Over the past decade, social media has transformed into an effective tool for businesses and brands of all kinds. Platforms like Instagram For Business have been incredibly helpful to those who work in the beauty industry because it offers an outlet for creatives to share their talents.
Stylists, in particular, can benefit from Instagram because it gives them a chance to turn virtual love into real-life clients.
This isn’t only for major talent, either. Up and coming stylists can (and should!) utilize everything Instagram has to offer to bring in opportunities for themselves and their brand. Are you a stylist with no clue how to start? Here are 7 ways you can leverage Instagram for business!
Instagram For Business- Build A Network
It’s important to remember that Instagram isn’t only about getting your business and services out there but also about staying connected to others and what they are doing as well. Developing genuine connections with influencers, brands, and legitimate companies are how you open yourself up to more opportunities, followers and future clients.
Using a company’s product while working with a client and then tagging the company in your post is a great way to connect with different businesses while offering free or discounted service to an Instagram For Business influencer in exchange for promo is a smart way to bring in clients from larger platforms.
Make It Into A Portfolio
A portfolio is not just a collection of work, it’s a collection of your best work that accurately exhibits your capabilities as a stylist. Now, knowing this, how does your Instagram show your followers how good you are at your job? Are you posting pictures of every little thing or are you being selective?
Or, do you have pictures of your best work, selfies and personal moments? Analyze your Instagram, delete and post whatever is necessary.
Also, remember that portfolios can be creative! Add your own flair to your Instagram by using a special filter or theme for your photos.
Encourage Post Notifications
If you don’t know, “post notification” is an Instagram feature that allows your followers to be notified every time you post something new. This is a great feature to utilize because it increases the likelihood that followers–old, new, and potential–will revisit your page in the near future.
The best way to encourage your followers to use post notification is to keep your content creative and well-timed. Don’t bombard everyone with a million posts every day and don’t just post anything. Think about it as if it were your favorite subscription; You subscribe to and regularly use your favorite streaming platform because it consistently offers movies and shows that you love. Similarly, people would regularly return to your page (and services!) because you offer great content!
Get Creative with video
Instagram videos can be 60 seconds worth of gold if you use them correctly! Simple videos that plainly show your work are great when you’re trying to increase the number of shares and views you get because the content speaks for itself.
However, using the video feature to create ads and promotional material is a great way to add a professional touch to whatever you’re sharing.
Music, slides, filters, and various edits can easily elevate your videos in minutes. The great thing about this method is that it requires little skill; There are plenty of apps and websites that offer tutorials and pre-made layouts to help you get the job done!
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Instagram For Business- Use Instagram Stories for Promo
Research shows that 40% of people respond more to visual content instead of plain text. This means that pictures garner more reaction and interaction than your Instagram captions and posts with just words.
Now, it’s not realistic to assume that all pictures will speak for themselves or that you can go without using words in your picture posts. You can use as many words as you would like, all you have to do is change your method of sharing; Instagram stories are the perfect option!
Flyer or ad style posts in your Instagram story are a great way to let people know about flash sales, short-notice events, and sudden schedule openings. Because IG stories only stay up for 24 hours, this method works best for time-sensitive events.
Micro Blogs
Instagram favors long-form captions or what can be considered a microblog post as we call them. Microblogs provide the most value to your followers. Instagram For Business it Microblogs are tiny posts that are 300 words or less that can describe an important process or educate your audience.
We have found that long captions that encourage engagement will help you to reach more of your followers and ‘beat’ the algorithm.
If you need help with planning or creating microblog posts for your Instagram, fill out our contact form and tell us more about your business.
Hashtags
Last but not least. Yes, hashtags are extremely important and you should be using them on every post. Be thoughtful about the hashtags you use, there is a such thing has hashtag etiquette. Our recommendation is to always use your location as a hashtag, for example, #texasstylist or you can be more specific by including your city, such as #dallasstylist.
You can also build your own hashtag for your salon or in your name as the stylist. This is pretty cool because you can ask your clients to post pictures of their styles using your hashtag so that others can find you and your work. It is the ultimate referral program!
One more hashtag tip! If you are struggling to find hashtags for your business use the “hashtags” app – Looks like this:
If you are a salon owner and you would like to optimize your marketing efforts by creating content for your blog we can help. Contact us below and tell us what your goals are!
