{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"Smart Tan News","provider_url":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com","title":"Social Made Simple: A planned approach and the right resources make effective social media marketing practical for all - Smart Tan News","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"kC1gxyK8oh\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/social-made-simple\/\">Social Made Simple: A planned approach and the right resources make effective social media marketing practical for all<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/index.php\/social-made-simple\/embed\/#?secret=kC1gxyK8oh\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" title=\"&#8220;Social Made Simple: A planned approach and the right resources make effective social media marketing practical for all&#8221; &#8212; Smart Tan News\" data-secret=\"kC1gxyK8oh\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/* <![CDATA[ *\/\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n\/* ]]> *\/\n<\/script>\n","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/news.smarttan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Calendar-11-25-20.jpg","thumbnail_width":1360,"thumbnail_height":1000,"description":"Outside of organic word of mouth, tanning businesses we speak with now consistently report that social media is their most useful way to reach potential clients. As Facebook and Instagram have become more prominent and tanning business owners have seen how effective and adaptable they are for advertising, we\u2019re even seeing most salons acknowledge that they\u2019re largely abandoning the traditional forms of marketing they used to rely on so much. The cost of print, radio or other forms just doesn\u2019t add up, when they can reach audiences so affordably and effectively on social media and clearly see the results via the analytics the platforms provides.  But, while posting on Facebook and Instagram is free, and paid advertising on the platforms is affordable enough for pretty much any business to fit in its budget, that doesn\u2019t mean everybody is equally positioned to succeed. Just like some businesses have sizable media placement budgets and others have virtually none, some salons are large enough to pay for dedicated marketing personnel and resources. Others have owners that understand social media and can handle it pretty well on their own with the help of millennial employees that grew up in the social media generation. Then, there are others we speak with who are admittedly clueless about the whole thing.  When the Smart Tan staff peruses the Facebook Pages of salons around the country, confirming new openings and closings, we\u2019ve also noticed a broader trend. While many salons do a great job utilizing social media, lots of others have allowed their Pages to fall completely into obscurity. They\u2019ve gone months, or even years without posting, and when they do, it\u2019s only vital information like surprise closings or hours adjustments. Imagine a potential client coming across your Facebook Page and seeing that your last post was three months ago. Do you think they\u2019d be likely to give your business a try? It\u2019s understandable how a small business with no dedicated marketing employee could allow this to happen, but it\u2019s also disheartening to see, because we understand the opportunity they\u2019re missing.  Then, there are others who have sustained their pages, but, quite frankly, they could clearly use some help. While some salon owners will admit that they don\u2019t have an inkling of how to even plan their social media strategy, others simply don\u2019t have the resources to execute it in a way that looks highly professional \u2013 like something you\u2019d see from major national brands in other industries. They might not know where to get the right images that they\u2019re licensed to use or how to edit them for their specific purposes. If you\u2019re posting content that doesn\u2019t look high quality, you really need to consider how that\u2019s impacting the way consumers view your business. It\u2019s kind of like putting homemade sign with your name and logo outside your salon.  Whether it\u2019s with training, marketing or other resources, part of Smart Tan\u2019s mission has always been to level the playing for all tanning businesses, from the largest to the smallest. Today, we recognize that most salons need some help, to varying degrees, with social media marketing. First, you need to understand what you need to do, then you need to be able to execute it, and we want to help you with both. In this article, we\u2019ll share the beginnings of a Social Media Marketing Calendar that you can put to work right away and also use as a blueprint for your own future plans.  Save the Date  Small businesses across the world rely on social media to provide affordable, customizable, direct marketing to their customers. But as the medium matures, platforms like Facebook are making it more difficult for businesses to reach their fans without paying for ads on the site.  But this isn\u2019t all bad news. While organic reach of your posts may decline, marketing blogs report that engagement is up, which means higher quality interactions with the fans who see your posts. In order to optimize the number of people who see your posts and the engagement you get from them, social media demands quality content worth sharing.  