At the end of 2019, there were 3.48 billion social media users. That worldwide total grew 9% from 2018 to 2019.1 If your spa, skin care, or wellness business is not being social, those statistics prove social media marketing must become a priority.
March’s article is the first in a two-part series focusing on the steps for choosing a platform to meet your specific goals. Because social media is so vast, this article is dedicated solely to it. April’s article will focus on areas in which PR comes into play – television, radio, print, and online outlets.
For direction on deciding which social platforms are right for your business, I turned to Emily Ho, owner and chief strategist of Authentically Social LLC. From the beginning, Ho wants to assure business owners that you don’t have to be on every single social channel available. “Having one primary channel and doing it well is better than being on three or four and doing them poorly or inconsistently,” says Ho.
CHOOSE CHANNELS BASED ON IDEAL CUSTOMER DEMOGRAPHICS
“Among all United States adults, 73% are on YouTube, 69% are on Facebook, 37% are on Instagram, and 22% are on Twitter,” says Ho. “That doesn’t necessarily mean you should run to YouTube or Facebook. Drill down further into the and you’ll see that Facebook has a higher proportion of the population that are 30 and up, while YouTube is more prevalent for those 18 to 29. Forty-seven percent of United States adults ages 30 to 49 are on Instagram – again, higher than the average.”
CONSISTENCY IS EVERYTHING
Consistency is everything, no matter what network(s) you choose to be on. “Consider the type of content that has a good combination of ease and impact,” continues Ho. “If you’re not comfortable with making longer videos, YouTube shouldn’t be a primary channel. If you have a lot of customer photos or feel like you can snap them easily, think about Instagram. If you want to use a combination of text, links to your website or blog posts, images, and video, consider Facebook.”
WHERE CAN YOU ENGAGE
“Some networks are easier for connecting with potential customers and building relationships. Instagram, in particular, is great because you can implement not only a posting strategy, but an engagement or outreach strategy. Following relevant hashtags and location tags and commenting on people’s posts in your area means more potential eyes on your content.”
WORK WITH A STRATEGIST
While running your spa, skin care, or wellness business, how can you manage social media? “You can work with a strategist such as myself to outline a roadmap based on your business goals, budget, channels desired, and general messaging. From there, you can be hands-off and let them manage the content and engagement or you can take the plan and implement it yourself.” When managing yourself, five key elements to consider include:
A reminder that this series continues in April with advice on choosing a platform to meet your specific goals with a focus on television, radio, print, and online media.
References
1 Kemp, Simon. “Digital:2019 Global Internet Use Accelerates.” Wearesocial.com. Jan. 2019.
https://wearesocial.com/blog/2019/01/digital-2019-global-internet-use-accelerates
2 Mansfield, Matt. “Social Media Marketing Statistics.” Smallbiztrends.com. Dec. 2016.
https://smallbiztrends.com/2016/12/social-media-marketing-statistics.html
Respected for her communication skills and media relationships, Debra Locker has worked in public relations and journalism for nearly three decades. She is the president of Debra Locker Group (originally Locker Public Relations), which was founded in 2008. Debra Locker Group is an award-winning boutique agency that specializes in lifestyle, spa, wellness, and beauty. Clients are featured on “The TODAY Show,” “The Doctors,” in SHAPE, Marie Claire, and The New York Times – to name only a few. Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, Locker was the public relations director for the International SPA Association.