Salon Maxx

Salon Maxx Social Media Campaign Prepared By: Melissa S. McHugh

Salon Maxx Social Media Campaign

2 Salon Maxx Social Media Campaign Salon Maxx Founded in 2009, Maxx Salon & Spa is a small, full-service salon. The business operates out of a single location in Bothell, WA. A relatively small salon, Maxx maintains less than ten employees. Yearly sales net around $70,000, according to Hoovers (2013) and Lexis Nexis (2013). Several factors were taken into account when selecting this brand. The first was my own familiarity with the industry and product lines due to my early education as a cosmetologist. It is expected that this intimate knowledge of the industry will facilitate original content creation and also assist in identifying trends. Second, this brand has little social media presence, but the presence that they do have is all positive. This will expedite the campaign process as no damage control will need to be done so the focus will strictly be on building upon that positive foundation. These two reasons may seem counterintuitive, but both were selected in order to make the assignment challenging. It is important for Maxx Salon & Spa to build its online presence in order to remain competitive in the market place. The salons competitors are very active and the key here is to identify what makes the salon unique and build the campaigns messaging around that. Finally, Maxx Salon & Spa also has low revenue. Its likely that the marketing budget would be equally low. This will be an important exercise in launching a campaign that falls within a brands budget, or lack therefore of. This presents a great opportunity to practice creating campaigns on a limited budget, which requires more creativity.

Target Market This campaign will target the millennial demographic group (18-34). Traditionally, salons have been a womans domain. According to a 2012 salon services report released by Mintel, 72% of women frequent salons. In contrast, only 52% of men surveyed said that they use salons as part of their beauty routine. However, the beauty product industry shows that onethird of all men perform beauty services at home. (Krol, 2012) As such, the campaign will target both men and women within the millennial demographic group. Despite the significantly higher usage rate of men versus women, men visit the salon more often due to their shorter hair and also spend more on add-on services such as facial and massages. Women typically visit the salon every 3 months for a cut, and once per year for addon services. (Krol, 2012) Taking into account the number of men performing home services, a dual-pronged campaign targeting men and women has the potential to increase the current customer base while creating an opportunity for expanding services to increase revenue. Bothell, WA boasts a relatively young population. Millennials make up 23.3% of the citys population. Of these 8000 residents, 31.1% are male and 22.4% female. Household incomes average between $50,000 and $99,999. This fiscal group falls in line with the groups that are more likely to purchase products at a salon. (Krol, 2012) Caucasian and Asian families are predominant, at 77.3% and 12.5% respectively. In addition, two people families constitute 41.9% of the population. It is expected that these households will have more disposable income, which will in turn make them open to discretionary spending. This age group has also been shown to be 55% more likely to spend money. Across all age groups, 31% with increased spending indicated that their increased spending is to treat themselves. (ODonnell, 2013) This spending habit also makes the millennial group a prime candidate for this campaign.

4 In conclusion, this campaign will target men and women from ages 18 to 24. Most of this audience will live in a two person household with an average combined income of $50,000 to $99,000 and will be predominantly Caucasian, with a smaller, but still significant, Asian population. The male segment will be less likely to currently use salons but will spend more than their female counterparts once in the salon. Framework For this campaign, a four-pronged approach will be used. Given the B2C nature of the business, the campaign will initially be launched on casual networking sites. Maxx Salon already has a Facebook business page. In addition, the campaign will be launched on Twitter, Pinterest and Google +. Facebook will remain the primary platform since it is the largest, and most familiar to staff. With relevant, engaging content, Maxx Salon will utilize the site to increase engagement with its fan and prospect base. Secondary to Facebook, Pinterest will be used to promote before and after picture from past and future clients. In addition, the site will be used to share ideas and tips to help client in selecting a hair style and for do it yourself (DIY) styling tips. The goal with the DIY tips is to demonstrate a genuine understanding of your clients needs tricks to help style at home. Using both Platforms interchangeably will allow Maxx Salon to interact with fans while demonstrating expertise. In addition to these sites, a Twitter profile will also be created, but with a very different intent. While Maxx Salon will use the platform to interact with prospects and clients, the main purpose of this profile will be information gathering. Via Twitter, the brand will connect with and follow influencers as well as to monitor competitors who have a presence on the site. Monitoring current trends will facilitate the content creation process for the other platforms.

