Here’s how to help your clients avoid or repair at-home beauty disasters

DIY self-care horror stories based on questionable advice are nothing new, but the rise of social media influencers has given many of these ill-advised tips an even bigger platform. As a result, it’s not unusual to see posts about at-home haircuts that come up short (literally) and DIY bleaching disasters. It’s important to have empathy for the people on the receiving end of bad beauty advice — after all, most of us have been there — so consider these moments of self-care gone wrong as powerful marketing opportunities that allow you to flex your own social media skills.

By leveraging your social media presence in the self-care space, you can turn others’ DIY misfortunes into entertaining, informative content for your clients that establishes subject matter expertise. This builds trust with your audience and raises brand awareness, which ultimately results in more clients coming through your doors.

3 ways to turn DIY fails into social media gold

Create tutorial videos for basic processes

With approximately 335.6 billion views as of this writing, #tutorial videos are among the most popular forms of content on TikTok. Users turn to the hashtag for instructions on everything from magic tricks to how to Dougie, with beauty videos being especially prominent. This makes TikTok the perfect outlet for your own series of tutorials that teach your followers must-know self-care techniques. Here are a few examples:

• Bang trims: Many salons already offer free bang trims between appointments, so showing clients how to do this step on their own saves everyone a little time.

• DIY masks: There’s a lot of bad information out there, so be the source of authority on what household products are actually okay to use on your face and hair — and what each one does.

• Keeping manicures fresh: Wouldn’t everyone like to get an extra day or two out of that mani? Have one of your technicians walk through their at-home care routine, like using cuticle oil, avoiding hot water, and applying a new topcoat.

Offer fixes for common DIY kerfuffles

By the time potential clients find you on social media, it might already be too late. Maybe they followed a wolf cut tutorial and ended up with mullet instead. Maybe they tried the latest DIY skincare craze and now they’re breaking out. Whatever the problem is, be the solution and offer advice for common mistakes people make when they take matters into their own hands.

The key is to be empathetic; while it’s natural to want to ask questions like “Why would you put marshmallow fluff and vinegar on your face?!”, you don’t want viewers to feel like you’re judging them. Instead, gently guide them through the steps they need to take to reverse or negate the damage, and kindly suggest they see a professional next time — preferably you.

Critically examine viral self-care tips

Not all of your content should be strictly instructional; reaction videos are also extremely popular and give you a chance to respond to all of the DIY advice flying around out there. Keep your reactions genuine, and don’t feel the need to trash every tip — if there are savvy social media users out there with useful information, give them a signal boost! This helps build up your network while you’re establishing your expertise.

For examples, look no further than social media beauty gurus like Brad Mondo and Robert Welsh, who regularly create content in response to DIY fails and social media beauty trends. While they may criticize the methods, they never poke fun at the people in the original videos, and are highly complimentary when things actually work out. This makes them appear more trustworthy, while their authoritative responses show that they know what they’re talking about.

Social media 101

As you think about incorporating some of these content ideas, it’s a good time to take a quick social media audit. If your self-care business has been around for a while, you likely already have a social media presence across sites like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. If you’re just starting out — or haven’t had the time to plan your social media strategy yet — this is the perfect opportunity. You’ll want to carefully consider which platforms to post on and make sure your brand identity shines through.

Facebook

Facebook has gained something of a reputation for being the social media platform of choice for older users, but that’s not the whole story. It’s true that just over a third of Facebook’s users are 45 or older, but nearly a quarter are in the coveted 25-34 demographic. In other words, Facebook still has its place in a business’ social media strategy, though users aren’t necessarily looking for the same kind of content they’d find on more visual-focused sites.

Use it for:

• Key business information, such as location, how to contact you, and hours

• News and announcements — like when you’re introducing a new service to your menu

• Sharing content from other accounts to drive more followers to Instagram and Tiktok

Instagram

As a visual-focused medium, Instagram is all about stunning photos and eye-catching short videos. More than half of its users are between the ages of 18 and 34, so plan your content appropriately. This is the best place to post pictures of your clients and their stunning new looks, while the Stories feature can be used to share limited-time announcements (like unexpected openings in the books) with fun animations and graphics. Don’t forget the hashtags!

Use it for:

• Before-and-after shots

• Stylist and technician portfolios

• Stylized, easy-to-digest graphics listing services and prices

TikTok

Launched in 2016, TikTok is a newer player in the social media landscape, but it’s already established itself as the dominant outlet for Gen Z. TikTok is the perfect place for short-but-informative videos — the limit is technically ten minutes long, but audiences’ attention spans are much shorter. Use all of the tools at your disposal, such as background music and sound effects, GIFs, playlists, Duets, and Stitches to create a varied line-up of entertaining content. One more thing to note: Zoomers use TikTok as a search engine, so you’ll want to be sure your business details (like contact information and location) are easy to find.

Use it for:

• Instructional videos

• Commentary on self-care trends

• Social media challenges

Google Business

Google Business doesn’t usually make the list of social media outlets to consider, and it’s not exactly the sort of place where you’d share life updates or #beautygoals. That said, it’s important for business owners to create and maintain a Google Business page with up-to-date details to increase local search visibility and draw in new clients.

Use it for:

• Basic business details like location and hours

• Announcements: special offers, workshops, schedule openings

• Reviews: Businesses with a lot of positive reviews tend to rank higher, so encourage your clients to leave a good word — and be sure to respond to any negative ones