Under the influence

Influencer marketing is becoming an increasingly effective way for salons and spas to attract clients and boost business. Ellen Cummings explores the best practices for success

As the power and presence of social media has grown in the last decade, influencer marketing has emerged as a powerful tool for businesses to reach their target audience in a more engaging and authentic way.

This type of digital marketing uses third-party collaborations with popular social media users, such as celebrities and journalists, to positively endorse a brand, product or service in order to influence consumers to purchase them.

The collaboration uses the influencer’s credibility and trust with their followers to attract them towards your offerings, and for some businesses it can be more effective than other marketing methods.

Charlotte Drysdale, group head of marketing at Élan Laser Clinics, says, “Influencer marketing is a much less invasive type of marketing than traditional tools such as display advertising because the third-party endorsement from an influencer helps to build credibility and trust between a company and its followers.

“You can also tailor it to different budgets, it’s more versatile and often has a better return on investment. Influencers can also say things that you as a brand can’t necessarily say about your own product, treatment or service, so it’s a really useful marketing tool in that respect.”

Know your market

Depending on your business goals and ideal clients, exploring influencer marketing might be worth your while. In today’s digital landscape, influencer marketing provides the opportunity to connect with new clients and build trust in your business. Stephanie Looker, senior account manager at The Spa PR Company, comments, “According to influencer marketing platform gen.video, 90% of social media users are persuaded to make a purchase after seeing social media content, so there is huge opportunity to create trusted connections with potential customers through influencer marketing.”

It’s particularly effective for targeting younger clients, because Gen Z and younger Millennials often use social media as a search engine. Looker says that higher performing content in a particular location will be pushed to the top of the search results, which is helped by well-performing influencer content.

Find the perfect match

Influencer marketing has already proven effective for businesses in the beauty, spa and aesthetics industries. Dr Ahmed El Muntasar is an in-demand aesthetics practitioner who credits influencer marketing for the growth of his business, saying, “Influencer marketing is the backbone of my marketing strategy and has been something I’ve been doing for about six years.

“I found that by using influencer marketing, my bookings went up by 100% in about three months, so the time and patience I have invested in making it work hard for me and my business has definitely been worth the effort.”

Meanwhile, Drysdale says that Élan Laser Clinics has doubled its follower growth rate and seen an increase in customer queries through using influencer marketing, and Looker cites her client The Spa at Carden, which facilitated over 20 influencer visits in 2022 and found that over 15% of all guests named social media as their first point of contact with the brand, evidencing the impact of influencer visits.

The rise of the influencer

Forbes magazine estimates that over 50 million people around the world consider themselves to be an influencer, but this abundance of choice may be more of a hindrance if you’re just starting out on your influencer marketing journey. Selecting the right influencer is critical – it’s not just about number of followers; it’s about finding influencers who align with your brand and have an engaged audience.

Drysdale explains, “Adopting a bespoke approach and focusing on the influencers that are right for your business is important because an influencer that works well for a competitor business will not necessarily have the same effect on your own.

“While follower numbers are important, engagement can give you a better idea of whether the partnership will be fruitful, as this number determines how interactive with and responsive to the influencer’s content their followers are. It’s also important to consider the kind of content the influencer shares, in order to determine if their followers are likely to book a treatment with you.”

Dr El Muntasar agrees that research is important: “It’s really valuable to understand your key demographic and what your ideal patient looks like, and then try to find influencers that support that aesthetic and energy. For example, if your ideal client tends to go to affluent restaurants, look for influencers that tag specific locations that meet these demographics and be where your potential clients are in terms of matching your social aesthetic and tone of voice.”

While working with bigger influencers and celebrity names might seem like the best way to get your name out there, nurturing relationships with smaller, more local influencers can be sometimes be more beneficial.

“For me, what has been incredibly valuable has been taking time to identify local influencers in order to build a community local to my clinics,” says Dr El Muntasar. “My top tip here is to collaborate with businesses in the surrounding area to cross-pollinate your clientele and maybe even offer introductory offers in each other’s space so that your existing and potential new clients have multiple touch points to see your business offering.”

Get in touch

When reaching out to influencers, it’s important to follow their preferred contact method – this is often displayed in their social media profiles. This might be via a direct message or email, but some influencers might have management. Dr El Muntasar advises, “Where management is in place, I am respectful of that and approach their representation initially but always with the offer of a one-to-one meeting with the influencer so we can get to know one another first.”

