Hairdressers share 7 key social media tips at salon summit

A number of leading hairdressers and social media experts shared their expert tips at the first Salon Summit, which was presented by salon booking app What Salon last week, which is the sponsor of the Innovation Award at this year's British Hairdressing Business Awards. Bruce Masefield of Edinburgh's Bruce Masefield Hair hosted the event, which took place in Birmingham's Hyatt Regency Hotel. The guest speakers included brand artist Jo Robertson, Wella's colour trends expert Zoe Irwin, the master of balayage Jack Howard, celebrity hairstylist Jay Birmingham and head of marketing at What Salon, Naomi Sirmans. Here are the main takeout messages and tips from the experts on the day:

Don't hide behind the curl on Instagram – Jack Howard

Jack explained that it's easy to curl a client's hair before posting an image to Instagram. He argued that a curl can hide a thousand sins so it's better to be true to yourself and your followers by showing them what your hair cut and colour looks like straight.

There is no such thing as a mistake on social media – Naomi Sirmans

What Salon's Naomi told Salon Summit delegates that everything you do on social media should be seen as a learning opportunity. She said it's better to post something than not to post at all.

Don't delete a post that hasn't done well – Jay Birmingham

During the Salon Summit panel discussion Jay explained that in the past he questioned whether or not to delete a post if it didn't get as many likes or engagement as other posts. He's now reached the conclusion that it's better to leave the post on your feed and move on to your next post.

Use Pinterest to drive traffic to your website – Jo Robertson

Jo suggested using Pinterest to drive traffic to your website and to your salon. She said you can easily build up your Pinterest following with really good content and it's really easy to link it all together.

Create your own trends using hashtags – Zoe Irwin

Zoe told the audience she has started her own trends by repeatedly using a hashtag on certain posts. She said when people start to use your hashtag on their own posts you should repost it on your own feed and it will eventually take off on its own.

Today your website and social media channels act like your shop window – Bruce Masefield

Bruce was honest about the fact he's still experimenting social media but he said it's essential to use Instagram and your website to show potential clients who you are and what your brand stands for. He said everyone can be their own brand today but if you want to stand out you need to be different and shout about your unique selling points.

Don't be scared to experiment with hashtags – Naomi Sirmans

Naomi explained hashtags with the biggest search numbers can make you a small fish in a big pond so it's better to choose more specific hashtags that have smaller search numbers. She advised delegates to experiment with hashtags that have big and small numbers to see what does and doesn't work in terms of engagement on your Instagram feed.