Vblogging 101 –What is it, and how do I start? How do I do it?

You're a tech savvy salon so you're on board with all of the social media tricks to build your business, (if not be sure to check out my previous posts or my social media education platform) and now you're looking for the next step to bring your salon to the front page. You need something that will add personality to your brand, showcase your facility, and your talented stylists. The social media tool you are looking for? - Vblogging!

Vblogs (social media lingo for "video blogs") take your behind-the-scenes content and digitalizes it, personalizing your salon for your customers. It is video content that tells a story about your brand to the masses...and the best part, it’s easy and very cost effective!

Here’s how VBlogs work:

As mentioned above, Vblogs are easy to put together and even easier to promote using your social media platforms. To create an engaging, enticing video you don't need top of the line equipment, or a movie professional. Here are a few quick-tips you can use as a guide to begin your Vblogging adventure:

1. You can use a cheap, hand held recorder or even the video function on your standard camera or smart phone - as long as it takes clean crisp footage.

2. Then use an(free!) easy movie editor like Microsoft Movie Maker or Apple iMovie to seamlessly edit your footage to get the look and feel you want to promote for your salon.

3. Add your salon logo to the beginning and end of your video with a couple special effects fade features and your clients will think you hired a professional.

Software makes the editing easy…coming up with the content takes a bit more thinking. To make sure your videos are engaging you can highlight individual stylists, have a how-to series for daily styling tips your clients can do at home, cover promotions and events held by your salon, document a cut from start to finish, interview happy clients or even give a tour of your facility and services.

The final step is to share your creation. Upload your video to your YouTube account and integrate your Vblogs into your website and all social media outlets...link to everything! Provide your viewers with as many avenues to access your content as possible. That's a video page on your blog or website, a landing page on LinkedIn, a link on your Twitter account, a Tweet, a Facebook post, a Tumblr update, and a Pinterest pin….whew, that’s a lot of outreach! Then have your stylists and their friends share the videos on their social media platforms to increase your viral reach!

Here’s why Vblogs work:

Continuing to foster your relationships after your clients leave the salon can be tricky but video blogs are the perfect environment to continue the conversation about your salon and stylists on-line. Here’s my take on why Vblog are successful:

• Personality (awareness): Vblogs provide clients with a way to get to know you before their appointment, and remind them of their experience after.

• Reach: Vblogs are more likely to be shared by viewers to their networks than text-based blogs or tweets.

• Engagement: Audience contribution and conversation is social media's driving force because when clients contribute they experience a feeling of pride and take greater stake in the success of a stylist or salon.

• Measureable:Unlike paper flyers, Vblogs allow you to see how many clients are viewing your videos, "liking" your videos, and sharing your videos.

I encourage you to give Vblogging a try and use it as a new creative outlet to your social media strategy! Good luck with your creative videos – please share them with the Modern Salon Media family on our Facebook page, or on our Evoke Brand Strategies Facebook page.

Stay tuned as next week we will take an exclusive look at how a Texas salon utilizes Vblogs to generate awareness – and grow their business using this unique strategy!

As always, feel free to contact me with any questions at: kehlers@evokebrands.com and, be sure to “like” our Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/StyleSync.

About www.StyleSync.me:

Style Sync is an on-line social media training, personal branding and business education platform designed specifically for salon owners and stylists to help them magnify their image and multiply their results.

Style Sync, a division of Evoke Brand Strategies, is an on-line, subscription based social media training, personal branding and business education platform designed to help individual stylists and salon owners turn social media prowess into more clients and more money for your salon.

About www.EvokeBrands.com:

At Evoke Brand Strategies we develop digital, social and mobile strategies for salon professional, beauty, hospitality and entertainment brands. As branding and public relations veterans, yet early adopters of all things digital, we understand the importance of creating measurable, buzz-worthy campaigns that generate bottom-line results.