How to Create an Instagram Strategy for your Beauty Business
Posting every day but not seeing any results? You need an Instagram strategy. Gone are the days where you can post just about anything on Instagram and get engagement. As Instagram and other social apps grow, you have to be more strategic about the type of content you post. Your content should be aligned with the goals you have for your business such as gaining new clients or growing product sales.
So what is an Instagram strategy? An Instagram strategy is the what, why, and how to your Instagram content. It's a guide that outlines what content you're going to post, why you're going to post it, and how the post is going to be created.
Having a strategy is important because it helps you to align your Instagram posts with your goals. For example, if your goal is to sell a new hair product, you probably shouldn't be posting funny memes every day. But if your goal is to increase engagement and grow your audience, memes and relatable content should be a big part of your strategy.
Here's everything that should be included in your Instagram strategy:
Business Goals
This is the most important part of your strategy as it will influence everything else you do. Outline the goals you have for your business. You will have more than one, but try to stick to less than five. The goal for this example will be to increase the number of new client appointments booked in 2022 by 100%. Remember to make your goals S.M.A.R.T. ( Specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based)
Target Audience
Ask yourself, "Who do I want to target on Instagram?" It may be potential clients or even other beauty pros. Try to get specific as possible! For our example, we'll set the target audience as potential clients that live within 20 miles of your salon since our goal is to book new clients.
Instagram Goals
Now, take the goals that you just outlined for your business and turn them into Instagram goals. The business goal you set was to increase the number of new client appointments booked. An Instagram goal aligned with this business goal is to gain more followers that live within 20 miles of your salon and are interested in the beauty service you provide.
Now let's get into the actual content.
Content Pillars
Content pillars in the context of social media marketing are the themes or categories that each piece of content falls into. You may also hear them be called content buckets or content themes. Four popular content pillars that I use every day are promotion, education, entertainment, and engagement. Here's an example of each content pillar and a piece of content that falls under that pillar.
Promotion - A product photo and a caption telling your audience that a new product is coming soon.
Education - A video of you working on a client while explaining the steps you're taking and the products you're using.
Entertainment - A beauty-related meme or reel.
Engagement - A Q & A session where your followers can ask you questions related to your service.
The content pillars you use and how often you use them will depend on your business and Instagram goals. Since your goal is to book more new client appointments, the majority of your content should fall under the promotion pillar. This includes photos and videos of you, your work, clients, salon space, and client reviews. Your captions should have a call to action that invites people to book an appointment.
How You’re Going to Create the Content
Outline how you will physically create your content. Include things like how often you will capture client photos and videos when you'll plan and schedule the content, and how often you will post.
Hashtags
All beauty service providers should be using hashtags to get their content in front of new eyes. If your goal is to book new client appointments, be sure to include hashtags that are related to your location. Read my full hashtag guide here.
Bio
Your Instagram bio should include your specialty, your location, and a call to action that tells followers how to book with you
Measuring Success
Review your Instagram analytics monthly to measure your success and growth. Make note of the content that is performing well and the content that is not performing well and make adjustments where needed.
Remember that your Instagram strategy is not concrete. It will change based on your business goals. It will evolve as social media evolves. Use it as a guide that aligns your content with the vision you have for your beauty business.