Your Instagram Account:  How to Turn Viewers into Potential Clients

If you are a user of Instagram, no doubt you will be following Instagram accounts that are absolutely ROCKING it!

I’m not talking about other salon Instagram accounts, I’m talking about the brands and celebrities YOU love and the businesses you’ve found whilst trolling online.

There is something about their posts that ‘just works’ and upon viewing their home pages, it feels like they have their own online magazine. You LOVE these pages and everything they post resonates directly with YOU.

So what are they doing right? Why are so many people following these accounts and engaging with every photo or video they post? These are the accounts with 1000s of followers and great imagery accompanied by quirky captions.

But there is something more that’s enticing you to follow….  These are the accounts that are talking directly to your ‘want’. They are NOT selling their product or service, but rather selling a lifestyle, experience or emotion that you connect with.  All of these accounts have something that your heart craves. 

As a salon, you have the capacity to create the same ‘want’ in your posts via the way you showcase your craft.

“But I’m already uploading photos of my work!” I hear you say. True. But are you showcasing your craft in a way that is only appreciated by another hairdresser? 

I find that a lot of salon Instagram accounts are followed by other hairdressers and NOT by their ideal client. Many posts I see uploaded to Instagram focus too much on the hair, particularly the back of the head, which does not connect directly with the ideal viewer. I am not seeing or feeling a ‘lifestyle, experience or emotion’ in these posts. 

I want you to step into the mindset of your ideal client… ME!

As one of your potential clients, I want you to sell me the feeling I have when I walk down the street after a hair appointment – the feeling of CONFIDENCE. I don’t feel that feeling of confidence by viewing the back of someone’s head.

Let’s take it one step further….

I am your client sitting in your salon chair. I’m not feeling confidence when you take a photo of me whilst seated in the chair with a cape on. 

You need to capture the moment of confidence as I’m leaving the salon. 

When you remove the cape, I start to see how my new hairdo relates to my body, my skin and my clothes. As I stand up, I start to feel different. I touch my hair. It feels smooth and silky. I can see myself in all the mirrors and I start to absorb what I see. Confidence starts to creep in. I start to smile as I slowly embrace my new hairdo.  THIS is the moment you need to take your photo or video.

You need to capture:

1. My smile

2. My posture

3. My body from the waist up with my new hairdo or My body in full view with my new hairdo

Seeing a photo/video of someone’s body in full view or from the waist up gives viewers an understanding of how the hairstyle relates to the body and clothing. It allows the viewer to imagine what it would be like to have such a hairdo as they can imagine how it will look in reality. The viewer sees a client who is happy and confident. The viewer connects with that feeling.

Over a period of time, the viewer will want what the salon can ultimately give. CONFIDENCE.  Something deeper than just the hairdo. The viewer is now one of your potential clients. 

Please note that the perfect photo will also require great lighting, a clean lense on your camera (or mobile phone), good positioning and an uncluttered background. 

Once you have captured your photo or video, do not upload to social media immediately.  It’s easy to fall into the trap of wanting to share on Instagram within moments of capturing your masterpiece. It’s important to resist. Unless you are uploading your post to Instagram STORIES, than save the photo/video and create a library of posts that you can slowly feed out to Instagram strategically over the months ahead.

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