Instagram For Your Beauty Business

Instagram is one of the best social media platforms you can be on as a future stylist who’s building a book of business. Building an Instagram account is like having a mini-blog. It combines the visuals of Pinterest with the content of Facebook. It’s an easy place to engage and connect with an audience. With more than 400 million users, the opportunities it’s opened for those in a service-based industry are huge.

Ready to use Instagram to find new clients and build your future business? Let’s get started!

Account Setup

Advantages of a Business Account

It’s likely you already have a personal account on Instagram. However, if your goal is to use Instagram to find clients and let people know that you’re offering a service, you’ll want to set up a business account. There are advantages to having a business account that you can’t get using a personal account.

For example, having a business account gives people an easy way to contact you, with various buttons like ‘call’ or ‘email’. It’s a great way for people to get in touch with you as quickly as possible so that you can answer their questions and hopefully set up an appointment. People can still message you directly if they follow you, which is also an option that’s available if you choose to keep your personal account.

Professional Tools and Features

Another feature that comes with a business account is a chance to learn more about the people who follow you or are interested in your services/industry. This is done through insights and can only be accessed if you have a business or creator account.

You can get to this area by going to your profile and clicking on the bars that appear to the right of your account name This area will give you information about the demographics of the people who follow you. It offers things like their age, location, and gender.

You’ll also be able to see the number of times your post was seen on Instagram, how people are engaging with your content, and which of your posts are the most popular. Another helpful analytics feature is the one that shows the days and times your followers are actually on Instagram. You can use this information to help you determine when you should be posting on your account.

A business Instagram account also provides access to the new professional dashboard, which was rolled out in early 2021. This new feature allows users to track their performance, grow their business, and stay informed about what’s new in the social media world.

With a business account, you can also promote your post directly from Instagram. You can use these features as an easy way to advertise your personal brand and get content in front of the right people!

Separating Your Personal and Business Accounts

Now that you know the advantages of a business account, it’s time to make some choices!

• Are you going to convert your personal account to a business account or you going to create an entirely new account just for your work?

Business profiles can’t be set to private, so this is a good reason for separating your personal account and your stylist account. You can keep your personal account private but your business profile can focus on your work and content that you want to be public.

If you choose to convert your personal account to a business account, as of right now, you can easily switch back. Keep in mind that it may not be that way forever. Let’s talk about how to convert a personal account over to a business account.

Creating Your Profile

To convert to a business profile on Instagram, first go to your profile and tap on settings. Then find the area that says switch to the business profile. You’ll need to select a Facebook page that you’d like to associate with your business profile on Instagram. You do have to have a Facebook page to connect the account.

• Make sure that again that your profile is set to public, as private accounts can’t be switched to business accounts. Then on the set up of your business profile page, review your contact information, make any changes, and tap ‘done’.
• If you decide to create an entirely new account for your stylist account, you’ll need a separate email address from the one that is linked to your personal account. However, you can connect the two accounts so that you’re signed into one but can easily switch to the other.
• If you don’t already have a business Facebook page, you will need to set that up. This is because the business information from your Facebook page is automatically pulled over to your Instagram business profile. You can edit this information after you connect the account.

Handles and Bios

Now that you have your business account, we need to consider some other fundamental information about your account: Your username and bio.

Username/Handle Tips

Also known as your handle, your Instagram username is the thing with @ in front of it! When it comes to creating a username, it should be something unique that’s also simple and memorable. If you have a common first and last name, it may be best to give someone your username versus your actual name.

We’ve seen things like @hairbyamy or @beautybyjessica have a lot of success because they’re easy to remember and immediately tell you what service that individual is offering. After you pick your username, do a practice search to see if the account is easy to find. If it’s not, you may want to consider a different name that’s more search-friendly.

Bio Tips

Now, let’s talk bio. A lot of people find writing about themselves surprisingly hard. So here are some tips to keep in mind as you write your Instagram bio!

• Why do you do what you do?
• Why did you want to be a stylist in the first place?
• What drives and motivates you to be in this business?
• What are you most passionate about in the beauty industry?

Think about the words that people are looking for to let them know you’re the right candidate for the job. If you specialize in bridal hair and makeup, use words like brides, weddings, and wedding-related emojis in your body.

With a business account, there will be buttons that allow someone to call, email, or direct message you. However, you may also want to give people a number to text. Make sure that it’s obvious and easy to get a hold of you. You also have one link that can be posted in your bio. If people click that link, where is the most helpful place for them to go? Maybe it’s your YouTube channel or your blog. Send them to another place where they can get in contact with you easily.

