Building a Brand on Instagram

Posted on July 22, 2020
Sola Salon Studios

Are you utilizing Instagram to build your brand? Instagram is a hot spot for beauty professionals because it’s such a visual platform that lends itself to showcasing your talent with the snap of a photo. But it’s more than just a picture - it’s about knowing your audience, telling your story, and building a brand that represents you and your amazing services!

Where To Take Your Photos 📸

Whether it’s inside your studio or outside of the salon, it’s important to stay consistent with the location you take your after shots. If you take the majority of your photos inside, it’s a good idea to use a backdrop for a photo station. This helps create a consistent look within your feed and establish brand recognition from your followers. Shelbie Donoho, co-owner of Meraki Salon and Co., has had her clients connect over getting their hair done at the same place, all because one of them shared a photo, and the other recognized the backdrop!

(@merakisalonandco)

If you take most of your photos outside, Katie Oakes, owner of Hair by Katie Oakes, recommends bringing a poster board to help with over-exposure. Bianca Margolis, owner of B. Rose Studio, also prefers to take her clients’ photos outside - specifically on the white brick wall outside of her salon. But what happens when you have a client in the evening, and it’s too dark to take an outside photo of that masterpiece? Bianca offers her clients a percentage off their next service if they come back the next day for a photo op...Pure brilliance!

Carlisha Duffey Nunnally, owner of SG Natural Hair Studio, does something similar to capture her works of art. She offers “Model Mondays” once a month to invite clients back to her studio (or a designated place) to have a photoshoot! Carlisha then builds up her gallery to post throughout the entire month.

(@sgnaturalhairstudio)

Creating an Instagram Aesthetic

The most important part of creating an Instagram aesthetic is keeping your photos cohesive. 2019 Faces of Sola, Kelsey Morris alternates where she takes photos. - she has three favorite spots and then uses a planning app to alternate her posts to create a more eye-catching Instagram feed.

An easy way to create an Instagram aesthetic is to stick to a color or a theme. Bianca’s color theme is pink, and when she alternates non-hair posts, she uses a pink overlay to create a rose feel to her IG feed, which also matches the branding inside her studio.

(@b.rosestudio)

Personal vs. Professional Content

It can be hard to know what kind of content to post on your professional Instagram account. A good idea is to have two accounts - one personal, where you can post photos with friends, life updates, etc. and one professional, where you have posts dedicated to promoting your business and showcasing your work. That way you don’t feel obligated to post a little bit of everything on one profile.

It is important to make sure that your professional account does show a little bit of you, though! People want to see the face behind the brand. Morgan Abernathy, owner of Studio Chaos, says that in the first 9 photos people see on your Instagram, you should have a photo of yourself, that way people know who you are! An easy way to do this is to add facts about yourself on selfies.