Social media is a great tool for reaching more people but let’s be honest it’s tough to figure out how to increase engagement especially when you’re new to the world of social media or it just feels so overwhelming to you. It’s just plain tough to figure out the right content to post that people will engage with to get likes and followers. However, if you’re a hairstylist, there are a few things you can think of doing to increase engagement on your instagram page. Here are a few ideas to help you out.

Take good quality photos of your work and post them

Quality photos are worth so much on your instagram page. There are many ways to improve the quality of your photos and here are a few: 

• Make sure your photos have good lighting when you take them. Use natural lighting or invest in a ring light. 
• Invest in a phone that has good picture quality for taking portraits
• Use clients that are willing to show their faces. Facial expressions help connect with your audience. If your client is happy with their hair and we can see it, the feeling is infectious.
• Show different angles of the hair style. The usual front view, ¾  view and side view will do.
• Check your surroundings. Photos that don’t have too much stuff in the background help us focus on the subject matter rather than everything else
• Show yourself from time to time. We like to see who’s behind the work!

Create tutorial videos

People love to watch videos and even more, they love to watch tutorial videos. Users are curious of what it takes to achieve certain hairstyles and want to see that you’re a master at it. Remember the goal is to attract people to your page and have them stay there.

Use hashtags and the right hashtags

Hashtags are like keywords. For example if you post a picture of some really cool faux locs you just did but there are no hashtags like #fauxlocs or #faulocsyourcity, it will not pop up if someone is looking for faux locs on instagram. It won't also show up in their explore page if it's related to their usual searches. You can also add general hashtags like #braider #crochetbraids #naturalhairsalon to help add more ways to get people to your page. Instagram allows a maximum of 30 hashtags so you have some room to play. 

Make use of IG live 

Get on IG live for your audience to get to know you. Talk about yourself, your salon, products you use or anything else that comes to mind. This helps you connect with them and prompt them to be reminded that you’re there. Video is not always easy because we're usually concerned of what someone on the other end thinks of us but if you get over that hump and take a chance, it will do wonders.

Do some IG lives with other folks in your space

Connect with other stylists or connect with some brands who have a large number of followers to do some IG lives with you. For example at CurleeMe, we interview our registered hairstylists on IG live to talk about who they are, what they do and also get advice from them on how we can take care of our curls. During the live session we open the floor to viewers to ask their questions. This is a good way to get some new attention from users that have not been to your instagram page. 

Post hair care tip on your page

Use tools like Canva to create hair care tip graphics or repost tips from other users and sprinkle them in your post schedule. This will help attract the right audience and serve as a filler between photos. We all need tips from time to time for hair care struggles to help make our lives easier right?

Post consistently

This one is really crucial. Figure out a schedule and post at least once a day, everyday. Instagram works better for you when they see that you are consistent in your posting.  Instagram doesn't show your posts to everyone that follows you but when you’re consistent, it can help get you in front of them and nudge them to get engaged rather than forgetting about you. Use tools like buffer to help you schedule posts ahead of time and auto post so you don’t have to do this every day.

We hope these tips will help you get some more activity on your instagram page. As a natural hairstylist directory, our goal is to get you in front of naturals out there seeking to find you! Get listed for free!