Guest blog: how using Instagram can help boost your nail business

Katie Barnes, director of Simply Nails and Beauty in Warwick, Professional Beauty London speaker and PB Awards finalist, reveals how you can boost your nail business using social media platform Instagram, and gives top tips for photographing your work.

In this day and age almost everyone has access to mobile technology and social media, and as a result, it’s now plays an imperative part of any nail salon’s marketing strategy.

Both my salon and training academy, which were named Scratch Stars Winner for Best Use of Social Media in 2016, thrive on it, and it’s because I use the channel to keep in touch with current customers and to gain new ones.

However, promoting your services doesn’t need to be a chore, you just need to manage the time you spend on Instagram more efficiently. For example, spending 30 minutes a day to schedule in your posts. And when it comes to photographing your work, you need to ensure that you use quality images where the nails are the focus and in the centre of the image.

You also need to use hashtags in your posts as this will maximise the chances of your photographs being seen by users, who are looking for nail inspiration with these key words and phrases. For example, some of the hashtags I regularly use include #nailsoftheday, #nailsofinstagram and #pbnails.

Image: Instagram/©simplynailsandbeauty 

Interacting with brands and new followers, whether it be tagging brands or celebrities into your images, will help grow your following and, hopefully, turn them into new clients.

But remember, on social media followers and likes are all about quality not quantity. While it can be flattering to have thousands of followers, you’re better to have 100 followers who constantly interact, share and respond to your content than those who never do.

In my talk at Professional Beauty London in February I will run through all the new features on the platform such as videos, stories and insights, and the benefits of having a business account, as well as how you can get third party accounts and brands to share and post your work.

Barnes will be talking about this subject in greater detail in her talk “How to boost your nail business with Instagram” on Monday 27 February, 3pm, as part of the Nail Skills seminar programme taking place at Professional Beauty London. Book your place here for only £5 per session.

Register for your ticket to the show here.