The key to a successful partnership is transparency, so when you first approach an influencer, be clear about what your goals are. Drysdale says, “Make sure you are professional in your approach and be clear about the budget you have and what your expectations or deliverables are from the outset because not doing so could lead to disappointment on both sides later down the line.”

She adds, “Don’t be disappointed if they say no – not every treatment will be appealing to every influencer.”

Payment and compensation

Influencer payment terms vary, and this is something you should clarify before initiating collaborations. Looker explains, “It’s worth noting that some influencers will be open to a gifted collaboration, but others will have associated fees, so it is important to be upfront from the start and have a clear budget in mind.

“Some influencers will want payment for a set amount of social coverage, and usually more if this is then used for your own marketing materials and social media channels. If you want to know an influencer’s costs, you can ask for their rates or media pack.”

As a rough guide, a 2023 report by social media scheduling platform Later showed that for a single Instagram Reel, average costs vary from $100-$200 (£82 to £164) for a nano influencer with under 10K followers, rising to $200-$1K (£164 to £820) for micro influencers with 10K-100K followers; $1.5K-$5K (£1.2K to £4.1K) for mid-size influencers with 100K-500K followers, and $5K-$7K (£4.1K to £5.7K) for macro influencers with 500K+ followers.

Drysdale adds, “You may also want to consider an affiliate scheme whereby influencers receive a percentage of each booked and paid-for treatment that results from your collaboration. It is good practice to compensate influencers for their work, as well as covering the cost of treatments. However, some may be open to working organically.

“It’s important to consider your brand objectives, the calibre of influencers and budget for the best strategy. Each influencer works differently so you may need to be flexible in terms of how you work with them. A transparent conversation that outlines your deliverables, and how they like to work is always recommended.”

Define the role

There are several ways you can work with influencers, including through paid advertising, gifted experiences, or discount codes and affiliate links. Influencers can create various types of content, and what this looks like depend on your objectives, the social media platform being used and the influencer’s style.

“In terms of what to ask for from an influencer visit, it is dependent on what you want to expose to their followers,” says Looker. “If you want to spotlight a new treatment you’re offering, invite an influencer in to experience the treatment and film the experience, or provide before-and-after pictures.”

Drysdale adds, “You would generally ask the influencer to review a treatment or course of treatments (that you would offer them free of charge) and ask them to create content that talks about their experience of the treatment, and of your salon, spa or clinic.”

When coming up with a content plan, it’s also important to ask the influencer about what kind of content they think works best for their audience.

Guarantee your content

To ensure that influencers deliver on their promises, create a detailed list of your expectations and ask them to agree to it in writing. Looker adds, “It’s also worth giving them a deadline to publish the content by, and if it hasn’t been delivered by a certain point, say you have the right to charge them for the full experience. If you feel more comfortable, you can always write up a contract and ask them to sign this instead.”

Additionally, staying informed about regulations is crucial, as Dr El Muntasar says, “It is really important to be aware and regularly check what the governing bodies, such as the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), are saying about the guidelines surrounding social media partnerships and how to declare them openly, protecting both parties.”

For example, ASA rules currently state that whenever a company gives an influencer a payment or any other incentive, any content featuring or referring to that company will need to be obviously identifiable as advertising.

Fortunately, our experts say that challenges in influencer collaborations are rare in their experience, but if it does happen then it’s usually down to a lack of effective communication – so ensure that all timings and expectations are clearly communicated with influencers ahead of time to avoid misunderstandings.

In cases where an influencer has not enjoyed a treatment or it didn’t live up to their expectations, Looker says that it may be best to renegotiate deliverables or see if there is opportunity for them to experience it again with changes made.

Final thoughts

Influencer marketing can be a valuable asset for beauty and spa businesses, but it should align with your business objectives and be executed effectively. Drysdale adds, “One thing I would say is that you can never underestimate the power of a good influencer campaign, so make sure you can fulfil demand after a review has gone live. If you don’t, this could lead to disappointment – the opposite of what you’re trying to achieve – and could create bad feeling with influencers and potential clients alike.”

If you are considering starting your influencer marketing journey, Looker says that now is the perfect time. “Influencer marketing is only getting bigger, and with video content dominating most media channels, it’s a great way to get organic, and trusted recommendations to large audiences.

“My advice would be to have clear goals on what you want to achieve from the collaboration, go for quality over quantity with well-researched options, have a tick list of communication points, and use the content as much as possible following the collaboration to get the most out of the partnership.”