Showing Up Authentically on Instagram

Showing up authentically on Instgram is a must now-a-days! It may seem overwhelming, but here are 3 ways you can bring-it on the gram! Special thank you to Kelli Mason from Limitless Hairdresser for providing us with this guest blog post!! -Paula Henson

I mean, if we are being really honest here, were any of us really prepared for instagram to take over our lives like it has?  I’m 32 and I remember when I was handing out business cards on my lunch break to try and fill my books.  Now we simply snap a pic, make captions, and send up a prayer to the hair gods that they deliver us a perfectly packaged clientele.

Sounds simple and to be honest it’s just that easy if you want to attract just a ton of butts in chairs.  But what if those people who were in your chair liked the same lifestyle as you, had children your kids age, or were into the same kind of music?

Wouldn’t that be so much more fun for the “long game”?  By that, I mean those clients are your ride or die.  They cheer you on when you raise you prices and they engage with you on your social media because they just can’t get enough of your good vibes.  What a better way to beat the algorithm than with authenticity!

Here are 3 tips to help you shine and connect while your perfect people are shopping for a hairdresser.

Showing up authentically on Instagram!

1) Create your core values

The number one thing aside from some sweet balayage that a client is looking for is common beliefs.  You don’t want to be attracting any gossipers or negative juju sitting in your chair, do you?

Identifying what are the most important things in your life will help you write your captions!  For example, my core values are: spiritual growth, physical health, spending time with my family, and creatively being of service.

You can see it all across my brand.  One of those things is being shared in each of the posts that I make.  Because life on the internet got very saturated we have to step up our game and be very intentional.  The result is that every person in your chair will identify with at least one of those things and we can connect deeper than just talking about the weather. Think of 4-5 things outside of hair that are so important to you, write them down.

2) Key objectives

What do you want to give them?  Think of the feeling you want someone to have when they are browsing your “new business card” aka Instagram.  Empowered, joyful, inspired, curious, intrigued?  Pick a few words that you want your people to experience.  When you sit down to write something or take a photo of yourself, ask yourself, will this help them to feel _________?  Choose colors and a theme that match this.  And don’t worry, you can always change it…just stay consistent for a while instead of all over the place.

How do you want to serve?  Are you going to be showing up everyday, 3 times a week, once a week?  Consistency = trust.  If your people know what to expect they will keep coming back for more.  Take a little break, and even announce it!  But choose a pattern and stick to it.  Just like behind the chair, consistency, consistency, consistency.  That’s how you become trusted and that turns into loyalty.

3) Your presence

This is the part that most people want to run and hide from…YOUR FACE!  I don’t know about you but I’ve been at industry events where I only know people by their Instagram handle.  I want to connect, but I don’t even know what they look like.

True story.

Think of yourself shopping for a service provider…wouldn’t you want to have a sense of what to expect before you vulnerably book an appointment and go there nervous?  Before there was social media marketing, there were websites.  I built a large portion of my clientele based off of the fact that people liked seeing my smiling face on the website!  It matters that you show up.  Even if it’s just once a week.  You need to be seen.

Connecting through physical form is incredibly important.  So shine on friend, shine on!  Before I hired a photographer (which I trade her hair services!! I don’t even pay her.  This is sooooo easy to do, find one! Make some deals.)  I set up a good ol’ ring light and the timer on my phone.  It worked.  It worked like a charm.  Get over your fear, you are beautiful, so you need to be seen.  You deserve to be seen.

I hope these few quick tips help you launch your personal story and beautiful energy into the web!  Check out some of the ways I can serve you down below.  I would love to connect on Instagram (don’t be shy, come say hi!)  If you are seeking a deeper guidance on how to become more empowered and truly take ownership of your limitless possibilities, come check out my membership community, The Limitless Collective or our Limitless Hairdresser 40 episode educational podcast!

Shine bright!

Love & light,

Kelli Mason

@limitlesshairdresser is my business offering to the beauty industry

@_kellimason_ is where you can find me jammin out all of these fun tips I just shared!

https://www.limitlesshairdresser.com/limitless-collective  (membership)

https://www.kellimason.com/podcast (podcast)

www.limitlesshairdresser.com

For more education visit: https://coolbeautyconsulting.com/events/