Is your professional hair Instagram on the same profile as your personal account? Do you try to post consistent hair pictures but you can’t seem to get the traction you’re looking for?

You’ve probably heard to post consistently. But did you know posting quality content is more important than the frequency in which you share? And if you currently have only one Instagram profile that you’re using for both personal and professional use, we’ll need to make a change, stat!

Follow these easy steps to create an exclusive, professional hair Instagram and learn how to create content of true quality that’ll make everyone want to come see you for their next new ‘do!

Set up your Instagram as a business profile.

Treat it like your own mini-website

(separate from your personal account).
Simply go to Settings and click “Switch to Professional Account”. This way, you can get access to insights about your account performance, follower habits, and publicly share contact options on your profile bio so potential clients know where they can reach you.

Insights on Instagram allow you to filter your posts in order to see what received the most engagement, reach, impressions, shares, follows, and more. It even provides information about your followers and what times/days they are most active on your profile.

This way, you can begin to analyze what types of posts perform the best and get a better understanding of what your audience is responding to, as well as what kind of content isn’t moving the needle. For example, if all of your drastic client haircut pictures all receive more engagement and reach than updos, you can assume that your audience really loves transformation content.

Provide quality content.

Imagine a profile that shares content 5x a week, but their photos are… well, bad. Some are blurry, you can see their messy station in the background, they overuse filters, their captions have grammar errors, and there’s no consistency.

Now imagine a profile who shares content only 3x a week, but their posts are amazing. You can’t help but like and comment on all of their pictures, you love the diversity in their hair shares, the photos are all on consistent backgrounds, and you’re so inspired by their page that they’re on your list of people that make you think, I wish my professional profile was like theirs.

It’s better to post less frequently and have an inspiring, mesmerizing profile that wins you new clients than to post as often as possible with completely sub-par content. So, what’s it really mean to have quality content?

There are a few sure-fire ways to make your content stand out for your work, skills, personality, and professionalism.

A clean background.

Taking pictures at your station? Make sure you’ve cleaned it up: no products splayed about and move your client’s water glass out of the way. You want to make it look as presentable as possible, as if a new client were to be starting their service. If there’s something lingering in the background, chances are your audience will fixate on that rather than your masterpiece.

Taking pictures at your station? Make sure you’ve cleaned it up: no products splayed about and move your client’s water glass out of the way. You want to make it look as presentable as possible, as if a new client were to be starting their service. If there’s something lingering in the background, chances are your audience will fixate on that rather than your masterpiece.

Rather than taking pictures at your station, we recommend designating a plain wall in your location where you can take photos. A plain wall will have nothing that distracts the viewer, allowing them to focus all of their attention on the new look you’re presenting.

Don’t just take one picture.

Not two. Not five. Take a bunch. This way, once you’re ready to share on your professional Instagram, you will end up with enough photos to choose from. You only have a few minutes between your client leaving and your next appointment starting. Make taking a number of pictures part of your regular routine with every client. Try taking pictures different ways, like:

From different distances away; try some shots closer up, some further back, and you’ll begin to see what looks best for what kinds of looks.

• Different views of the hair, such as the client from the front, back, and side. Did you cut some new, beautiful layers or add some peekaboo colors? You want your audience to see that!
• Encourage your client to do different things, like run their hands through their hair, or hold up their newly-chopped off 10-inch ponytail

You’ll quickly begin to get in touch with your own personal style, figuring out what aesthetically looks best on your page and what people respond to most. Do you get more engagement on close up photos? Action shots?

Plus, now you have a variety to pick from, rather than only having two choices and you can’t use either because they both have a reflection from your ring light. Not quality content.

Make sure your clients smile!

You want to show all of your viewers how jazzed your clients are about their new looks, and how they’ll be just as thrilled when they come to see you next.

While we typically focus on smiles, currently during COVID regulations, try having clients leave their masks on. You may not think it looks pretty, but it shows your dedication to the health and safety of your clients. Big win.

In Part 2 of Instagrowth on Instagram, find out more about how to best utilize the photos on your grid, and why stories will be the thing that sky rocket your growth to knew heights!