Once you’ve styled your client’s hair for social media, your next steps are to take those images and integrate them into the digital world. Marketing salon services have come a long way in the past few years and it is imperative that you redefine yourself alongside your style. It is a fact that in our era most clients will get to know us through images and posts before ever meeting us in person. They will tirelessly go down the rabbit hole of Instagram to search for their next colourist or a new cut. Part of being a successful stylist now comes from showing off your work online and allowing your work to be searchable for the right demographic. Keep reading to learn about the best ways to market yourself in the digital world and how you can use social media to make your business!

A Few Tips For Success On Social Media:

Brush Up On Photography Basics:

  • While you will want to make sure your client's style is perfection, you’ll also want to be mindful of the overall composition of the photo. Facebook and especially Instagram are very visual platforms so angles, lighting, and colours really count!
  • Start off by picking a neutral background for your client/model. If you are doing a before and after, pick the same background for both photos to create a cleaner image.
  • Look for the light. We’ve noticed that photos with lighter backgrounds and cleaner lighter exposure gets better engagement. This means that you will get more likes and comments and therefore build your community faster. To get the best lighting, you’ll want to play around with natural light as it comes and goes throughout the day. If necessary, think about investing in a ring light. It can greatly ease the process of finding good light and add uniformity to your photos. When in doubt, take your clients outside. Indirect light (shade) is a beautiful soft light to capture them in.

Be creative.

  • Don’t get into a posing rut! While certain angles look best on certain styles, you’ll want to play with positioning to create interest. Consistency is key when creating your feed, however, you don’t want it to look too cookie cutter. If your client/model is comfortable, direct them by asking them to strike different poses! This can be fun for both of you, making them feel beautiful and actually create rapport between you two!
  • Post consistently and often! While oversharing can lead to unfollows, the more consistently you post the better. When posting you’ll want to be mindful of geolocations, tagging, and hashtags within your posts. Find trending hashtags and use ones that are relevant to the photo you are posting and what clients may be searching for.

Be careful with what you post:

Along with over posting the last thing you want to do is overshare. Do not use social media as an area to complain about clients or put down other stylists’ work. Even if you think no one will see it, everything is searchable these days and will be found sooner or later!

If you work with a brand or you are an ambassador you should also be mindful about what you put on social media. You don’t want to post overly personal things like your wild night out on the town. If anything, we suggest keeping business and personal profiles separate to maintain professionalism.  

Know your audience:

If there is anything that we’ve learned it is that like attracts like. Just as you have attracted your clients over the years, you’ll be doing the same through an online presence. They are your biggest cheerleaders so be sure to highlight them in their best light and interact with them accordingly. Show off your work in your best light and don’t ever try to emulate something that you’re not – be your own individual!

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest are the main social media platforms to think about, with Facebook and Instagram being the most common to utilise. Find one that works best for you and that you can manage on the daily!

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!