Lori Panarello, owner of I.d salon in New York, knew the value of social media as a marketing tool, but she had no idea the impact it would have on her business until she appointed her salon manager, Denise Brienza, in charge of social media.
Panarello has worked on the road with social media guru Patrick McIvor, Artistic and TechniCulture Director for Goldwell and KMS California and Brand Strategist & Techni-Color Director of ARROJO, many times and heard his advice to stylists on ways to utilize social media, and although she knew it all to be true, she had very little time to devote to it. Brienza wanted to create a more formal system for managing social media for a while, so they started taking one day a week to work on different ways to maximize the power of social media.
“I learned quickly that this could be huge for us, but it needed more attention and Denise was the perfect person for the job. We decided to create a marketing department with her at the helm, and within a few months the salon was on fire. We are exceeding our excepted numbers and my staff couldn’t be happier,” says Panarello.
“I have been in this business for 30 years, since I was 16, I’ve seen many changes over the years, but nothing has happened as fast or has been more important than social media. I can not stress enough the importance of staying ahead of it,” says Brienza.
- Instagram - When it’s not busy, the staff keeps their creatively going by taking photos around the salon of any and everything - color being mixed, brushes, scissors, products, business cards, gift cards, etc. They then send to the salon manager/Brienza for cropping and filters and the best images are posted on Instagram.
- Selfie with Stylists/Colorists - Clients upload the selfie and hashtag Id. Salon, the image that gets the most likes at the end of the month wins their favorite hair products.
- Promote Work - All stylists and colorists snap photos of their favorite cuts and color as their clients leave the salon, and before and after’s are taken for major changes, and salon manager/Brienza pins on Pinterest.
McIvor advises the entire salon team interact with social media so their personal accounts can help build the salon’s reach. “Having Denise as the point person for social media has allowed us to involve the entire staff and have more of a strategic approach. I could not be happier with the results - she continues to promote our work and engage far more people than I ever thought possible,” adds Panarello.
