal, more engagement will equal
more hits. >

americansalon.com

Make it easy for clients to find you by putting address

information not just on the homepage, but on every page.

A link to an online mapping site, such as Google maps

or Yahoo maps, is a must.

Links to all of your social media accounts should be

at the top of every page, not hidden away. Social media
engagement increases discoverability, meaning your site
will move up in search engine results.

Personalize your page with logos, colors and

typography that reflect your salon's personality.

Your phone number should appear prominently on

every page.

List your hours. And while you're at it, make sure

service menus include pricing. The more you make
potential clients wonder, the more likely they'll click away
from your site without taking action.

Include features that generate engagement.

There is no single more powerful Web tool for salons
than online booking. Make it easy, and make it obvious.
(Note: It appears on this homepage more than once.)

Give prospective clients a taste of the salon ambience

by including interior shots. It's a big part of who you are.

777 Beauty Lane / Anytown, MS 12345

MAP

OFFERS

BOOK

CONTACT US

Call Us today 123/456-7890

Hours: Tuesday-Friday: 10-7 / Saturday-Sunday: 9-6
Closed Monday
SALON

SPA

WEDDINGS

APPOINTMENTS

INFO

BLOG

FALL COLOR
TRENDS

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF MATRIX (BEAUTY SHOTS); VEER (SALON)

read more

July 2015

Site Specifics

CHANGE IT UP

Offering fresh content is one way to create

engagement. Whether its a salon blog,
client reviews, or rotating coupons and
DEALS, make sure your website is dynamic
and ever-changing, giving clients a reason to
come back and spread the word via sharing and
tagging.

CONNECT WITH SOCIAL

Put links to your SOCIAL MEDIA

accounts on every page, preferably
in a prominent spot near the top.
Social media engagement not only increases
discoverability, its a powerful tool on its own. A
prospect may only visit your website once, but
if that results in her following you on Facebook,
youve created a long-term connection.

This
Website
Has
It All

purpose: to put clients into chairs. So make it

easy for clients to book whenever the mood
strikes (or they'll go to someone who does).
Some salon management software has
functionality to integrate directly with the
booking link on your website. Even if your salon
doesn't use such software, it's possible to link
to booking sites like styleseat.com or to general
market scheduling sites like schedulicity
.com. Setting up online booking in a way that
works for your salon is another reason to hire a
professional web consultant to design and build
your salon website.

DON'T FORGET THE BASICS

The second goal of your website,

making it easy for clients and prospects
to CONTACT you, is the easiest to
achieve: Put your salon phone number, address
and email address on every page. Many salons
neglect to do this, probably because they fear
it'll look pedestrian or (gasp!) commercial. Get
over it. There are ways to make it pretty and
make it pay.

BOOKING:
THE ULTIMATE GOAL
Better yet, cut to the chase with online
BOOKING. Your website exists for one

RULES TO LIVE BY
Your website
doesn't have to do
everything. It just
has to do a few
things well.

Make it easy for

List the services

Use images,

Just as you'd

clients to make
appointments day
or night by offering
online booking.

you offer and post

an online price list.

typography, colors
and design to help
convey the essence
of your salon brand.

use an architect to
design your salon,
it's worthwhile
hiring an outside
expert for the initial
development of your
website.

Include prominent

links to your social

media accounts.

americansalon.com

GOING MOBILE

Websites designed to automatically

scale to any DEVICE ensure that clients
and prospects will find you no matter
how theyre surfing. Experts now recommend a
mobile-first strategydesigning sites first for
optimal viewing on a smartphone since its
easier to scale up than down.

SERVICE MENU, PLEASE

Prospective clients looked you up

online wanting to know what you do.
Dont be coy! Every salon should have a
SERVICE MENU online, preferably with pricing.
Every prospective client has a ballpark price in
mind. If you make them wonder whether you're
in the same range, they wont even call to ask.
Next!

WEBSITE IMAGES: COURTESY OF EMERSON SALON AND MOPS BEAUTY SHOP.

SHOW, DON'T TELL

COMMUNICATING who you are as

a salonyour artistic vision, your
personality, your nicheis where the
real creativity comes in. An online portfolio is a
common strategy but can be tricky. Remember
that clients looking at a photo online will
always project themselves into the picture.
Posed, professionally-shot model images can
look too finished, too polished or just too out
there for clients to imagine themselves in the
picture. A surer bet is to use layout, design and
typography, as well as the message conveyed
by the text on your pages, to telegraph your
salons personality to the online world.

