When it comes to promoting your work and posting to social media, we all know some of the best practices and reason to do so. If you need a refresher – start here.
What you might not be aware of – there is yet another reason to take pictures of your clients and post them of your social media accounts – it makes your clients feel special! Recently, one of my best friends had her hair cut by a celebrity stylist. I tagged along out of sheer interest. While watching them work was highly inspirational, it left me with a take away you might not always think about.
This particular stylist was fun to watch behind the chair because of his unique ability to wield shears effortlessly and in the geometric way he cut shapes into the hair. The real magic appeared when he was done. After finishing the look, each girl that left the chair was on top of the world. This is when they were whisked outside to have a mini photoshoot with the stylists’ assistants. They set her up in front of a backdrop – a light reflector that was flipped to a white background or black background based on the clients’ hair color. Then, the assistant proceeded to perfect the look, tousling the locks and clicking away with a DSLR.
Aside from the fact that I was amazed at how far photo skills have come since I was working in the salon, I realized that this was a life-changing experience for the clients as well. It was their moment to be a star, to feel like a million bucks after their cut and leave eagerly awaiting their moment to shine on their stylists’ Instagram page.
Now, I know that it might not be possible for you to invest in photo equipment or a high-quality camera, the same set up can be created at any budget. No assistant? That’s ok! You can easily recreate this finishing moment with an iPhone and a solid colored wall with good lighting. Even if you aren’t the best at photography, it is easy to upgrade your imagery with a few apps (we love VSCO or Facetune).
More than just creating solid content for your social media, the important part lies in making your client feel special. They are more likely to follow, like and comment on your social media (helping you beat the algorithm) and keep coming back time after time!
