Harness the power of video as a promotional tool

Don’t underestimate the power of videos, says social networking specialist James Econs. The use of video throughout the internet is undeniable. Leading the way in almost every aspect of our online space from moving-image adverts to live event streaming and the latest social media crazes (Instagram recently launched its 15 second video capability) – everybody seems to want more videos. Still need convincing? Here are four interesting facts: 1. Gangnam Style. The most popular online video ever turned one-year-old yesterday with 1.7 billion YouTube views. 2. More than 100 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. Put another way, it would take you 16 years to watch all of the content uploaded to YouTube today alone. 3. Smartphones are now capable of filming in a higher quality than some TV shows are broadcast. 4. According to Cisco Systems 86% of internet traffic will be video-based by 2016. So how can your salon capitalise on this video explosion, assuming you don’t have the next Gangnam among your stylists? Really, it’s simple. You just need to make interesting videos, add the correct descriptions and get them online. Recipe for success We saw great success with a client of ours by making a simple tutorial video. Consumers worldwide love to know if there’s a more efficient or effective way of doing something, or even to learn a new skill. Tutorials are an easy way to gain a lot of views and subscribers. Adding a handful of relevant keywords, along with a simple title, description and your salon’s contact details will help the right people find you. Make your video even more likable by picking a hot topic, such as Kate Middleton’s hair. Include her name as a keyword and you too could find yourself with 250,000+ views and hundreds of subscribers – amazing exposure for a ‘local’ salon! Socialise! YouTube and other video platforms can also be used as part of your social media strategy. A guided tour of your salon or a personal introduction to a new stylist or product you’re stocking might not gain a worldwide following, but can show-off your salon’s personality. How about a fun video to wish all of your clients a Merry Christmas? Give clients the chance to get to know your salon and in return maximise their loyalty. SEO is  king Search engines such as Google understand the importance videos play. Visual results draw our attention much more than text-only ones and consequently search engines list relevant results that contain videos much higher than usual – mostly on the first page! If your salon produced regular videos for a year, imagine the next time a search for a ‘local hairdresser’ is made in your area – it’ll be hard to find competitors! Hopefully this will ignite your creativity. Videos have been attention grabbing for a long time, but with improved smartphone camera technology in the palm of your hands, it has never been easier to make your own. For more viral-hitting ideas, follow my tweets @socialforsalons or get on YouTube and start exploring – you’ll be amazed what inspiration you’ll find once you get past all those cute kitten videos! James Econs is the founder of Social For Salons, a service dedicated to the management, training and handover of social media to the hairdressing industry – giving you the skills you need to professionally manage your own social media www.socialforsalons.com