Building a website is such an important part

of any salon's marketing efforts that engaging
experts in the field is a smart move. Check out
local businesses' sites and, if you find one you
like, ask who developed it. Use the resources
provided by your web host, like the SEO tools built
into Wordpress and Squarespace. Popular Web
hosting services also have extensive developer
communities whose familiarity with the site's
inner workings can be a real asset.

This
Website
Has
Personality
to Spare

At every stage, take a big step back and measure

your progress against goals you've set for your
website. Remember: You're not designing it for
yourself, but for those clients out there, both the
ones you have now and the legions of new fans
who'll find you online.

A FEW FINAL TIPS

Focus most of
your effort on the
home page: Most
visitors will never
see anything else.
Make sure you
have full access
to the back end

of your website,
including admin
passwords for the
Web host, even if
someone outside
the company is
maintaining it
for you.

Keep the bells

Cross-promote

Update your

and whistles to a
minimum. Think of
your website like
your front window:
Anything you put
there is simply
designed to get
them in the door.

your website in the

real world: Include
the URL on business
card, salon signage
and email blasts.

website regularly,
just as you
would your salon
promotions or retail
offerings.

July 2015

Imagine... all your digital needs in one easy location

MyMatrixFamily.com

Robert Santana
Elements Hair Studio
Brooklyn, NYC

The Salon Resource section

of MyMatrixFamily.com
makes promoting my salon
and merchandising so easy.
It also helps me sell through
my retail and promote
services.

Enhance your
business with the
latest salon resources
Keep your salon
up-to-date with posters,
shelftalkers, service menus,
brochures and more!
Also available in Spanish.

The Recipe Gallery provides so

many user-generated styling looks
that inspire me to create these
looks on my clients.

Style Link
Recipe Gallery
Share your latest
and greatest looks
using Style Link.

Daniel Roldan
Cutler Salon
NYC

Diagnostic Tool

With the Biolage Diagnostic

Tool, I now have more clients
walking into my salon requesting
specic products that are best
suited for their hair type.

Help your clients nd

the Biolage products
right for them in ve
fun and easy steps!

Detra Smith
Hannah and Me Salon
Moulton, AL

We know that changing

a look at any moment can
change a life. Matrix has 24/7
Educational assistance with
hundreds of techniques and
formulas, plus advice on which
Matrix products work best.

24/7 Education

Salon Glo
Valencia, CA

100s of cut, color, style &

texture techniques and formulas,
all just one click away!

MyMatrixFamily.com

Dan Csicsai

/Matrix

/MatrixFamily

/MyMatrixFamily

Reach for the Stars

GETTING FIVE-STAR REVIEWS ON YELP ONLY SEEMS LIKE IT'S BEYOND YOUR
CONTROL. HERE ARE SOME WAYS TO MAKE REVIEW SITES WORK FOR YOU.

elp is putting more bodies

into chairs than any other
platform, says Nina Kovner,
founder of Passion Squared,
a consulting company for
creative businesses. You
can hate it all you want, but
youre there. In addition to Yelp, locators like City
Search and Yahoo, as well as industry-specific
sites like Bangstyle and StyleSeat, have review
functions that enable patrons to post their
impressionspositive and negativein a public
forum. The businesses in question have little
to no say over what gets posted; like Facebook,
each site has its own algorithms for determining
which reviews get seen and which dont.
Clients have become online advocates for
their salons and stylists, says Kovner, who
sees this as a good thing. We have an army of
marketers, fans, evangelists out there telling our
stories for us. We need to facilitate that.
The key: Make sure the client experience is a
great one. Businesses that do well on Yelp know
there is no substitute for customer service.
Yelps algorithm, which decides which reviews
to show and which to hide, is designed to see
surges in activity as suspicious. That can make it
frustrating for a business new to the site to gain
momentum, but Kovner counsels patience and
consistency. If good reviews are consistently
being posted, more and more will eventually get
through, she says.
The algorithm also governs which businesses
come out on top of a Yelp search. Social media
engagementlinks to posts on Instagram,
Facebook and Pinterestwill move your salon
up in the rankings, so post pictures on your Yelp
page, and encourage clients to do the same. Most
important, use Yelps reservation widget to put a
Book Now button on your Yelp profile. For users

