Ashlee’s top social media tip: Just jump in!

Face-what? Twit-who? Insta-where? Using social media to promote your business can seem overwhelming, but Ashlee Levitch from BangStyle has a simple message for you: just jump in.

You see, Ashlee Levitch and I work in a similar field. We help salons become more efficient and be more successful through the use of technology. Ashlee is the President of BangStyle, a web app for hair stylists to share their creative work, and I work with Timely booking software, which helps you manage your appointments so that you’re not wasting time on admin.

On a recent visit to New Zealand, Ashlee and I met up to speak to salons in New Zealand about social media, and how they can get more clients using online networks.

Change the way you communicate

It seems obvious, but few people realise that the way customers are connecting with small businesses has changed dramatically in the last few years. They’re not using the Yellow Pages anymore, they’re using Google. They’re not looking at newspaper ads anymore, they’re looking at Facebook ads. They’re not sending emails, they’re sending Facebook messages.

If you don’t become part of the movement, you’re going to miss out on business opportunities that are yours for the taking.

Getting started is always the hardest part, but Ashlee’s advice is to just jump in.

“Technology isn’t really all that scary,” she says. “If anything, it’s going to help your business. You can’t fail.”

Getting started is a simple process

Find a site that you like, be it Pinterest, Instagram, or Facebook, and start using it consistently until you’re getting results and you’re confident with the platform. Once you’ve got your footing in one platform, you can move on to the next one and build your audience that way.

Trying to start with three social media networks at once is a recipe for disaster!

You should expect to spend time figuring out what works for your business because all audiences and brands are different. What do you think would happen if a band tried to talk to you on social media like a bank does?

Scheduling content on your profiles relieves the burden of having to post constantly, while also giving you flexibility to be spontaneous. Using tools like our free downloadable social media post planner, you can rest assured that you’ll always have something new on your page. Better yet, the scheduling process will take you half an hour or less once a week using our free social media post planner.

It’s time to get social!

We love talking about social media and helping you get started with it because it gives you the opportunity to have a conversation with thousands of people about your business. It’s an easy and sustainable way to grow your business, and it doesn’t have to be a scary or time consuming.

Set aside some time this week to get started with social media, and let us know how it goes by posting on our Facebook page! I look forward to replying to you.