When I first joined Instagram, it wasn’t to build a clientele—it was simply to share my hair art and express my passion. I had no strategy, just creativity. But the response was incredible. Over time, what started as a personal outlet turned into a powerful platform that helped grow my brand and connect me with clients around the world. Years later, with over half a million followers, I can confidently say: Instagram has been the most impactful tool in my marketing journey.
Here are five Instagram insights:
1) Take advantage of Instagram's visual platform. Hair is a visual art, and you need to display your art for others to admire. Instagram is the perfect application to showcase your skills for any field in the beauty industry (not just hair). If you are a nail stylist, aesthetician, brow specialist, etc. share your best work! In my opinion, it only takes 5-10 seconds for someone to see your pictures and decide if they want to follow you.
2) Make an effort to post pictures of every client. To piggy back off the first bullet point, you have to post your everyday work to have a page that always looks appealing to the eye. I use various angles to implement white space. For instance, I take a few shots of each angle and make sure the photo is good quality with great lighting against a wall that way there are no distractions in the background and followers can fully focus on the hair. My two personal favorite photo apps to use are Afterlight and PicFrame.
3) Post consistently and use relevant hashtags. Consistency is key to growing a large community. If you don't post daily, people will forget you. The great thing about Instagram is that you can search any hashtag to find what you are looking for. Also, the explore feed is great to find unique photos that spark your interest.
4) Offer tips but don't give away formulas. People often ask why I don't share my formulas. Honestly, it wouldn't matter if I did, because most likely it won't come out the exact same because everyone's hair is different. You need to tailor the formula to your client's hair type. Instead of sharing formulas, I share "Hair Tip Monday" (#LarisaLoveHairTips) and give away my tips & tricks here & there. This tactic encourages your followers to interact with your posts and it gives them a reason to check back.
5) Ignore haters. If you are good at what you do, you're bound to have haters. I never respond to negative feedback. In the beginning, it used to bother me a lot, but now I try my best to not pay attention to negative people because at the end of the day, they don't know the real me. Remind yourself to stay positive and to not over-com