It’s hard to do anything without hearing the term social media. As a bridal hair and makeup artist, social media can be a great tool to showcase you and your services in front of potential brides but, many people get overwhelmed with exactly how to do that. 

It’s easy to get sucked into the idea of trending virally, so you’re doing the dances, and posting the trends but you aren’t booking any more brides. When you put that effort in and get no results, it can make the task of social media seem overwhelming. But the reality is that as a small business owner that strategy isn’t going to work for you. You are a bridal hair and makeup artist, not a social media influencer. The strategy for how they grow their business is going to be very different than yours, like comparing apples to oranges. You must use a blueprint that works for your business, not theirs. 

To make sites like Instagram work for you, there are a few things you need to understand: 

Understand your bride 

Who is your dream bride? What is her target age range? Where is your target area? How does she use Instagram to find her vendors? Once you figure out what your target audience likes, that’s where you need to focus your efforts. By knowing what they will respond to, you know what actions you need to take to move your business forward and increase your bookings. 

So how do you figure all of this out? You need to be reading and understanding your insights, and this only happens by understanding how each feature works. For example, what is the purpose of stories? What do they do for your business? These are key features that once you understand how to use, you can choose how they will incorporate into your business. 

Don’t force your content 

One thing that’s consistently said about social media is that people are unsure what to post. The best advice for this is - stop trying to force things. When you are creating authentic content that resonates - that is what’s going to the most successful for you. You don’t want to try and force a reaction from your audience. You need to change your expectations to what is realistic – how many people can you realistically book in a year? Is Instagram your only marketing? It shouldn’t be – it should just be one piece of the puzzle that helps your business if you use it properly. 

Be realistic with your time 

How much time do you really want to spend on social media or Instagram? Do most people find you on social media, or is another avenue more effective? One thing you should be doing is asking your clients how they found you. This is going to be one of the most effective ways to gauge where your marketing is working. Was it a vendor referral, a review site, your website, or somewhere else? Was Instagram the first place they saw you or the last? When you know where Instagram falls on that scale, then you can make an informed decision on how much time you think you need to spend on it.  Remember, your time is money, and when you spend it in one place rather than another if it’s not working for you your wasting money. 

Consistency is more important than frequency 

While you may think you need to post three times a day to be successful on Instagram, that’s not always the case. What you really need to do I be consistent in posting. Stops and spurts aren’t going to garner your audience’s interest. The algorithms won’t keep your reach consistent if you have an erratic posting schedule. Being consistent lets your audience know when to expect new content from you, even if it isn’t every day.  Consistency is more important than frequency, and value is more important than filler. 

Episode 33 – Social Media Overwhelm 

Want more insight?  Listen to the full episode on your favorite podcast player!
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Take advantage of tools 

You may be thinking you don’t have the time to always post on social media consistently. Thankfully, there is an app for that! Apps like Planoly or Hoot Suite do the work for you. With these tools available, you can create posts to pre-publish to your accounts for you – when it’s convenient for you. With such busy schedules, setting a time three days a week to post on Instagram isn’t realistic for everyone. Use the tools that are available to make your job easier. 

Social media is to be social 

The last, and maybe most important thing to remember about social media is – it’s supposed to be social. It’s to have conversations and build a relationship between your brand your customers. While the relationship may start out with you getting more eyes on your work, what’s ultimately going to turn those viewers into clients is by starting conversations. Let them get to know you, build the brand trust, and you’re going to have a much better success rate of growing your business. 

What's Next?

Check out my 30 Day Instagram Challenge and Revamp your Instagram in less than 10 minutes a day to see higher engagement!