An active social media presence is a must for today’s stylists and barbers. Social media promotes you, shines the light on your skills behind the chair, and puts you right at future clients’ fingertips. But it can be more intimidating than a box blonde color correction on waist length hair. We asked two of our favorite social media heavyweights, Andis Global Educator and GIBS Grooming Education Director, Danny Amorim, aka @successaddict, and Modern Salon Top 100 Stylist, Christiana Sayyah, aka @glitter_artist, to break it down for us. Here’s 6 ways to master social, from the masters... Treat Social Like a Client: Book It! Christiana says her aha moment came when she did just that. “About a year ago I made a habit to post every day in order to build my page and grow my business. When I made posting a part of my daily routine, my social media presence increased.” “Put your posting days in your calendar and treat it like a client. If you hold yourself accountable for posting, it will become second nature,” she says. And consider adding 10 minutes at the end of every booking to capture a few snaps (keep the ring light always at the ready!) and log your notes for a future post. What formulas, stylers and methods did you use on this client? How long did you process? Any other special details? 

Take Advantage of Apps + Schedule It

Social scheduling apps do the heavy lifting for you (and even tell you best times to post!). Desktop and app programs like Later and Planoly allow you to upload pics, write captions and drop them into a visual calendar. Take advantage of hashtag suggestions, the ability to preview your grid, and save captions… that way when you caption pics #2 and #3 of that incredible color melt, all you have to do is tweak and the app pushes it to the ‘Gram for you. All this while you’re working on more hair and creating your own incredible content! “I try to post around the same time each evening. I find that if I post in the morning, it delays my day and I spend too much time on the post,” says Christiana. “Social media can be very time consuming, stressful, and addictive, so remember that you should pick a posting style that works best for you. If you want to post once a week or maybe on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday each week, that can be a great place to start!”

Everything is Content

For Danny, content is king. “Social media is the biggest and best FREE platform for any type of marketing. When I started out barbering it wasn’t an option. It was simply word of mouth and the good ol’ business card. Now with a click of a button I’m about to reach over 60k people but the content you are creating and putting out is what can make or break you.” If you struggle with “what to post,” don’t. Everything you do is content, from the way you keep your station to how how fab your scalp massages are. Again, Christiana: “Sometimes it can be difficult to find content I really want to post, and I do skip days on occasion. When I'm having a hard time finding content, I look back into my archives or create a video. You can also post a selfie or photo/video of your favorite products and tools to use in salon if you're struggling to find a great hair pic!” “If you want to build clientele, post more haircuts!,” Danny adds. “Take a before and after. Take videos of the services you offer, promotions, post your ‘organized and clean' station. If you see a food commercial, it makes you hungry and want it. It works the same way with a haircut, but you have to stay consistent.” 

Be Supportive of Other Artists

As you schedule time each day to actually work on your own social media, set time aside to help others, too. A quick scroll and a few double taps can go a long way for newer stylists just getting their feet wet. And yours may just be the comment that saves a fellow stylist from a stressful day. Best bet: What do you like to see comment-wise on your feed? Chances are your peers would appreciate the same. 

Edit YoSelf before You Wreck YoSelf

Again, Danny: “One great tip with social media is ‘Post what you want to Portray.’ Many tend to let their personal lives get in the way since it’s so easy to click a button to vent and then you realize it was a bad idea.” “Use social media to build your brand and business. If someone Googles you, what will they find?!? If you want to get paid like a professional you have to act like one daily; so before you post your grilled chicken or a night out partying, post more positive content to receive more positive results.” 

Be Authentically You

Incredible hair, nails and color are all over Instagram, but what will set you apart is being your authentic self. Of course, there is a difference between TMI and not enough “I,” so find your happy medium and allow your voice to grow. Feel free to audit and tweak yourself, too! Like your own artistic talents behind the chair, your social talents will grow, too. “I think no matter what style works best for you, being consistent is key,” Christiana says. We’d love to hear how you’re mastering your own social media as a Pink Pro. Leave your comments below! Featured Photo by Alexander Shatov on Unsplash