Ask the expert: How can I best use Instagram to promote my business?
From discussions with my fellow professionals, I have found that we all seem to have the same concern with social media, and that is how and when to use it.
I now have the philosophy "It's work in progress". We learn what works, and what doesn't, through experience of posting. Instagram has become an integral part of how our business presents itself to our end consumer and it has become the best way of us promoting ourselves in business. The first thing we really looked at with our Instagram page was the quality of pictures, we then went out and bought a salon phone that had amazing resolution.
The second thing we looked at was the background for our pictures, we found taking photos at a consistent place in the salon looked better on our page. For before and after pictures, using the 'portrait' feature on your camera definitly gives the best looking images that focus completely on the hair and nothing else. Always ensure balance when centuring the image, make sure you don't cutt off the top of the head or the base of the hair. Your before picture should also be as important as the after image because the client can relate to it more.
When taking your after shot, its important ro have the right natural light especially if your wanting to show colour off. We invested in a light ring that comes in handy in the evening time, when you lose natural light.
Make sure the hair has balance with your styling on your after pic and all the baby fine hairs are smoothed out, as it is the finer details that will change an oridinary look into something very polished and sharp looking.
Never filter your after pictures, it gives the end consumer an unrealistic perspective on what is possible with your colouring tools.
Finally, when posting your before and after shots, always place your before picture first because when you move it down the psage, it looks much nicer when you scroll.
Written by Kelly Cyndowski, salon owner and creative director of award-winning Salon Ink, Dubai.