Posting regularly on Facebook and Instagram while maintaining all other aspects of your business might sound daunting, but one simple tool can automate the process and cut your work in half. If you want to make your marketing as easy as possible, adopt and stick to a Social Media Marketing Calendar. This resource contains a plan for how, when, where and about what you\u2019ll advertise. Marketing agencies, creatives, bloggers, and companies of all sizes use calendars like an action plan for their marketing.  By plotting out events and promotions on the calendar, you can create a comprehensive schedule of marketing activities and dictate your approach way ahead of time. Instead of scrounging up a random post whenever you happen to get on Facebook for the day, you can sit down and curate a week\u2019s worth of meaningful messages all at once. You\u2019ll be amazed at the improvement in your productivity once you get a plan in place.  Seeing your month mapped out in front of you also makes it easier to create content shaped by the themes and celebrations that matter to your clients. Your tanners may love getting beauty tips around wedding season and skin care tips in the winter. Looking at the calendar also allows you to anticipate potential lulls in business or take advantage of under-celebrated events like Women\u2019s History Month, Groundhog Day, Daylight Savings and Tax Day.  Another benefit of a calendar is that you can designate times to address different subsets of your customer base. One size doesn\u2019t fit all when it comes to marketing, which is why you should plan posts and advertisements that address new tanners, non-tanners, returning customers, sunless tanners, men, women, and every adult generation. Diversify your messaging and measure what resonates with your audience. And don\u2019t forget to adjust your editorial schedule based on the results! The whole point is to create a tool that effectively utilizes your time and resources on marketing that works.  Although there is an initial time investment in getting your editorial calendar just the way you want it, the process becomes quicker with time. One of the other redeeming factors of the social media calendar approach is that it\u2019s something you can utilize year after year. The first year might be somewhat challenging and time consuming, but once you have your calendar built, you will still need new content each year, but you already have a rough plan to work with from the previous year. Then, the next year, you\u2019ll be able to better understand what works and continue to make your planning and execution more effective and efficient.  How, When and Why  When you go to make your Social Media Marketing Calendar, before you delve into specific content, there are a number of considerations to understand.  First, how often do you need to post? Well, generally speaking, go ahead and post away on Facebook! Facebook\u2019s algorithm is designed to make you pay for many people to see your posts, so your unpaid posts won\u2019t make overwhelm your followers by any means. Obviously that doesn\u2019t mean post 10 times a day, but you should probably aim to post something every day. That can include sharing posts and things that are easier, but you should likely aim for at least 3-5 original image-based, \u201cprimary\u201d posts per week. On Instagram, you will want to post less. That platform would generally be reserved for those three to five primary posts a week.  The idea of quality over quantity is still valid. Check out some major brands\u2019 Pages. They aren\u2019t making random text posts with haphazardly formed writing. Images are nearly always used, and everything is well written, grammatically correct and purposeful. You don\u2019t want to make posts like you would on your personal page if you want to be viewed as highly professional, like these major brands.  Ever since Instagram hit the scene and took over as the most popular new social platform, it has also caused Facebook and all other social platforms to evolve. Instagram was the first platform that was centered entirely on images, and after it became so prevalent, Facebook, Twitter and others shifted to be more focused on visual content. So, when it comes to marketing on these platforms, your most effective posts will be highly visual. Words matter, but they won\u2019t be noticed as much if they\u2019re not coupled with effective and compelling imagery. So, your posts should always include images, even if it\u2019s a post about something very informational.  So, that then leads naturally to the question of where do you get your images? For any images that aren\u2019t your own, you need to be licensed to use them. That does cost money, but stock photo services like Shutterstock (www.shutterstock.com) are extremely valuable and reasonably priced. You get access to hundreds of thousands of photos that will suit almost any need you could imagine for one monthly rate. It\u2019s well worth the investment, and you can also use it for additional marketing efforts and other purposes. For the more personal stuff, that has never been easier. Any recent iPhone or other smartphone should have a good enough camera to produce images and video that are high enough quality for social media.  