americansalon.com

DEALING
WITH THE
THREE TYPES
OF ONLINE
REVIEWS
THE GOOD: Another
5-star review? Good
for you! Responding
to it online is
optional. Just make
sure that if you do,
you keep it gracious
and humble.
THE BAD: Hey,
everyone has a
bad day. Yelpers
know that and will
be looking more
closely at how you
respond than at
the bad review
itself. Willingness to
address legitimate
concerns can
actually work in your
favor.
THE UGLY: Theres a
reason theyre called
trolls. The anonymity
of Yelp emboldens
some naturally
nasty people to new
depths. Again, savvy
Yelpers recognize
this type when they
see it. Theyll ignore
those posts and so
should you.

of Millennium software it integrates directly with

the salon schedule; if not, it can re-direct users to
the booking page on the salon's site. Prospects
are looking for you: Make sure you bring them all
the way in through the front door.

DETRA SMITH

Detra Smith, Matrix educator and owner

of Hannah & Me Salon in Moulton,
Alabama, shares her thoughts on thirdparty review site success.
Q: What should
stylists do to keep on
top of whats being
said about them
online?
A: Doing regular online
searches of their
names will keep them
aware of anything new
DETRA SMITH
that pops up.
Q: Are there places other than Yelp they should
be looking?
A: I do regular searches of my salon name with
more than one search engine, since some search
engines list names and key words differently
than others. It is surprising to see how many
sites list businesses with reviews. New ones are
developed all the time.
Q: What's the best way to handle negative
reviews?
A: If the site allows the stylist to comment, they
should give an explanation of the steps taken
to resolve an issue. We can't beat ourselves up
over a negative review but we can work hard and
encourage others to leave positive reviews on
the same site. None of us are perfect. Showing
the willingness to resolve an issue can go a long
way in building trust and client loyalty.

L.A. STORIES
Two Los Angeles area salons approach online review sites in their own way,
and are succeeding on their own terms.

The Butterfly Loft Salon & Spa

Queen Bee Salon & Spa

Encino, California

Brentwood and Culver City, California; Seattle

Business Type Full-service hair, skincare, makeup and nails

Yelp Stats 288 reviews, 95 percent 5-Star
Encourage Clients Reviews? Yes, but gently. It would
mortify me to hear a stylist asking for a good review, says
owner David Thurston.
Respond to Good Reviews? No, never. Thurston prefers
to let reviews, both positive and negative, speak for
themselves.
Handling Negative Reviews Thurston referred to a recent
session with a Yelp-scarred stylist as grief counseling.
When youre passionate about something, youre sensitive
about it, he says. Rather than wallow, he encourages
stylists to redouble their efforts to get good reviews, which
push the bad ones down the page. He tells stylists, Turn
that energy into fuel. Go out and get five great reviews!
Tip for Tricking Out Your Yelp Profile Thurston encourages
stylists to post client pictures to social media. When a post
gets a good response, the stylist sends a text message to
the client: Did you see your pic got 1,000 likes? Then, if the
client responds, another text: Would you mind posting a
picture on Yelp with a positive review? Clients feel more
connected to the salon because theyve contributed to
a catalog of a stylist's work; and because it's tied to a
photo, the review is more likely to pass muster with Yelp's
algorithm and stick.

Business Type Skincare, waxing, nails and tanning

Yelp Stats 716 reviews, 82 percent 5-Star
Encourage Client Reviews? Never. Owner Jodi Shays never
asks clients for reviews and does not want her techs asking
either. But, because she recognizes the power of the site, every
new client who calls is asked how they found Queen Bee, and if
it was Yelp, that goes into their profile in the salons Millennium
system. That information not only tells her how effective their
online efforts are, its useful in her strategy for dealing with bad
reviews (see below).
Respond to Good Reviews? Yes. Every positive review is
thanked publicly.
Handling Negative Reviews If a client has a legitimate
complaint, Shays wants to make it right and will do her best to
ferret out the reviewer's identity using the salons database so
she can make a personal call. If she cant reach them by phone,
she messages them privately on Yelp. And if they dont respond
to that, Shays posts a public response on Yelp, mentioning the
ways they tried to get in touch. Its a strategy that reflects well
on the business and poorly on a reviewer who probably didnt
have the best intentions in th e first place.
Tip for Yelp Sanity Shays takes responsibility for monitoring
Yelp away from her staff, though she says she never checks just
before bedtime. Its late, youre tired, you dont know how youre
going to react," she explains.
July 2015

