Remember back in March of 2016 when Instagram took away our chronological feed and put an algorithm in place. Tears were shed, we screamed profanities, swore we were going to protest and then life went on. There is no doubt that it changed the way stylists are building on the platform, but man, it still totally works.
Flash forward to August and Instagram gave us a beautiful little gift called Insta-Stories. The best part about Insta-Stories is it’s brand new and, let me tell you, the time to embrace it is NOW. I’ve always believed in jumping into all new platforms head first and giving them a shot. You never know what the next big thing is going to be, but it’s a lot harder to break into a social media platform that has already taken off than to become special on one that is brand new.
You guys have heard me say before that Instagram is a polished portfolio of your work. No pictures of cats, pictures of cups of coffee, it really shouldn’t be very personal at all. Insta-Stories is where you get to infuse personality into the platform. Our clients want to make an emotional connection with us and this is where we can make that happen.
Today I want to share with you four tips that can take your Instagram experience to the next level using your Insta-story
#1 Your Instagram feed is a portfolio. Your Instagram story is an experience-
We are in an industry where the emotional connection is everything. You can do gorgeous hair, but if a client doesn’t love their experience with you, they won’t be coming back. With Instagram stories you need to be showing less of your finished work and more of you. A client can look to your feed if they want to see your work, they are on your story to see you.
#2 Video is king-
It’s not breaking news that video is taking over our lives right now. While you can post still photos on Insta-stories, video is getting more engagement and builds a more powerful connection. Feel free to mix in still photos, but this is your chance to embrace the fact that video is taking over social media.
#3 Don’t be afraid to get a little personal-
Your Instagram feed should have little to no personal pictures. No photos of last nights dinner, no behind the scenes, no cups of coffee. There are some rare exceptions but it should be 90% focused on building an online brochure of your business. With Insta stories, a client wants to see the amazing vegan meal you made or maybe even watch how you formulate & apply color. Save the still photos of finished work for your feed.
#4 It’s called Insta-Story for a reason-
The most successful stylists are using this to truly tell a story. My favorite stories from stylists have shown a full video of the client before the service, mixing in the lab, applying the color, blowdrying, the final result. A real story. The trick here is to make it look good. Hair processing can look good or look like a mess. Lighting, clean applications and a tidy workspace is crucial here.
#5 Add value-
An Instastory that shows just the behind the scenes of your life will be totally enjoyable for your current clients or followers, but new clients won’t necessarily be interested in that part of your life yet. Instead, show things that new clients might like too. A video tutorial on how to style bags, how do create different curls with different irons and techniques. That’s value for a viewer.
If you don’t already, be sure you follow me @brittseva on Instagram so you can check out my story and I can’t wait to see yours!