5 The fourth platform used will be Google +. All other profiles will be linked to this account and all popular or cutting-edge content will be pushed to this profile. However, the reason for having this profile is primarily to increase SEO. Since Google indexes G+ accounts before all other social media platforms, (Shepard, 2012) each social media account will be linked in the G+ profile. This is also why it is important to share popular content on the platform and to make full use of embedded post links and title tags to place Maxx Salon above its competitors in search results. To sum it up, Facebook will remain the primary campaign platform due to its high usage. Pinterest will be used as a visual aid to support any content pushed on the Facebook platform. Twitter will be used to stay on top of industry trends and Google + will be used primarily to increase search rankings. Tactics Facebook In order to create original content 3 times per week, increase likes and convert 40% of these new fans to customers, the following tactics will be employed: Promotions to increase financial ROI and conversion rates: Exclusive, customer-only discounts will be provided to clients via Facebook messages New fans who submit an email address will receive a discount off of their first service A weekly promotion will be run every Friday for a different service (rotating) Photos to encourage sharing and increase engagement: Every Tuesday, staff-created photo tutorials (styling, bang trimming, etc.) will be shared from Pinterest. This will be called Tuesday Tips. Every other Thursday, fans will be encouraged to share pictures of bad haircuts (theirs or cuts found online). A winner will be selected at random for a free cut. Content, to increase SEO and engagement: Include CTAs with backlinks to the website or other social media profiles in each post. Every Monday, encourage staff and fans to share a story. This will be called Maxx Mondays. Scheduling to maintain consistency and create trust:

6 Twitter In order to connect with industry leaders, track local competitors and gain a following, the following tactics will be employed: Identify keywords: Research industry trends and then monitor hashtag usage every Friday using Twitter search or Hootsuite. Monitor industry leaders and local competition: Perform a search every Wednesday to see what industry leaders are talking about. Use this to help create content across all platforms. Content, to increase engagement: Post contest winner announcements weekly. Cross-post all images from other sites Pinterest In order to create original content three times per week, increase website traffic and increase visibility, the following tactics will be employed: Visibility: The Maxx Salon logo will be added to each Pin. Content: Create do-it-yourself photo tutorials every Monday to be posted for Tuesday Tips. Pin before and after pictures every Wednesday and Friday. Use CTAs in every image to direct audience back to website or Facebook contests. Push all images to Twitter and Google +. Monitor: Monitor pins every Wednesday to identify which pins are the most successful. Identify each week which users have repined content and thank them Google Since the main goal of the Google + profile is to increase search rankings, the following tactics will be used: All content from other social media profiles will be pushed to G+. Keywords will be used in each post to increase search rankings. CTAs to follow on other networking sites will be used in each post. An editorial calendar will be created every Friday for the following week. Content will be selected based on Facebook engagement and research conducted on Twitter. Content will be pre-scheduled every Friday using publishing applications like Hootsuite. Monitor engagement weekly to determine which times are most effective.

7 Creative Execution Imaging Equipment and Software As part of the campaign, Maxx Salon will create weekly photographic content. These images will be taken and edited in-house to reduce costs. To this end, a digital camera will be purchased. Upon reviewing portable, digital camera, it was determined that the Canon PowerShot S100 would be the most suitable and budget friendly for this purpose. (Moynihan, 2012) The cost for this camera will range between $300 to $400, dependent upon retailer and accessories purchased. All photographs will also be edited by staff. While many free photo editing software exist, a subscription to Adobe Photoshop is recommended for optimum usability. The monthly cost for Adobe Photoshop is $30. As demonstrated below, the campaign will feature two types of images step-by-step tutorials and before and after pictures. Below are examples of the content to be created.

Figure 1. Scarf roll revisited. Adapted from How To Hair Girl by R.J. Hunt, 2013. Retrieved from http://www.howtohairgirl.com/2013/08/scarf-roll-revisited/

Figure 2. men's cut before and after!!! hair by sarahmarie by S. Sheffield, 2013. Retrieved from http://www.pinterest.com/pin/57561701460914109/

Facebook Tabs In order to organize Facebook, a separate, custom tab will be created for each contest. The custom tabs are as follows: Maxx Mondays, Tuesday Tips, Share Your Story, Contests and Pinterest. Each tab will be created using the ShortStack iFrame design tool. At $30 per month, this platform was determined to be the most user-friendly and cost-effective. Included in this subscription is full access to all the sites templates. See below for sample tabs.

