This is a guest blog post written by the amazing Amanda Riley
Getting started. Well that’s maybe #2 after comparison.
Earlier this year I started a community event for beauty entrepreneurs in Los Angeles. My event, The Glow Social, is all about “letting each other shine in the beauty industry through community and encouragement”.
During The Glow Social’s first event, Building Your Instagram 101, we hosted 40 beauty professionals looking for two things:
1: Community
2: Tips for Starting Their Social Media
Building Your Instagram 101 featured 3 panelists who shared their journeys with growing their businesses through social media as well as all their tips & tricks.
The attendees kept saying the same thing;
-how can I get started
-I don’t have anything to post
-I’m sick of only seeing hair on pages.
So I wanted to share about my journey with social media.
Almost two years ago I became an independent stylist by building my clientele of #dreamclients through Instagram. I now work out of an amazing salon in Los Angeles, that I found through Instagram.
Before that I was working at a salon that had little to no social media presence. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing it ultimately meant the salon didn’t align well with my long-term goals.
For a short time I even took over their Instagram account and ran it but little to no one took photos of their work so their Instagram account looked like only 3 people worked there.
About 3 1/2 years ago I knew I needed to grow and move forward in my career as a hair stylist but I didn’t know what that meant for me or how to do it. I was watching other hair stylists do amazing things through social media and knew I needed to focus on Instagram but didn’t know how!
So I did one of the greatest things I could have for my career; I invested in to a social media course. Oh Hot Gram!
When I started implementing Instagram into my daily routine AND into my daily salon life people started noticing. I was getting more clients!
I was constantly talking to clients about Instagram and they were all admitting they picked me to do their hair because they
a) found the salon on Instagram and liked my work the best
b) they were referred by their friend and then vetted me through Instagram.
Now we’d all be lying if we didn’t say we want the perfect clientele that finds us through social media and is our #dreamclient. But it does take time! I worked diligently on building my Instagram account and finding my voice and my style.
I knew I didn’t want a page that was just hair!
I love fashion blogs and had a background in modeling so I knew I wanted to incorporate these elements into my Instagram account.
But little to no one was teaching me how to add this in!
It was barely normal to have a professional Instagram account and it sure as heck was weird to post photos of something other than hair.
I’d spend hours scouring the internet trying to find some cute lifestyle photos to add to my page and as soon as I’d post it I’d notice it on 10 other hair stylists pages. (not cause they were copying me but because we were all searching for the same thing)
Something that could be an easy way to say “Hey client’s I’m out of town for the next week” or “Don’t forget to use color safe shampoo & conditioner”.
After years of searching for these photos and getting sick of seeing the millennial pink with cactus images I decided to create them myself. My intentions were truly to mix up things on my Instagram but after countless people asking “Where did you find this photo?” and if they could use it too.
My motto this year is “Create Community & Be Generous”. After 11 years in this industry I’m sharing my heart to serve beauty entrepreneurs by helping you get started or switch things up with new imagery!
PS nothing makes me happier than seeing these pics in action; tag a girl, let me cheer you on!
About Amanda
Hey there, I’m Amanda Riley!
I love serving people who are looking for a home in a salon; a place to feel comfortable & build a relationship with their hair stylist. Relationships built by creating trust knowing that I will preserve the integrity of your hair while making steps toward your #dreamhair! I am lucky to show clients how to create longevity in their hair by suggesting styling tips, products for home and low maintenance color!
As a hair stylist I’ve been spotlighted on numerous blogs, worked on various sets and been featured in fashion magazines. I’ve spent my career focusing on continued education and received the highest form of Wella colorist certification in February of 2016. This certification has allowed me to focus on the chemist side of hair coloring and helping shape the future of young colorists to come!
Learn more about Amanda Riley HERE!
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