Instagram for beauty businesses

Instagram for beauty businesses

With over 20 million active monthly users, and 20 billion photos being shared on the platform, Instagram is becoming a top social media site. At just four years old, Instagram is one of the newest social media sites and has a big beauty following. It's certainly worth including it into your marketing plan.


What is Instagram? 

 

Instagram is a photo sharing site that allows you to capture. edit and share images with your followers, and anyone searching for images like yours.

 

Through Instagram you can build a collection of images using photo editing software to make them stand out, enabling you to create professional looking images in moments. You need to use hashtags (#) to increase your post reach and build followers.

 

Follow other accounts to draw inspiration, as well as comment on and like photos. As with other social media members will get a newsfeed: your photos that you choose to post will appear on your followers' newsfeeds and you will then see photos from accounts you follow on your newsfeed.

 

Link your account to your website or other social media accounts to help expand your following on all social media platforms and drive traffic to your website. Instagram photos are easily share-able on Facebook, Twitter, Tumbler and Flickr.

 

Building your Instagram 

 

How to start: 

 

  • Download the Instagram app from the app store
  • Sign up for a free account 
  • Create a user name, use the name of your business to keep things nice and simple 
  • Find accounts, check out the top beauty accounts to follow or find your own by typing something like 'beauty', 'make up' or 'hair' in the search bar
  • Post your first photo: click the camera button and snap something, your salon, a treatment, new nail art etc, edit it, upload and add suitable hashtags. 

 

*You can sign up to Instagram online but it is only available to use an app. For this you will need a smart phone, 

 

 

What to post: 

 

  • Inspirational posts, beauty looks you love, tips and hints, advice etc
  • Anything newsworthy surrounding your business, new treatments, new products, anything revolutionary. This doesn't just have to be within your business; post anything about any movements in the industry
  • Daily activity in your business. Get staff and clients involved, take pictures of treatments being carried out, before and after pictures are effective on Instagram
  • Comment on other people's posts, search for beauty posts in your area
  • Remember to keep consistency and post regularly 

 

 

Make the most of hashtags

 

 

According to Instagram, more than 700,000 thousand pictures have the hashtag #photo, it's unlikely most of them will be found. Your hashtags need to be relevant to the audience you are aiming to attract. You can start with a general hashtag, e.g. beauty; then refine it to 'nails' before finally selecting 'nail art' as a hashtag. Keep an eye on what response you are getting from each hashtag you use. 

 

Create a hashtag for your customers and re-post their photos, respond to comments and even create photo competitions. 

 
 
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