Tell us a little about yourself
On Instagram, you only have 150 characters in your profile to tell people everything they need to know, so make each one count. “Use direct and simple language, as well as words that potential clients might search,” explains Cory Hoffman (@coryhoffmanhair), a stylist at Butterfly Loft in Los Angeles and Matrix Artistic Educator. In addition to contact and booking info, “I chose wording based on the audience I wanted to attract,” so keywords like balayage and unicorn hair are in her profile.
Give them quality over quantity
If you’re cluttering up your followers’ feeds with filler posts, they’ll quickly tune out. “Finding an interesting story and communicating it in an authentic way is what ultimately makes good content great,” says the team at Baxter of California. “Lighting, exposure, angles, colors—all of the technical stuff is secondary.” The @baxterofca Instagram page stays true to a consistent look and feel that represents the brand. “But more importantly, content is chosen for its ability to elicit an emotional response from the person consuming it.”
Aye aye, caption
A striking visual is important, especially in an aesthetic industry like ours. But the marriage of image and caption is what takes it to the next level. Take the time to come up with appropriate text to accompany your post that informs, sets the tone and sells the story.
Get engaged
Engage with your audience to show your commitment to them. Tracey Cunningham (@traceycunningham1), Redken Creative Consultant, owner of Mèche Salon in Los Angeles and colorist to the stars, has nearly 300K followers on Instagram, yet she actively responds to comments and questions on her posts. Thank your followers individually for complimenting your work and answer them when they ask what products you used. The more approachable and accessible you are, the more loyal and interactive your followers will be.
#KnowYourHashtags
We’ve all seen that person who #adds #a #hashtag #to #every #word. Don’t be that person. Hashtags help potential clients and followers to find you, but work best when they combine two or more words. Keep hashtags broad enough that people are likely to search for them yet targeted enough that you don’t get lost in the crowd.
Take advantage of free analytics from your social media accounts. This statistical data can help you tailor your content—and even your services—to your specific audience, leading to a more personalized and potentially profitable experience. Facebook Insights tells you the number of unique views for every post, the demographics of the people interacting with you and how they’re finding your page. Instagram Insights, available with a free Business Profile, and the third-party Iconosquare Analytics, give info about your followers, detail how many have clicked to your website and more.
Analyze this
Take advantage of free analytics from your social media accounts. This statistical data can help you tailor your content—and even your services—to your specific audience, leading to a more personalized and potentially profitable experience. Facebook Insights tells you the number of unique views for every post, the demographics of the people interacting with you and how they’re finding your page. Instagram Insights, available with a free Business Profile, and the third-party Iconosquare Analytics, give info about your followers, detail how many have clicked to your website and more.
Pro Tip
#AmericanSalon is a good hashtag to get our attention!