Keep it Fun!

Many people also have a specific hashtag that they use for their work and invite their clients to use it in their bio. This is a great branding tool because if somebody clicks on the tag, they should see your work specifically. To do this, just come up with a hashtag that is short, sweet, memorable, and easy to type. Many people simply turn their username into a hashtag!

Finally, a bio shouldn’t feel overly formal, but it should also explain what your business is and what services you offer. It can include details about your personality while also explaining what you do. Use emojis and have fun with your bio!

Want even more tips on creating a great bio? Check out our course “Instagram for Your Beauty Business”!

Photo Guidelines

Instagram is a visual platform and what they say is true– a picture is worth a thousand words. Your pictures are your best bet for getting someone to check out more of your posts and start exploring your feed. Let’s talk about the best practices you should follow for pictures on Instagram!

• Less is more: Pictures that do well on Instagram are brightly lit and have a minimalist feel. Watch out for harsh or unnatural lighting like fluorescent lights. A great way to manage this is by taking your picture with the subject facing the natural light from a window. You can also use the Instagram editing tool, which has a specific brightening area to lighten up your photos.
• Use cool tones: Cool tones are always the way to go on Instagram. It’s been proven that photos with a cooler feeling (blues and whites) do better on Instagram than photos with warm tones like red or orange.
• Pick a dominant color: Regardless of which color, photos with one dominant color always do better than a photo with many colors.
• Make sure it’s high-quality: Luckily for us, most smartphones have a pretty solid camera these days. Work on getting photos that are in-focus and look and feel right. Take your time to snap things a few different times to get the best shot.
• Use filters sparingly: Don’t go crazy with the filters. Keep things looking real and natural. If you do want to use a filter, keep it consistent. Be careful not to misrepresent your work by using filters to enhance your abilities. This may lead to some disappointed guests!
• Think about composition: What kind of photos do you enjoy looking at? Chances are they’re well-composed and intentionally utilize space. No one eats a perfectly laid out breakfast with avocado toast, a cup of coffee, and a succulent perfectly arranged. Instagram is a creative platform. Take the time to get a little artsy and experiment with your layout!

Caption Tips

Instagram has a character limit of 2200, which gives you quite a bit of room to play with. You can also use up to 30 hashtags. This is where that blogging aspect of Instagram comes in. Depending on the photo you’re sharing, a caption can be short and sweet, or longer and more like a mini blog post. If what you’re sharing is interesting and genuine, people will read and engage with it.

There are three types of captions to keep in mind:

• Aspirational- Show potential clients the skin or hair they could achieve with your help. How can you help them feel their best?
• Educational- Add value to people’s lives without asking for anything in return. It’s helpful information that isn’t a sales pitch.
• Informational- Explain why your services are important to someone’s life. Why should they spend expendable income on what you’re offering?

Hashtags

Love them or hate them, hashtags remain a key player on Instagram when it comes to engagement and outreach. Here are some quick tips!

• Use hashtags as often as possible! Keep them consistent throughout your posts if you can.
• You can use up to 30 hashtags, but you don’t have to use that many. Make sure your hashtags are relevant or your post will look spammy.
• You can include hashtags in the caption or in the first comment of your post. Keep in mind that by placing them in your caption, you’ll instantly benefit from the extra engagement. But if you prefer a tidier caption, go ahead and put your hashtags in the first comment.

Learn even more about effective hashtag use with our course “Instagram for Your Beauty Business”! Sign up here.

When to Post

Once your account is optimized and you have great content ready to go, it’s time to post it. Which leads to a frequently asked question: What time/how often should I be posting on Instagram?

Depending on your time zone, it tends to be early in the morning or late at night. It’s best to start with early morning or night and then experiment with different days and times to see what happens. Take note of what seems to work best for you.

As far as posting frequency goes, you should be posting at least once a day, but you can work on building up to that. Maybe you start with three times a week and build up to posting daily. It’s more important to focus on the quality of your post and overall look on Instagram. Don’t rush it and create something that doesn’t accurately reflect what you’re trying to build!

Dive Further Into Instagram With Beauty As a Business!

Are you ready to take your beauty business account to the next level? Sign up for our course “Instagram for Your Beauty Business” In this course, we’ll take a deeper dive into hashtags, engagement, insights, stories, and much more.

To get the latest social media tips and tricks for beauty professionals, you can find us on Instagram @beautyasabiz!