Wk 2 Pt B

 Business Research

JENNA STYLES

1. There is not a website that I could find. JennaStyles.com takes you to Vagaro which is a booking site. Vagaro has all the important information listed but it lacks the personality of a website.

2. Jenna Styles is a local hair studio. They have two chairs for 3 stylists and offer a variety of services including hair extensions, color and cuts. It looks like they specialize in blonde color correction.

3. After a google search I was able to find social media accounts on the following platforms:

• Yelp- last review left on 08/30/2020, 100% response rate, owner responds to some negative reviews but not all.

• Instagram- last post 09/07/2020, posts are about every 3 days, 19.7k followers, cohesive and pretty feed.

• Facebook- 1,181 followers, last post was on 09/06/2020, engagement is about the same as Instagram.

4. Jenna Styles' social media engagement is good. They post often and the content is consistent. The photo section on Yelp is up to date. I think they do a good job of representing their brand. I think they should have a real website to make it easier to find all of their accounts. 

STYLE LOUNGE

1. Styleloungesd.com

2. Style Lounge is a large salon in Downtown San Diego. They have around 17 chairs. They offer hair services like hair extensions, brazilian blowouts, haircuts and color. They carry very high end products like Oribe. The salon is owned by two women in their early twenties which is very inspiring.

3. All of their social media accounts are easily found on the website. 

• Facebook- 2,745 followers. The top photo banner is updated but they have not posted since they bought the salon in November 2017. This is probably explained by the age of the owners. They probably do not have personal accounts on Facebook.

• Instagram- 26.3k followers. Last post was 09/05/2020. They post every day if they are open. Their feed is cohesive and gives the viewer a good idea of their work and the staff. They have story highlights for each of their stylists. 

• Pinterest- looks like it is from the previous owners.

• Yelp- They have over 400 reviews. They respond to some but not all. There was not any information on their response rate.

4. Style Lounge does a very good job displaying their brand on Instagram. I know that they have a social media consultant come in on certain days to take pictures and videos and post them. I'm sure that makes all the difference because they are a busy salon. 

KEVIN MURPHY

1. KevinMurphy.au

2. KEVIN MURPHY is an Australian-based, high end hair care company. They are a large international company.

3. I found links to all social media accounts on the website.

• Facebook- 76,811 followers. Posts every day, many times a day. Last post 09/08/20. 

• Instagram- 171k followers. Posts every day. Last post 09/08/20 

• Twitter- 9,766 followers. Posts every day. Last post 09/08/2020

• Pinterest- 5,000 followers. Pinterest does not show the date of posts

• Youtube- 9.72k followers. Posts once a week. Last post 08/31/2020

4. Kevin Murphy does a great job engaging with their community on social media. They respond to comments and "like" posts they are tagged in. It looks like they use Instagram and Facebook the most.

BEAUTY SOLUTIONS

1. Beautysolutions.com

2. Beauty Solutions is a hair care wholesaler servicing California, Arizona and Nevada. They sell extension hair, makeup, education and hair care. 

3. 

• Facebook- 1,278 followers. Sporadic posting. Sometimes every few days, sometimes once a month. Last post on 09/08/2020

• Instagram- 1,194 followers. Posts are a little more frequent than Facebook. Last post on 09/07/2020.

4. They could do better. I think even if they reposted from the brands they sell that would be better.

SALON SULTRY

1. SalonSultry.com

2. Local hair salon. They have around 18 chairs. 

3.

• Instagram- 645 followers. Last posted on 08/30/2020. They typically only post announcements. 

• Facebook- 1,026 followers. Last posted on 08/30/2020. All the same posts as Instagram.

4. Salon Sultry's social media accounts are very different from the other salons I researched. They post more salon happenings and announcements than hair pictures. 

SUMMARY

The companies I researched were all beauty industry. I tried to find companies of all sizes and levels of social media use. I found that having a professional looking website with links to social media accounts is very important for helping customers learn more about you. The salon "Jenna Styles" does not have a website and it was inconvenient for me to research them. If I was a potential client I may have given up and found another salon. It is also more beneficial to keep the website updated. 

Keeping social media accounts updated makes sure potential customers see what your business is about and lets them know that you are still interested in your business. It seems to help gain followers if you post often and use all parts of the account. For example, Style Lounge uses Instagram the most and they not only post on their feed but also on stories daily and have story highlights for services and stylists. In contrast, Salon Sultry's post are communicating with clients they already have. Only posting announcements and events does not appeal to a new client because they still do not know what kind of work you do.

When looking into how many accounts these businesses have, it seems the more they use them the more followers they have. It is important to reach as many people as possible. It is unlikely that every potential client would have an account on every social media outlet, so the more accounts you use the easier it is for people to find you. 

I tried to look at these businesses as a potential customer. Overall I was impressed with Style Lounge the most but I think all the salons would appeal to someone. There is a vibe out there for everyone and we don't all like the same thing. Maybe Salon Sultry's stylists are active on their own Instagram accounts so the salon does not need to promote them. I still think it would be more appealing for the salon to post more hair pictures or even product promotions. 

Overall, social media plays an important role in the beauty industry. Instagram and Facebook seem to be the best because they are visual. Researching these salons has inspired me to update my website and Instagram account.