As students, teachers, and parents gear up for fall routines, back-to-school season is the perfect opportunity to tap into seasonal trends and grow your salon business. Read on for 25 social media ideas for salon owners you can start using today!
Thinking back to your own schooldays, you’d be forgiven for believing back-to-school season is just about sharpies, planners, and what to wear on the first day. But now, as an empowered salon owner, constantly on the lookout for opportunities to build your business, you should view back to school as one of the best times of year to boost bookings, attract new clients, and move retail inventory.
Recently, we shared Ways to Boost Your Salon Bookings this Back to School. Since social media is one of the best ways to spread the word about your services, in this blog we’ll cover 25 creative social media ideas and promotional strategies to help you:
– Attract students, teachers, and parents
– Increase bookings and rebookings
– Engage your local community
– Move excess summer stock
What are you waiting for? Let’s dive in!
Why Salons Should Use Seasonal Marketing
People are looking for fresh starts and new routines in the fall. That includes new haircuts, refreshed color, and self-care services. And what better place to look than on social media? As of 2025, 253 million people in the US use social media, representing 73% of the American population. Taking a beat to align your marketing with seasonal behavior helps you show up at just the right moment. Pair that with strategic social media content and irresistible promotions, and you’ll have your appointment books filling up fast.
Social Media Content Ideas for Back-to-School
Whether you’re a social media wiz or a little shy about putting your posts out into the world, these 12 creative post ideas will help keep your salon visible, relevant, and engaging during the back-to-school season. You can choose how fancy you want to get, if you want to appear on screen or not, and if you want to keep things simple and to the point.
💡 Tip: Overall, the important thing to consider is that your posts look and feel like you. That means using the same colors, fonts, and tone of voice across all platforms, your website, and any printed materials you use.
Social Media Ideas for Students
1. “First Day Hair” reels or transformation reels – Show before and after student haircuts or color sessions. Be sure to have permission before featuring any client photos or names, and obtain parental permission before posting anything featuring minors.
2. Trendy cut/color polls – Engage with your audience and use story stickers to vote on popular looks like curtain bangs or bold hues.
3. “Get Ready with Me” reels – Film a GRWM video with a willing client prepping for their first day. Tag them to boost engagement.
4. Teen Loyalty Card promo – Create a punch card especially for teen clients and promote on IG Stories with visuals of the reward.
5. Student Discount Countdown sticker – Nothing makes people take action quicker than a timed promo! Add urgency to your social promotions with special “limited-time discount” graphics and watch your appointment book fill up.
Social Media Ideas for Teachers
6. “Teacher Glow-Up” giveaway – Run a contest with a free makeover prize. It might be for using a special hashtag you created, for a teacher who posts a photo at your salon, or maybe kids and parents can nominate their favorite teachers and you can draw a lot to find the lucky winner. You could even do this live to make it more exciting!
7. Thank-You Teacher reels – Film stylists sharing appreciation for educators and how they shape our future generations.
8. Back-to-School Self-Care Package post – Create special bundle offers just for teachers to pamper themselves throughout the semester.
9. Client Testimonials from teachers – Reshare quotes or short video reviews from teachers in the community.
Social Media Ideas for Parents
10. “Me Time After Drop-Off” meme or carousel – Create light-hearted, relatable content to grow your network and attract like-minded parents who love locally and may not have heard of your salon.
11. Parent + Child Haircut Bundle promo – It might not be practical for parents to visit your salon alone. Why not run a special parent and kid promo and post some cute side-by-side transformations?
12. Reels with Calming Service teasers – Back-to-school time can be exciting but also mega stressful. Try offering some relaxing treatments to entice stressed clients through the door. Think scalp massages, aromatherapy, or deep conditioning treatments for the win.
Back-to-School Salon Promotion Ideas
Now is the time to run limited offers at your salon. Here are 8 social media promo ideas worth trying out to see what works in your area:
13. Teacher Tuesdays – 20% off services for educators on a specific day of the week.
14. Student Style Week – Limited-time pricing on cuts, styles, or color for students.
15. Parent Pick-Me-Up – A discounted add-on service when a parent books a child’s cut.
16. Back-to-School Blowout Week – Bundle blowouts with styling products.
17. Free Brow Wax with Haircut promo – An easy upsell that feels like a bonus.
18. Referral bonus: “Tag a Teacher” campaign – Tag a teacher to win a prize or free service.
19. Family Package Discount Days – Discounts for multiple family member bookings.
20. First-Time Student Freebie – Offer a sample-size product or free service upgrade.
Sell More Retail with End-of-Season Sales
Got summer stock to clear out? These 5 social media tactics will help move product while giving you content ideas to share on your social media accounts:
21. “Last Chance Summer Sale” Countdown – Use IG Stories with a timer sticker.
22. Back-to-School Hair Care Bundles – Combine shampoo, conditioner, and heat protectant—the full package for those early mornings when it’s hard to get back into the old routine.
23. “Build Your Own Bundle” carousel – Show off your favorite products and let clients customize a discounted trio that works for them and their hair type.
24. Stylist Picks for Back-to-School Hair – Feature staff-recommended products in reels.
25. Live Product Demo + Flash Sale – Go live with a stylist showing how to use products; offer live-only deals.
Boost Visibility Through Community Engagement
This season is perfect for building strong local ties. Try:
☕️ Partnering with local boutiques or coffee shops for cross-promos.
🍽️ Sponsoring a classroom supply drive or teacher appreciation lunch.
🤳 Encouraging UGC with hashtags like #BackToSchoolHair or #[SalonNameStyles].
Final Tips to Maximize Back-to-School Marketing
– Add your booking link to your bio or use a link tool (like Linktree) to connect promos, services, and online store.
– Use local hashtags and location tags to boost discoverability.
– Save your promos and back-to-school content in a dedicated Highlight.
– Stay consistent and plan posts in advance with a content calendar.
Back-to-school isn’t just for students—it’s a huge opportunity for salon owners to fill books, increase visibility, and make your mark in your community. With these 25 ideas, you’ll have all the inspiration you need to create timely, engaging content and profitable promotions.
Which idea will you try first? Tag @DaySmartSalon in your posts so we can cheer you on!
All that back-to-school planning can take its toll. Keep burnout at bay with our e-book Worklife Balance for Busy Salon Owners.
