Barber shops have long acted as pillars of their communities—places where people can gather to not just get a great haircut but also come together and converse. While this historical role still exists for many shops, it is evolving with the advent of social media.

Now, social media serves as an extension of the community, granting barbers access to much larger audiences. From connecting with clients to attracting new customers to learning from fellow professionals, social media has opened many doors.

The question is, what are your social media expectations as a barber?

Key Takeaways: Social media can be a powerful marketing tool and provide opportunities to connect with a massive barbering community. Determining what you should do versus what you should avoid can be the difference between a positive social media experience and a damaging one.

The Dos and Don’ts of Barbering Social Media

DO Stay True to Your Brand Identity

Establishing a strong brand identity takes strategy, time, hard work, and a healthy dose of trial and error. Social media can be a difficult place to remain true to your branding if you don’t have a strong sense of what exactly your barber shop’s identity is, but it is essential for giving your customers a clear picture of who you are.

Sticking to your brand identity—including your imagery, how you represent your business, the tone of your posts, and more—is key to creating consistency and strengthening both your barbering biz and community. Stay on theme, on message, and on mission.

DON’T Let Trends Undermine Your Vision

Everyone wants to go viral these days, and understandably so. Businesses that catch a trend at the right time can see their exposure skyrocket on social media and translate that into financial success. While there is nothing wrong with indulging in a trend, it is important to remain realistic and not allow passing trends to dictate your social media behavior and strategy.

A barber cuts his client's hair in his barbershop.

For example, if you become enamored with participating in every social media trend, you may lose sight of why you joined the platform in the first place. Things like community, customer connections, and branding have more staying power and intrinsic value than trends that are here today and gone tomorrow.

DO Prioritize Your Audience

The ability to connect with your current customers and grow your audience by engaging with new people is part of what makes social media such a powerful tool. It can be easy to turn your social media into an extension of your personality and interests, but the goal should be to understand your audience, share things compatible with their interests, and keep them informed about your business.

Include basic updates, like changes in your operating hours, promotions you’re offering, and new services your shop now provides. You can also share fun customer photos and showcase the skills that make your shop special. Most importantly, try to connect with people on a real, human level.

"Most importantly, try to connect with people on a real, human level."

DON’T Stretch Yourself Too Thin

Whether you’re new to social media or a seasoned pro, one thing is certain—there are a lot of platforms out there. If you’re not careful (and selective), you can quickly stretch yourself too thin trying to build your presence on multiple platforms and stay engaged on all of them.

The time and effort it takes to develop a proper strategy and give your audience the attention it deserves is substantial, even if you’re focusing solely on one platform. Your best bet—especially when starting out—is to choose one or two platforms that suit your branding and interests. Focus on those (with a plan) and expand only when you see the return as worth the investment.

This allows you to give your social media—and the customers you’re trying to connect with—the attention they deserve.

A barber prepares to cut a client's beard, considering adding this process to social media channels.

DO Focus on Creating

Social media can be a black hole that absorbs your attention and steals your time. It’s easy to find yourself consuming loads of content rather than engaging with the community and creating your own content. While a touch of content consumption is okay—it can be good for finding inspiration and connecting with fellow creators—you should focus on providing the community with original value.

From scheming fun ways to share your work to making fresh takes on barbering trends, being original and dedicating your energy to creating something is a much better use of social media than doom scrolling. Even reacting to other people’s posts and responding to comments and messages counts as creating!

Social media can be a barber’s best friend, but it isn’t without its pitfalls. With these simple dos and don’ts as your guide, you should be able to kickstart your barber shop’s social media without falling victim to some of the sneaky traps that lie in wait.

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