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SEARCHToday's salons are clamoring to hire Digital Directors, bright, savvy, educated staff who establish their brand's digital voice and manage all the salon's digital communications. Meet the digital directors of Arrojo Studio, Intrigue Salon, Schardein's, Salon Greco, Maxime Beauty and Mario Tricoci.
A few months ago, Patrick McIvor, the artistic and techniculture director of Goldwell & KMS, alerted the SALON TODAY staff to a growing salon management trend—Digital Directors—a new staff position being created in leading salons of all sizes.
“In the 1960s and 70s, it was in vogue for salons to have artistic directors. Then as color services grew, salons were rushing to employ color directors in the 80s and 90s,” McIvor told us. “But to grow in today’s social media-driven world, today’s salons need digital directors.”
Without a digital director, it’s going to become harder to compete in today’s world, McIvor stressed. “You need someone on your team who can remove a blemish from a photo, edit a simple video for YouTube and help you find your digital voice.”
The SALON TODAY team started digging and found McIvor was correct. Salons of all sizes are carving out roles for digital directors and filling them with everything from full-time staff members to part-time hired guns to professional social-media consultants. What makes these digital directors different than the social media-savvy staff member who also posts on the salon’s site, is these are job titles that are purposefully carved out and supported by an overall marketing strategy. And, the people who fill them have specific marketing, graphic design or social media educational backgrounds supported by specific on-the-job training.
“Today’s salon owners are realizing that social media is more than a trend, and that it’s not going away. They are also seeing its potential as an effective marketing strategy for reaching their target market,” says Kelly Ehlers, founder of Evoke Brand Strategies. “For many though, the impulse is to hire a social-savvy intern to man their brand’s communication vehicles. In training sessions, I ask those owners, “ If their local news station was doing a story on your salon, would you hand that intern a microphone and put them in front of the camera?’ And they’ll respond, ‘Of course not.’ Well, it’s the same thing with social media—you want someone who is capable of identifying your brand’s voice, building a proper campaign, developing a hashtag strategy, and running and evaluating the analytics.”
So who are these digital directors? Where do salon owners find them, and how are they trained? And, once on staff, what does a digital director actually do? In this special feature, we’re profiling six salons and their digital directors, revealing how each are trained on their salon’s overall brand strategy and illustrating exactly how each they’re adding a punch to their salon’s overall marketing strategy:
After moving to Colorado and teaching at a cosmetology school, Allison Stock joined Zandi K as a stylist, eventually becoming part of the Leadership Team, Education Team and Master Bridal Team. Today, as Director of Operation, Stock is Owner Nicki Wenz's right hand, managing human resources and operations, education and career development, and coaching and culture.
The company's Concealed Bead Method is raising the bar for what professional extension education can deliver.
Scott maximized her micro-salon by transitioning from stylist to strategic owner, focusing on recruiting and station-sharing. By prioritizing her ownership role over behind-the-chair work, she grew her team to six stylists within the two-chair, 150-square-foot space before eventually moving to a larger facility.
The former CFO of Perdue Farms and owner of Hardy Seafood, Terry Owens delivers a wealth of wisdom and strategies for entrepreneurs in his new book, "Business is Simple."
After scaling her single-location salon business, SALON TODAY 200 Honoree Amy Pal recently sold her six-location Whip Salon for seven figures. Using the six Ps for maximizing a business's value, she's ready to help her peers do the same.
Buried inside the One Big Beautiful Bill Act are federal solar tax credit changes that deserve your attention now. Two of the credits that matter most to commercial property owners, the Investment Tax Credit and the Production Tax Credit, are still available, but only if you move fast. A third, the Commercial Building Energy Efficiency Deduction, has a hard termination date that is closer than most people realize.
Up to 40% of hair stylists ghost the salon interview stage, leaving owners trapped playing endless phone tag with uncommitted applicants. This data-driven report breaks down why traditional job boards create recruitment friction and reveals the modern messaging strategies high-growth salons use to get pre-qualified talent to actually show up. Learn how to transition from cold calling to high-conversion conversations that protect your time and fill your chairs.
Sponsored by Beautista
Spit fests, hostile threats, and even an overachieving matchmaker--SALON TODAY readers share their craziest client tales and how their team handled these tough situations with professionalism and grace.
Keeping your appointment book full when clients are in vacation mode takes more than a good Instagram post. It takes a plan. The 2026 Summer Marketing Calendar from Meevo gives salon, spa & med spa owners a month-by-month roadmap with sharp themes, key opportunity dates, and campaign ideas specifically designed for the beauty & wellness industry. Here’s to your summer season working as hard as you do!
Sponsored by Millennium Systems International
AI is transforming the beauty and wellness industry, and the future is about empowering people, not replacing them. Discover how Phorest AI helps salons, spas, and med spas across North America respond faster, personalize every visit, and keep human connection at the heart of the client experience.
Sponsored by Phorest
Owner Michaella Blissett-Williams credits her General Manager Gloria Hortua with [salon] 718's year-over-year, double-digit growth and says she's been able to scale the company to eight locations because she can rely on Hortua to manage daily operations.
Shine Time: Aluram’s High Shine Line Delivers Moisture and Shine with Clean Ingredients
Sponsored by Aluram
Elyse Rogers is an uplifting presence at The Headroom who makes the team feel heard even in stressful situations. Owner Danielle Cherewyk sings her praises in this installment of Meet the Manager.
Despite a slight and predictable decline in client traffic for Q1, resilient pricing power is driving year-over-year revenue growth in salons. The KIM Report's Alain Audet reviews the data and what it's telling us about the state of professional beauty.
Same-store revenue grew just 2% for the second straight year—and new guest visits declined across every segment of the industry. The 2026 Benchmark Report reveals where growth is actually happening, which verticals are pulling ahead, and what the data says about where your business stands right now.
Sponsored by Zenoti
Hair restoration is entering a new era driven by regenerative science. This paper explores how Exosome technology is transforming treatment outcomes by targeting hair loss at a cellular level. Discover why EXOGROW is leading this shift.
Sponsored by Dermapenworld
A salon brand is much more than a logo. In this thought-provoking blog, Leon Alexander, Ph.D., walks you through the difference. SALON TODAY suggests sharing this article with your team and leading a discussion at your next huddle, asking the team to define your business's brand.