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Figure 3. New fan coupon tab. ShortStack, n.d. Retrieved October 20, 2013 from http://www.shortstackapp.com/member/templates/gallery?tag[]=coupon&ajax=tag

Figure 4. Current holiday coupon tab. ShortStack, n.d. Retrieved October 20, 2013 from http://www.shortstackapp.com/member/templates/gallery?tag[]=coupon&ajax=tag

Budgeting Hootsuite Hootsuite will be used primarily for monitoring conversations and scheduling content. The service offers a commitment-free, $9.99 subscription plan. Additionally, the vendor offers the first 60 days at a 50% discount. Total Budget Start Up Costs Item Digital Camera Adobe Photoshop Shortstack Subscription Hootsuite Pro

Cost $350.00 (median) $69.99 $30.00 $5.00 Total Initial Cost $454.99

Recurring Monthly Charges Item Adobe Photoshop Shortstack Subscription Hootsuite Pro Total Monthly Cost

Cost $69.99 $30.00 $9.99 $109.98

10 References Bennett, S. (2012, May 11). The Business Benefits of Twitter [INFOGRAPHIC] . Retrieved from http://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/twitter-business_b22452 Bricker, Jesse, Arthur B. Kennickell, Kevin B. Moore, and John Sabelhaus. Changes in U.S. Family Finances from 2007 to 2010: Evidence from the Survey of Consumer Finances. Federal Reserve, 2012. Accessed September 15, 2013. http://www.federalreserve.gov/econresdata/scf/scf_2010.htm. Chaney, P. (2011, April 18). 8 Benefits to Facebook 'Likes'. Retrieved from http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/2723-8-Benefits-to-Facebook-LikesConstine, J. (2013, April 23). Facebook Feed Change Punishes Pages For Posting Crappy Memes. Retrieved from http://techcrunch.com/2013/08/23/facebook-feed-changes/ EASI. EASI Updated Reports and Analysis Professional Demographics Report. Easy Analytic Software, Inc., 2013. Accessed September 15, 2013. http://easidemographics.com/cgibin/free_reports.exe. Gordner, C. (2013, September 19). The Benefits of Your Company Getting On Twitter Everyday. Retrieved from http://socialmediarevolver.com/the-benefits-of-your-company-getting-ontwitter-everyday/ Honigman, B. (2013, May 6). How to Use Pinterest Analytics, 6 Metrics Worth Measuring. Retrieved from http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/pinterest-analytics/ Hoovers Online (2013). Maxx Salon Company Report (n.d.). Retrieved from http://subscriber.hoovers.com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/H/company360/quickReport.html?company Id=7888674

11 Hunt, R. J. (2013, April 5). How To Hair - DIY Hair Resource From How To Hair Girl. Retrieved October 20, 2013, from http://www.howtohairgirl.com/tag/scarf-roll/ Internet World Stats (2012, September 30). Facebook Growth and Penetration in the World Facebook Statistics. Retrieved from http://www.internetworldstats.com/facebook.htm Krol, Emily. Salon Services - US - June 2012. Mintel Group, LTD, 2012. Accessed September 12, 2013. academic.mintel.com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/display/590573/. Lexis Nexis (2013). LexisNexisCompany Dossier - Maxx Salon (2827:426356298). Retrieved from www.lexisnexis.com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/hottopics/lnacademic/? Maxx Salon & Spa. "Services." Accessed September 12, 2013. http://maxxsalonandspa.com/services/. MindTools (n.d.). Keeping Up-to-Date on Your Industry - Learning Skills From MindTools.com. Retrieved from http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/keeping-up-to-date.htm Morgan, S. (2012, July 6). The Benefits of Using Twitter for Business. Retrieved from http://wearesocialpeople.com/the-benefits-of-using-twitter-for-business/ Moynihan, T. (2012, July 24). Pick the perfect premium compact camera | TechHive. Retrieved from http://www.techhive.com/article/2000226/pick-the-perfect-premium-compactcamera.html O'Donnell, Fiona. American Lifestyles 2013: Five Years Later. Mintel Group, LTD, 2013. Accessed September 14, 2013. Sheffield, S. (2012, September). Pinterest -my work. Retrieved October 18, 2013, from http://www.pinterest.com/utsmsheff/my-work/ Shepard, C. (2012, October 16). 10 Dead Simple Tips to Take Advantage of Google+ for SEO. Retrieved from http://moz.com/blog/tips-to-use-google-for-seo