The other vital consideration is how to incorporate paid advertising on social media. Even if you aren\u2019t in a position to pay for promotion on Facebook and Instagram, you should be taking advantage of free organic reach. But, when you consider the \u201ccost\u201d of the time that takes, it\u2019s probably fair to say that spending a little money to get vastly superior results is a better use of your resources. Especially when you\u2019re building your follower base, your paid advertising will pay off again and again, because it will help you reach people with your message, then they will follow you and be more likely to see your content again in the future.  But, regardless of the timing, paid posts pay off. Spending as much as is practical for you will produce incrementally better results, but for the extremely budget-conscious readers out there, just a $25 weekly promoted post will net you thousands of viewers for your best and most important content. Again, for the budget conscious, you can also save paid posts for content that will directly drive revenue, like specials or announcements, or enhance your following, like giveaways (more on that later).  So, outside of the time it takes you and your staff, your budget for your entire monthly social media effort is as simple as this:  Budget:  \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Stock images \u2013 $100  \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Paid posts \u2013 $100  \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Giveaways \u2013 $50  Content is King  This isn\u2019t rocket science. You don\u2019t have to think too far outside the box to develop plenty of effective content. The problem many small businesses run into is commitment and planning. You know better than anybody how busy running a small business can get, and when you don\u2019t have a dedicated marketing employee focused on maintaining your social media, it\u2019s one of those things that can easily get lost in the shuffle. That\u2019s where these ideas and your marketing calendar come in. When you have a list in front of you of you of what kind of content you need when, it will help make it a routine that you can maintain, and it\u2019s easy to come up with the more specific content ideas you need. Just focus on what your business offers, what you\u2019re all about and then what else your clients are interested in that you can tie back to your business in any way shape or form.  Here\u2019s an overview of the types of content you can add to your calendar for each month, right away! Then you\u2019ll just need to incorporate the specifics of your business and audience, and you can have a plan for months ahead in no time!  Equipment: Highlight a different piece of equipment on a weekly or monthly basis. Take a nice photo and include information about how that unit fits into your clients\u2019 tanning routine.  Sunless: Feature a specific aspect of the sunless tanning process on a weekly basis. That could be the equipment, prep, a particular part of the process, an ancillary product, or a special tip for better results. Take a photo or a video of a staff member explaining, if necessary.  Staff feature: One of the best things about social media is the ability to connect on a more personal level with your audience. You can personalize your business to those who aren\u2019t so familiar by posting a picture or video of a different staff member on a regular basis, and letting them share something interesting about themself and what they love about tanning, or how they like to tan at the salon.  Customer feature: You can also personalize the experience using your customers. You might think you\u2019d be bothering them by asking, but many people would embrace the opportunity to be on featured on you page, or you can offer them a small discount or freebie. Get a photo or video of a client with a nice tan, and have them explain, or write in the caption, how they achieve those results at your salon.  Purchase Options: It doesn\u2019t have to be a special to be worth sharing. Hopefully your menu provides great value even without discounts. Share a specific membership or package option on a regular basis, and explain how it can fit right person\u2019s needs perfectly at a great value.  Specials: This is the one most businesses already do, and probably do too much. Try to limit posting a special to once a week, but definitely consider allocating your paid advertising dollars here on a regular basis. Make sure to include an appropriate and attractive image \u2013 not just the details of the deal!  Products: Again, it doesn\u2019t have to be discounted to do a \u201cproduct highlight.\u201d Share a photo or video and some information on the benefits for the client, rather than just the features. Think about who uses it and how to try to appeal to the people who will actually buy it.  Education: You can always offer tips, but this as much about reminding your audience of your professionalism and expertise as it is about providing practical information. Highlight your Smart Tan Certifications or different tidbits of knowledge you learned from Smart Tan training that will really show clients that your education is second to none!  