Esthetician school isn’t just about learning how to use lasers or give facials, it is also about building your professional brand! Most estheticians begin their social media presence while still in school. We believe there are so many reasons why you should begin yours during school, too!
Beginning your beauty portfolio can be scary to think about, but it can bring you the most attention from your future clients! This online brand can showcase your work and your personality. People who view it can get an understanding of who you are and what kind of work you do for your clients. And let’s be honest- we know you love looking at beautiful Instagram accounts rather than boring ones, so why not make yours stand out, too?
We’ve compiled a list of the top 7 tips to elevate your Instagram game. Follow these tips and you might just see some new clients sliding into your DMs!
- Unique Handle & Name
Creating a fresh new handle can help separate you from your competitors, and show a little bit of your personality before even viewing your profile. Along with a unique handle, adding keywords to your social media name is also important. Your handle and name are the two things that people see first, so they should stand out!
If you need a little help deciding on the perfect handle and what to include in your name, here are some tips to help guide you:
- Make it memorable- let your personality shine through your handle
- If you have a fun and carefree personality, maybe add a pun to your handle.
- Like things straightforward and down to business? Keep it simple and to the point.
- Showcase what you are passionate about.
- If your real name is taken- don’t worry about it!
- You can add your real name to your handle or you can choose not to!
- As long as your handle shows what you do, you’re in the clear.
- Add keywords into your name
- Putting in words like “esthetician” or “skincare” can show up when people search for those terms
- Add in your location to maximize search results, for example “Jane Doe – Salt Lake City Esthetician”
Your name is an important part of who you are as a professional- so get creative with it! But if you really want to step up your game, make sure your name is cohesive with your brand.
- Branding and Style
What vibes do you want your Instagram to give off? How do you want people to feel when they look at your content? Answering these questions can help you gain an understanding of what your brand identity is.
We will dive into 3 things to help you develop your brand and style:
- Color scheme
- Font family
- Tone of voice
Color scheme
These are the colors that you will include in your graphics. Different colors can have different meanings, so it is important to pick out your colors carefully when deciding on your brand. Take your clients’ feelings into consideration when deciding on your colors. How do you want them to feel when looking at your content? These colors can help people understand your purpose. Here are some colors and their meanings:
- Blue: serenity, dependability, trustworthy, inviting
- Green: nature, health, prosperity, growth
- Black: power, security, sophistication, edgy
- Yellow: happiness, extroversion, warmth
- Red: power, passion, excitement, importance
- Purple: luxury, mystery, imaginative
- Pink: femininity, caring, creative, passionate
- Orange: playful, energetic, motivation
- White: clean, virtuous, health, simplicity, purity
- Brown: earthy, sturdy, rustic
- Gold: elegance, luxury, quality
Font family
Your font family is the group of fonts you include in your graphics. Having consistent fonts can make your Instagram look more cohesive and aesthetically pleasing. If you don’t know which fonts to choose, it is usually a safe bet to stick with one serif font and one script font.
Tone of voice
This is the part where you express your personality through the words you post. Make sure to speak online the same way you speak in person! If you convey a different personality on social media than you do in person, it can be really confusing for your clients. Remember, you are your brand! By sticking with your brand and personality, you can:
- Build a loyal community through your following
- Have people excited to come see you
- Allow your followers to get a feel for your personality
- Create a name for yourself and let people know who you are
- Content
We have finally reached the fun part! Creating the content is one of the most important aspects of your Instagram portfolio- it is, of course, what everyone will be looking at. If you want to stand out, follow these content ideas and tips:
- Make an introduction post
- Share your story about your skincare journey
- Define your values and what you care about most
- Offer tips and information you’ve learned about skincare
- Promote yourself and your services at school
- Have a friend take some behind the scenes pictures
- Share what you do throughout your day
Now that you have some ideas for what to post, the 80/20 rule will tell you how to post. This means that 80% of your content should be telling your story and 20% should be promoting yourself. The reason that your story takes up so much space on your feed is because your followers want to build a relationship with you. If you only post about selling your services, your followers are going to think that is all you care about. Make sure they know your vibe and have them get to know you.
When producing your content, your photos and videos should be high quality. When your followers see beautiful content, they are more likely to want to buy your services. Here are some tips when it comes to taking pictures:
- Use natural lighting
- Shoot in portrait mode
- Take different angles (for example- take pictures of the top, bottom, and side of your eyelash extensions)
- If you choose to use a filter, make sure it appears natural looking and doesn’t alter the skin’s appearance
- Hashtags
If you want to get potential clients to see your work and follow you, hashtags are the way to go! Hashtags can get Instagram users to find your content depending on what keywords they are searching for. This can help build your following (and clientele) if you are posting what they want to see. Here are some examples of hashtags you might want to use:
- Your school hashtag (#skinworks)
- Local hashtags (#utahesthetician #saltlakespa)
- Industry hashtags (#microblading #hydrafacial)
We recommend using about 15-20 hashtags on your posts, which you could put at the bottom of your caption or in the first comment. Always be sure to switch up your hashtags from time to time that way Instagram doesn’t flag you for spam. Keep your hashtags relevant to your posts and be intentional!
- Consistency
Consistency and engagement will help you build and maintain relationships with your followers. If you stay consistent with posting, your followers will have more content to interact with. It also shows your followers that you are active on social media. When your followers comment or send you DMs, make sure you respond and carry on conversation! This is very important when building relationships with your clients or potential clients.
Ready to Begin Your Journey?
Time to turn your countless hours of watching “day in the life” vlogs of estheticians and make it your reality! Now that you know how to build your beauty portfolio on Instagram, you can add some content to your feed as a student. Here at Skinworks, we can improve your skills in the classroom and in the real world. If you’ve been considering becoming an esthetician, contact our awesome admissions team and get started on your journey today!
