As a stylist, you constantly need to be able to transform your craft. Learning new cut and colour techniques or adopting the latest styles, education is never-ending. In this day and age, there is a new tool that has proven ever useful but can often come with a learning curve and that is social media. Now more than ever it has become extremely important to market yourself online. While platforms like Twitter and Pinterest can also prove fruitful, if you are just getting into digital advertising, it is best to focus on Facebook and Instagram.
While you think it would be simple to snap a picture and gain traction, there is much more that goes into the practice. From style to snap, these are the top tips you need to know to style for social media.
Get In The Habit Of Taking Photos
While this sounds like an obvious task, you’d be surprised how often stylists forget to take the photos in the first place. Discuss with your clients that you would like to photograph them and be sure they are comfortable with you posting their photo on social media.
Think About Light
If your salon doesn’t have natural light or if you tend to work at night, invest in a ring light. This will show off your work in its best light while highlighting all the layers of your work, whether it is a colour, cut, or style. You can even set up a fun station at in the corner of your salon to make it fun for everyone.
Before & After’s Can Be Key
Depending on the type of work that you do and how much you transform your client’s look, you’ll want to take photos both before you begin and after you are done styling. If you want to keep your feed looking clean, think about posting a slider with the finished look first and the before as the second slide.
Create A Photo Finish, Every Time
While salon life can be hectic, you’ll want to take a little extra time to really finish your look before you take the picture. From using a straightening iron to perfect baby hairs, applying SESSION.SPRAY FLEX to calm flyaways, or SHIMMER.SHINE to really make your look vibrant. Going the extra step can help keep your feed looking flawless.
Shoot Multiple Angles
Even if you think you got the shot you wanted, take a few extra snaps of different angles just to be sure! If you’ve ever taken a photo only to go back to your roll later and notice you missed something – whether a hair was out of place or your client blinked – getting extra shots and editing down can save you!
Apply Only Minimal Editing
While it can be exciting to go “ham” with filters, when taking pictures of hair it’s best to go #nofilter especially if you’re highlighting hair colour. Increasing small changes like the brightness of your photo is totally acceptable, but you’ll want to make sure that any edits you apply to the image aren’t taking away from the true color of what you created. Altering it too much only gives clients unrealistic expectations of hair colour transformations you can achieve.
For fashion-forward colour and style inspiration be sure to visit us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Bangstyle and to see all the specials, be sure to visit the KEVIN.MURPHY store!