Celebrity: Influencers don\u2019t have to actually endorse you to have an influence and garner attention to your Page. You can find licensed images of celebrities with great tans on stock images sites, and remind your audience that tanning is cool and they can easily look like them by visiting your salon! CelebritiesDoIt.com also features spray tan information and celebrity spray tan sightings that are easy for you to share.  Lifestyle: Tap into your clients\u2019 interests and remind them why a great tan melds perfectly with those things. There are stock images of people in your target audience (with great tans) doing almost anything you could think of. Concerts, sports and embracing nature come to mind, just to name a few. Remind them, in the caption, that they want to look and feel good doing these things with a tan!  Sun-related: Remind clients that tanning isn\u2019t so much different than being in the sun outside, which most of them obviously love. It\u2019s not so much talking about health effects, but just about loving sunshine. Sun lovers will tend to love tanning, so they will relate well. A great example is a stock image of someone doing yoga in the sun. It reminds them of the relaxation they get from tanning, and draws a connection between indoor and outdoor tanning.  Timely: When you plan your month, identify three or four \u201ctimely\u201d matters to post about. In November, for example, there are several that are fairly obviously. You\u2019re probably already planning to post about Thanksgiving. Then you have different aspects of the fall season (fall clothes, Pumpkin Spice Lattes, pumpkin patches, and all the other things your target audience loves), football season, the end of Daylight Savings Time, and so much more! More generally speaking, month after month, just think about what you\u2019re doing, what you love about the time, as well as the specific events that relate to high school, college and any other audience you cater to. In December, it will largely be about gifts and embracing the holiday spirit. In January, focus on the whole \u201cnew year, new you\u201d idea, as well as fighting off the winter blues with tanning. In February and March, you start to move into vacation season and preparing for warmer weather with tanning.  National ______ Day: This is a specific type of \u201ctimely\u201d post you can utilize on a regular basis. Use a calendar (www.nationaldaycalendar.com) that lists all the (often cheesy) \u201cNational Days of the Year\u201d and find a few each month that make sense for your audience. There are so many to choose from! Some are more serious and many are quite silly, but if you\u2019re on social media a lot, you\u2019ve surely noticed tons of posts about these days, and people love it! This month, \u201cNational Men Make Dinner Day\u201d would be funny and relatable to your audience. For \u201cNational Espresso Day,\u201d remind them that a strong coffee and a tanning session can make any day a good one. Then there\u2019s Small Business Saturday, which is obviously a \u201cgimme\u201d for our market.  Local: Find other calendars that list local events and utilize them in a similar manner as the National Days calendar. Show that you care about your community by promoting events that your clients might be interested in.  Articles: Fill in spaces in your calendar by sharing articles about topics that are loosely related to tanning, like beauty, fashion, or sunshine. Google whatever topics you have in mind, or set up Google Alerts for an endless supply of content. Don\u2019t get carried away with this, though, because you still want your own content primarily.  Contests: This one is hugely beneficial for generating engagement and followers \u2013 worth every penny and then some! For the cost of a $20 bottle of lotion or tanning package and $25 in Facebook advertising, you can garner the attention of tens of thousands of people in your area. Post a monthly giveaway, ask your audience to Like the post and tag friends to win, promote for $25, sit back, and watch the reach flourish. You\u2019d be amazed at how much people will do for a very small freebie, and the paid reach will grow massively as people interact with the post and drive organic reach. It\u2019s not unusual for such a post to reach tens of thousands of people. And, these people are seeing that you give away freebies, so they\u2019re obviously going to Like your Page and stay tuned for more!  Promoted Posts: These could fall into any of the categories above, but it\u2019s advisable to do at least one a week, even if you\u2019re only spending $25 on each. Focus on specials and contests that will drive revenue and followers, but definitely throw in an occasional promoted \u201clifestyle\u201d or \u201chuman interest\u201d post that you think your followers would enjoy and interact with. When you promote something that will generate interaction, you get even more bang for your buck, as the interaction drives additional organic reach on top of the paid reach.  These ideas are just a drop in the bucket of options. There are endless amounts of things you can post about, but hopefully this will help you form your calendar and inspire some additional ideas. From there, you can add, adjust and refine to make the process easier and more effective moving forward."}