The Anatomy of a Perfect Profile

Don’t be afraid to alter your image and go along with seasonal themes. For example, during Breast Cancer Awareness month opt for a pink background in your profile pic! Like your picture, your profiles Bio is always very important! With a max of 150 characters, you need to tell Instagram users what you’re all about and a reason to follow you. Add some personality to your bio and don’t forget some action; like hashtags and trackable links. Branded hashtags are a must! You can also include messages like “Tag #______ to be featured” and score some user generated content.

Clickable URLS are not allowed on Instagram, expect the website field, which is why trackable links are so important. When posting on your feed or stories, you can post the commonly used hashtag #linkinbio and redirect your audience to click on that link in your bio. Be sure to make the link trackable, so you can then see how many users came from Instagram.

Which brings us to the next hot topic… User generated content. Transform your community and clients into your film crew. User generated content is highly recommended, as it is natural and easy for you to get. The easiest way to gain more is by letting your followers know how to share the content with you and that they will be reposted on your page. Most people love to see themselves on business pages, it makes them feel somewhat famous. While #reposting user generated images is important, it is always recommended to keep the same vibe or aesthetic on your page. Always make sure those images and videos your followers are posting go with your page. This is why scheduling ahead of time is the best practice when it comes to social media.

Scheduling…

Time to visit one of the handiest tools on that handheld device of yours… The App Store. Scheduling Instagram posts in advance can help you save tremendous amounts of time, especially if you are your own marketing team. There are so many different applications out there these days that can also help you in other ways, like keeping your profile aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Some of these applications also have filters and other editing options. Opt for one of those kinds of apps, so you can keep everything in one place and stick to the same style of editing.

Suggest Apps for Scheduling:
• Planoly
• Color Story
• UNUM
• ScheduGram
• Hootsuite
(Great for other social platforms, too!)

Image selection and editing is a huge part of your Instagram profile. Like we said before, user-generated content is awesome and easy to attain but not everyone takes the best pictures. This is why one needs to be very selective and make sure their grid is always on point. Think of your Instagram grid as a wall in your house. You wouldn’t hang unpleasant paintings in your home, so you shouldn’t do it on your Instagrams business profile either. Which is why it is called you “Business Profile”.

Organic content is great for engagement but mixing your personal life on your biz profile is a big no-no. Keep things separate, it will look better and just make more sense. The content you post should interesting and relevant. When you’re picking a subject, think about your buyer persona. What would they find interesting in a photo and/or video? Don’t be shy… Talk to the camera! Take advantage of Instagram story highlights and speak to your audience.

The following are examples of subjects to post about in the Spa:
• An image of a recent facial you performed on a client
• Trending treatments in your Spa
• Ingredient Spotlights!
• Before and After’s
• Your own personal regimen
• Special Promo’s

Always remember, if you don’t have anything beautiful to post. Don’t post anything at all. The ingredients for a beautiful Instagram photo are threefold: an interesting and relevant subject, a well framed and well shot photo, and a solid editing job. An optimized Instagram profile is an active one. Being that photo quality is so important, you don’t need to worry about posting multiple times a day like you do for most other social media networks. Instead, focus on creating high quality content and then posting them at the right times for your specific audience.

Timing is everything, even on social media! Your audience is more active and engaged during certain times frames during the day. They could also be online more often during certain days of the week, which is why you should familiarize yourself with the “Insights” your Instagram Business Profile has to offer. Head over to your Instagram profile page and click on the three lines on the top right-hand corner, that is where you will find the “Insights” tab. Get an overview of what kind of content your audience prefers, the activity on your page, demographics and more.

To learn more about how to use Instagram and other great marketing tools follow the @estheticianedit on Instagram. Get inspired by original video content, on-location interviews, in-depth marketing tutorials and step-by-step facial protocols on the blog!