YOUR HAIRS NEW MIRACLE LEAVE-IN

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NEW 25 Miracle Milk Leave-In Treatment
Moisturizing yet lightweight milk instantly enhances natural,
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Share how youre using 25 Miracle Milk on Instagram!
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Visit Mizani.com for looks and tips!

All rights reserved. 5/15

Youve Got Mail

ONE CHICAGO SALON MAKES INBOX MARKETING PAY IN A BIG WAY.

he Hair Loft, Ltd., on Chicagos near

north side, is a 14-chair, full-service salon
with outsized success in email marketing.
The overall effect of our email campaigns
last year generated $85,000 in service
revenue, says owner Benjamin Johnson.
If you think he must be some kind of
whiz kid you may be right, but the tactics hes using are simple
enough to work for any salon. Many of the tasks, including
repetitive ones like birthday emails, and reminders for clients
who havent been booked in the last five weeks, are generated
automatically by The Hair Loft's Salon Transcripts software.
Johnson realizes that marketing to men and women
should be different. The womens newsletter goes out only to
clients who are not currently booked for a service. Called New
& Now, it focuses on trends in the salon. It reminds them of
what theyre missing, Johnson says. The mens newsletter
goes out to all male clients on the first of every month. The
content is more lifestyle than hairstylerestaurants, mens

GEORGE PAPANIKOLAS

The Matrix Celebrity Stylist on

Inbox Marketing
Dont overthink your email strategy. Keep
it simple and use emails to help drive
service and retail. Remember this is one
way to stay connected to your clients.
I love the StyleSeat email platform. I
have all of my clients in the database and
its really easy to segment and execute.
Theres no limit to the number of clients
you can have, which is awesome.
Im in the early
stage of measuring
the success of my
email campaigns.
So far Ive seen a
10 percent lift in
appointments since
starting to send
GEORGE PAPANIKOLAS
booking emails.
americansalon.com

fashion, wine
because, Johnson
says, men dont care
about hair trends.
One strategy
that always
produces bookings
is sending out
emails about
special holiday or
vacation hours. An
email goes out just before the year-end holidays reminding
clients to book in time for special events, and listing
extended holiday hours. The summer version is personalized
to each client, showing dates his or her stylist will be out
on vacation, so clients can book accordingly. Last year the
salons booked $3,500 in service from a single holiday hours
email alone. It works because its not a pitch, says Johnson.
Its information people want to know.

DO THISNOT THAT

Some things to consider before you hit Send.

DO THIS

NOT THAT

Have a plan for collecting email

addresses.

Dont email clients so frequently that

you become part of the wallpaper (or
worse, a nuisance).

If you dont use salon software to

handle email, use an online service
like Mail Chimp or Constant Contact to
automate repetitive tasks.
Be brief and to the point and
proofread for spelling and grammar.
Consider budgeting for design and
copywriting if neither is your forte.
Tie emails to seasonal events, like
back-to-school, or personal ones, like
birthdays.
Make sure that every email informs,
entertains or inspires (or all three).
Track your results and adjust your
tactics as needed to improve results.

Dont be strictly promotional, unless

its a limited-time offer or special deal.
This is not the place for political talk,
religious screeds or off-color humor.
Buying email mailing lists to prospect
for new clients is a waste of time.
Come up with engaging client referral
programs instead.
Dont use email to change a scheduled
appointment. A personal phone call will
make sure they get the word.
Disable your caps lock key, and go easy
on those exclamation points. No one
likes being shouted at.

