There are many social media platforms out there for small businesses to use, but when it comes to selling through images - Instagram trumps them all.
This is why businesses in the beauty industry, including salons, spas, beauticians or those that sell cosmetics and skincare products should use Instagram - it's all about the visuals.
The network has around 500 million daily active users, and 62.7% of its global audience are between 18-34 years old. In terms of user activity, 70% of shopping enthusiasts report using the app for product discovery.
Considering those facts, Instagram can be very profitable for B2C businesses (82% of B2C marketers are already using it), especially those that use high-quality photos and visuals to attract leads and drive conversions. Instagram has recently re-designed their mobile application to be more shopping focused than ever before, making it easier to advertise and sell products without needing customers to navigate to a website storefront.
You may have already set up Instagram for your business and followed some people, clients or brands. But how do you grow your page? Here are 5 ways to use Instagram for your salon.
1. First and foremost
The number one rule of having an Instagram page is that you produce high quality content. Instagram is about beautiful images and aesthetically pleasing visuals. Take your time to beautifully photograph your product or service so that the end result is something eye catching. People go to Instagram to see carefully curated content items presented in an aesthetically pleasing way. Think carefully about what you want your grid to look like and go from there. There are plenty of online tips and resources to help you. Here is just one article that will help you create a beautiful feed. 2. Make sure you're a Business Account Instagram has two modes - one for personal profiles and one for businesses. As a business, you want to make sure you're on business mode and can make use of all the functionality this mode offers. As a Business Account, you will be able to see insights that will help you understand your audience and who is engaging with you on Instagram. You can also check your dashboard and track your performance, access and discover professional tools and explore educational information curated by Instagram. To set up a Business Account. Follow these steps:- Go to your profile and tap
in the top right-hand corner.
- Tap
Settings.
- For some accounts, the Switch to professional account option will be listed directly under
- Tap Account.
- Tap Switch to professional account.
- Tap Continue.
- Select a category for your business and tap Done.
- Tap OK to confirm.
- Tap Business.
- Tap Next.
- Add contact details and tap Next. Or tap Don't use my contact info to skip this step.
- If you'd like, you can follow the steps to connect your business account to a Facebook Page associated with your business. This step is optional, and will make it easier to use all of the features available for businesses across the Facebook family of apps. At this time, only one Facebook Page can be connected to your business account.
- Tap X in the top-right corner to return to your profile.
3. Boost your posts with an ad
Instagram allows your to pay for your posts to appear on people's feeds without them having to follow you. A beautiful post might entice them to follow your page or buy your product or service. What's great about Instagram ads is that it allows you to target specific audiences. Is your main clientele a certain age group and demographic? This function allows you to reach them specifically You can also set your ad to run a certain amount of time according to your budget.
