TikTok is now a key player in the social media market, particularly when it comes to attracting younger clientele into your salon or spa business.
According to social media management platform Later, 73% of Gen Z use TikTok daily, making it an invaluable tool for your beauty business to tap into a huge consumer market.
“TikTok has the most intelligent algorithm, which means that each consumer’s ‘for you page’ (FYP) is scarily accurate, and the content you love creating can be found by people like you," says Ben Lifton, founder of salon marketing consultancy Content Kweens.
"This page also constantly shows new content from accounts people don’t follow, so you have more opportunity to show up in the feed of prospective clients – far more chance than you do on Instagram.”
How do I get started on TikTok?
Sherrie Emery, founder of Lucky Seven Marketing, suggests starting by introducing yourself and your team. "Consumers like to know who they’re buying their products from. Creating content about your team can effectively humanise your business," she says.
"Content that shows a human face performs 12% better than content that doesn’t, making it vital for you to get yourself and your team in front of the camera."
Some of the most viral beauty businesses have highly visible founders, who feature constantly in social content, putting their face to the name.
"To further humanise your brand, keep the conversation going in the comments," adds Emery. "Answer questions, respond to followers and comment on other videos.
"Engage in meaningful conversations with your consumers and be present in other comment sections to further increase brand visibility. Use your team to build a sense of community and make your audience feel heard."
What type of content should I post on TikTok?
TikTok differs from other platforms in the social media realm because “fun” is such an important element in what should be created, but your messaging also needs to be consistent and authentic.
For example, mixing up dancing videos and challenges, followed by another with a trending filter and then an educational piece won’t work – it’s just too chaotic.
To work out what styles of content will work for your business, Chloe Parry, marketing executive at The Spa at Carden in Cheshire, winner of PB's Marketing and Social Media Award 2022, advises to start by doing some research.
"Have a look at what other creators in your niche are creating. Is there a certain style of video that keeps popping up? Or are there any trends? What sound are they using?
"If you notice a pattern with the sounds and the trends, then replicate this. TikTok will reward you for this, and your videos will do far better," she says.
Jumping on trends is also a great way to increase your views. "Keep an awareness of trends by scrolling socials and following brands and figures that create the kind of content you’re impressed by," says Emery.
"Creating trending videos is the perfect way to increase engagement and brand awareness, while keeping your content fresh and fun to follow. Trends are another great way to showcase brand personality and even incorporate organic product placement."
Cey Sesiguzel, co-founder and producer of video production and digital marketing agency Two Fresh, suggests experimenting with "match cuts", an edit that uses elements of one scene in the transition to the next.
"This is a great way to show before-and-after results. So, you could have fun and match cut images of stressed-out clients before treatment with happy clients post-treatment. Also, avoid traditional forms of marketing, especially anything that might come across like a sales pitch,” he says.
Another idea is to hone in on what you love about your job or your expertise, as the algorithm can see the type of content you’re posting – be it educational, entertaining or inspirational – and will target people interested in this on their FYP, which is cruical.
Lipton explains: “TikTok is where beauty professionals can educate clients on home care, talking about the gazillions of products that are out there. You can tell much better stories through this kind of video content.”
Worried about posting advanced treatment videos in an ethical way? Read more advice here.
How can I get more views on my TikTok videos?
SEO (search engine optimisation) is hugely important when it comes to TikTok. "Quickly becoming a popular search engine, consumers use TikTok to find everything from the best restaurants and travel destinations to outfits and skincare and everything in between," says Emery.
"In fact, 58% of users state they use TikTok as a source of shopping inspiration and 55% have bought something from a brand just after seeing their products on TikTok."
When clicking onto the TikTok search bar, you can see trending auto suggestions, showing you what hot topics are being searched for right now. Emery suggests starting to search for a term that describes your niche to test it out.
"There are lots of ways to incorporate SEO into your TikToks, including text overlay, accurate captions, including them in your script and, of course, hashtags," she adds.
"To find SEO relevant to your company niche, just begin typing a hashtag and TikTok will tell you how many times it’s been used. Then just use the most popular ones relevant to your company and the video you’ve created."
How long should my TikTok videos be and how often should I post?
"You don't have to post three or four times a day - there is a lot of misconception online that you do," says Parry. "Just two or three times a week will do but just make sure that TikTok becomes part of your marketing strategy."
Reid adds, “Luckily, unlike Instagram, no one cares if you have the same outfit on for five videos, it’s about the content you’re providing, so bulk filming on one day and posting spaced out will stop you needing to constantly carve out space in the day to film.”
Even if you can only post once a week, consistency and persistence are the most important things because you will need to test different strategies.
“Like any video content, there should always be a beginning, middle and end. Aim for videos to be 15–30 seconds (for therapists/salon owners) and up to one minute for educators, and always shoot in a vertical format using gorgeous lighting,” advises Lipton.
How should I film my TikTok videos?
"Have a look at the equipment you're using," advises Parry. "You don't need a big, expensive camera to create content on TikTok. Just your camera phone will do, but have a look and see if there's anything extra you need.
"For example, if you're doing nail art or make-up, maybe you want to invest in using a tripod, or if the room that you're in is not very well lit, then have a look at lighting that you might need."
Lipton adds, “If you’re capturing content of a customer post-treatment, make sure the light source is behind you and keep your subject in the centre of the frame. I’d only ever add text if it adds value.”
How can I measure my salon’s success on TikTok?
Don’t forget to keep tracking your content to see how it performs and what your audience likes to see.
"Make sure you’re constantly iterating on the content that performs best and listen to what the results are telling you about who your audience is," says Emery.
"You can also track the success of your TikTok and help narrow down on who your audience is by using unique codes and discounts for your TikTok viewers only. This will help you determine how many sales are generated from your videos, and what demographics are being influenced by your content.
"In February 2024, 81.3% of TikTok Shop sales came from repeat customers, according to Earnest Analytics, which is a pretty strong incentive to know your audience and do your best to keep them around."
Use your analytics features to determine age, gender and location of your followers so you can make sure you’re staying on track.
"Pay attention to important metrics like saves, comments and watch time, as well as engagement and conversion rates. Analyse the information to help you make datadriven decisions to refine your strategy and optimise your content," adds Emery.
Do your own research to see what kind of content your competitors are making and how it resonates with your target audience.
"Ultimately, your videos should not only generate brand awareness but also drive conversions. Tailor your content to your chosen audience and start seeing those results," says Emery.
Find out more about how to make money from your social media accounts here.
Should I invest in training for TikTok?
To help build revenue from your content, you also need to upskill so your videos look the part, so get booked on to a good video-editing software course.
“There’s no need to pay someone else to do your videos for you. Since using my video editing techniques and transitions, my students now bang out videos every day and have seen their average client bill increase by £24 in three months,” explains Lipton.
However, if you do have the money to have someone external build your profile then Sesiguzel advises making sure that they understand your business and will protect your brand reputation.
“Be involved in helping them to build your community – you need to follow and engage with other people’s content so that they also start to take notice of yours – and let your customers know you’re on TikTok and will be releasing exclusive deals for them on the platform.”