HAIR, SHAVE & SKIN PRODUCTS CURATED FOR TODAYS MODERN MAN.
NOW AVAILABLE IN ELITE SALONS & BARBERSHOPS NATIONWIDE.
BAXTEROFCALIFORNIA.COM
@BAXTEROFCA #BAXTERPRO

Game Changer
STYLESEAT.COM IS A ONE-STOP SOLUTION FOR SOCIAL MEDIA, MARKETING, ONLINE BOOKING AND MORE.

hink of it as the Swiss Army knife of salon businessbuilding. StyleSeat, which began as a site to match
clients with local stylists, has grown into a multipurpose
tool for salon growth and business success. The company
says that more than 320,000 stylists in over 15,000

U.S. cities have joined its database to date, and claims that beauty
professionals using the service are able to grow their revenues as much
as 70 percent in their first year. With elements of social media, review site
and e-commerce, the platform aims to be the online destination for the
business of beauty. styleseat.com/salontools

StyleSeat began as a booking site, but has

evolved into a multi-purpose tool for stylists.

PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF JOANNA O'SHEA

Master Builder
Though she has close, ongoing connections with Silicon
Valley and was named one of Inc. Magazines Top Women to
Watch in Technology, it wasnt the tech connection that led
Melody McCloskey to create StyleSeat. She was simply fed up
with the hit-and-miss method of finding a stylist.
I love things to work and be easy, says the co-founder of
StyleSeat. But I didnt have easy resources that helped me
find the exact services I wanted. I thought, 'I do everything
else online. Why cant I do this online?
As she and partner Dan Levine dug into researching the
beauty industry, they began to expand the scope of their
vision to providing a tool to help salon professionals grow
their businesses. We wanted to build something that gives
immense value from Day One. We realized that that was
helping stylists to manage
their relationships with
clients, McCloskey says.
Signing up is free, and in
addition to a listing in the
StyleSeat database, the site
offers an online scheduling
and booking tool, the ability
to generate client emails and
text messages, and a gallery
MELODY MCCLOSKEY
where members can upload
americansalon.com

photographs of their work. Just as on sites like Facebook or

Instagram, clients can like photos, share them or save them
for later. There is also a fee-based premium membership that
includes email marketing and other features. Salons and
stylists who sign up through LOrals online portal at styleseat
.com/salontools get 12 months free.
As StyleSeat developed, McCloskey and Levine were in
salons every day, testing, tweaking and listening to what
beauty professionals had to say. We built it with them and
alongside them, not at them, she says.
Through a strategic partnership with LOral, StyleSeat
recently added an e-commerce feature to give each member
its own online store, enabling visitors to purchase Essie,
Krastase, LOral Professionnel, Matrix, Mizani, Pureology,
Redken and Shu Uemura Art of Hair products online. LOral
handles the transaction, the inventory, packing and shipping,
while giving a commission on every sale to the stylist.
Since StyleSeats release in 2011 and rapidly-growing
acceptance, McCloskey says she and Levine are looking for
new ways to actively drive customers to stylists, for instance
by expanding the search function to answer questions like,
Whos available right now? and, Who can come to my house?
As for McCloskey, her personal search is over. She is now
the happy client of colorist Audrey Warner at Mr. Pinkwhistle
salon in San Francisco. McCloskey found her on StyleSeat.

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The Beauty Industry L VES

!
Sashanie Gray Manicurist, essie
Online booking on StyleSeat allows me to spend more time with
my clients instead of allotting time to answer the phone and return
messages. It also gives my clients the convenience of having 24-hour
access to my schedule to book me at their convenience.
www.styleseat.com/polishedbysashanie

Rodney Cutler Salon Owner, Redken

ECommerce has been an easy way to add revenue to our salons
and all we needed was a prole on StyleSeat. Were reaching a new
customer base who like to shop online and LOral handles picking,
packing and shipping of the products, so we dont have to. The best
part, it hasnt taken away from our in-salon sales.
www.styleseat.com/cutlersalon

George Papanikolas Celebrity Stylist, Matrix

I love StyleSeat for its color formula tool. It allows me access
to the hundreds of client formulas I reference no matter where
I am in the world. I havent had a tool like this before, so StyleSeat
keeps me organized and always ready for every client need.
www.styleseat.com/georgepapanikolas

Kat Park Independent Stylist

Ive built my business with StyleSeat booking more than 1,200
appointments since I started. I promoted it using social media and
word-of-mouth and always directing clients to visit my StyleSeat
page to book their appointments.
www.styleseat.com/katpark

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