You may think of Instagram as a place to share pretty pictures of your lunch, your cat, your kids, ect., and you're absolutely right - but used properly, Instagram can be your MOST powerful business tool!
So how do you do it?
Step 1. Make a SEPARATE account for your life and your business.
People absolutely will like to see 'lifestyle' shots, and get to know the real you so that's not to say that you have to be a mystery - but what it DOES mean, is that if you're hoping to promote your business well, you need to show off your work. Remember that every click to your profile is a potential client, so make sure your posts are relevant, as well as eye-catching.
Step 2. Curate Your Feed
Curate is a fancy word for 'put together something cool'. It has to be on brand for you, it has to showcase your work for everyone who clicks through, and it has to convey all the talent you have in eyelash extensions!
- Get an app like Planoly which will help you to organise your feed and rearrange it before you post it, so you know for sure it looks cool!
- Pick a single colour to have as your brand colour - consider colours like pink, red, purple, green etc. which will break up your black and white posts, but still give you a strong brand image.
- Alternate between eyelash pictures, before and afters, educational content, and some of the most lifestyle type shots. Anything you post should be a reflection of you and your business! If you do classic lashes, show them your classic lashes before and after, if you offer hybrid lashes, show them, if you offer Russian Volume lashes, post lovely close up photos of them - you can even do comparison posts so they understand the difference between classic lashes and volume extensions, what is Russian Volume vs Hybrid Lashes? Show them how to clean eyelash extensions for the best retention.
- Show your clients the products you use - let them know you're using the best lash products, the best Russian volume lashes, the best eyelash extensions cleanser and primer, the best tweezers for eyelash extensions - build your client's confidence in YOU!
- Keep it pretty. This might sound easy enough - you're posting lashes after all - but make sure your photos are bright, high quality, and clear so your clients can see exactly what to expect!
- Instagram's algorithms change week by week - at the moment 'saving' posts and sharing them in stories make your post rank higher than simple likes or comments, so make sure you're posting things that your clients will save and share, such as aftercare advice, how to make their extensions last longer at home, etc.
Step 3. Growing Your Fan Base
This is going to follow on from the above in many ways, but the main way you can do this is to use hashtags to your advantage. Using tags like #tbt #sundayafternoon #girlboss is all so well and good for getting a few likes from random people outside of your follower list, but those are saturated tags, meaning they move super fast and you'll get buried. Plus, they're just not relevant. You want to use tags such as #eyelashextensionsessex #russianvolumebirmingham #classiclashesmanchester - tailor it to your place of business, make it clear that you're offering eyelash extensions, and the likes and clients will come to you!
What do you think? Share your top tips in the comments below!
Lots of love,
LLP x