If you haven’t yet dipped your toe into the influencer marketing arena, we have one question for you: why not?

With a bigger reach than TV or radio advertising combined, social media is this generation’s tool of choice when it comes to brand awareness and when it comes to the hair and beauty industry, the fit is undeniable.

How do I find the right influencer?
“Never choose someone based solely on their number of followers,” warns social media expert Anastacia Lernat. “While audience is good, they also need to align with your brand. Have a good look through their profile. What other brands have they worked with? Where do they hang out? For example, you’re hardly going to book someone who spends their weekends positive photos of themselves smoking cigarettes when you’re running a wellness retreat, right?”

Do I pay?
Most influencers will want to be paid for their service and this will be calculated on their reach. “With that in mind, an arrangement where they will do plaid posts as well as generic posts is what will work best,” says Anastacia. “Their followers aren’t silly – they know when something is paid for, and want to know the products an influencer actually, really loves.”

How do they get people to book with me?
An organic booking would be off the back of an influencer’s exposure, encouraging their fans to get the same treatment that they have, but sometimes a push-along can help too. “Offer a unique discount code,” suggests Anastacia. “Influencers love to be able to say, ‘Look what I’ve secured for you, 10% off at my fave hairdresser!’ It’s also a good way to track how many bookings are actually a direct result of that particular influencer.”