Social media, including Instagram, is one of the easiest ways to reach current and potential clients. On top of being an easy way to reach people, advertising on social media is one of the cheapest forms of advertising. You can quickly add dollars to your bottom line by selling and booking services via Instagram. With constant platform updates, selling and booking via Instagram is getting easier and easier.
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Social media, including Instagram, is one of the easiest ways to reach current and potential clients. On top of being an easy way to reach people, advertising on social media is one of the cheapest forms of advertising. You can quickly add dollars to your bottom line by selling and booking services via Instagram. With constant platform updates, selling and booking via Instagram is getting easier and easier.
Here is the thing—many people are either too busy with clients, running their businesses or intimidated by the technology and learning something new in what little spare time they have. This article is here to help you gain knowledge and confidence to make money via Instagram. I will cover the four critical areas you need to understand about Instagram to make money via the social media platform: developing your content strategy, booking more clients via Instagram, why reels are beauty businesses’ best friends, and setting up an Instagram store to sell those all-important products.
1. Creating A Content Strategy
Creating a content strategy is a fancy way of saying don’t post random stuff at random times. When you post on any social media platform, every post needs a purpose and to be published at an optimal time.
By having a strategy for your posting, your results can improve dramatically. Not having a plan is like shooting into the dark and getting mad when you don’t hit the target. When creating a content plan, start by asking yourself the following questions.
What do I want current and future clients to know about my business?
What information will clients find the most beneficial?
What motivates my clients to book with me? (What are my client’s skin issues?)
How do I solve my client’s problems?
You may have answered many of these questions when you put together your marketing or business plan. Social media is an extension of your marketing and advertising, so it fits into your larger marketing plan. Your social media goals and content ideas are tightly woven into your overall business goals.
One of the most successful content plans is using a strategy that covers the three content areas of promotions, education and inspiration. These areas directly correlate with your overall business goal—making money.
Promotions. This is as straightforward as it sounds. Post about your services and promotions. Think Mother’s Day, holiday gift certificates, package deals, etc.
Education. Educate your audience on your products and services, and your business and employees (if you have any). What is a Hydrafacial? How does it work? Why should someone spend their hard-earned money on the service? Show the audience testimonials of satisfied customers. Communicate your level of training. Do you or your employees have any specific certifications or degrees? By educating your current and potential clients, you overcome any hesitations they may have about booking a service or buying a product.
Inspiration. Time and time again, studies show inspirational posts are some of the most engaging posts. You know the quote, “people never forget how you made them feel.” Inspirational content like “You are worth a spa day” or “Beauty is more than skin deep, but we can help you with the skin part,” serves to connect with clients more personally. The world needs positivity and light, so don’t be afraid to push out some inspiring words and feel-good posts.
2. Booking More Clients Via Social Media
Roughly 34% of people book their appointments via social media.1 With a third of your clients looking to book via social media, your bio needs to make an impression. Make sure you include the following information in your bio: your location, your website/booking link, your phone number, the services you provide and the type of business (medspa or traditional spa). You can also increase your booking on social media by replying to all comments and DMs promptly within 24 hours. Post right before most of your followers get online (you can find this information by clicking the insights tab on Instagram.) Use the content strategy of three: education, promotion and inspirational-themed posts. Use as many Instagram features as possible (Reels, Lives, Feed, Stories, etc.)
Why You Should Do Reels
Ah, Reels. So many people have a love-hate relationship with reels. You love them because they are entertaining and compelling, but making reels, on the other hand, not so much. Let me convince you that not only can you make reels (without dancing), but make them effectively.
Instagram recently announced they are prioritizing video over images. In layman’s terms, Instagram promotes reels, videos and lives before posts with stock photos. Creating reels is easy once you understand the steps. Flick has a great guide that lays out the steps.2 Reels are great for selling your products and booking appointments. Reels have higher engagement rates and easily communicate your offers (meaning no one has to take action and click “more” to read your text as they do in posts). Don’t worry, you don’t have to dance to have a successful reel. Here are some tips to keep in mind when creating reels to make money.
- Provide links to your store/booking software.
- Have a call to action (click on the link to book an appointment).
- Use humor; people love a laugh.
- Show your face; people are more likely to buy from a person.
- Use transitions.
- Don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself. People buy from people they relate to, not to perfection.
- Use the content rule of three: education, promotion and inspirational.
The Instagram Shop
Having an Instagram store is an easy way to grow your business, but many people don’t have the time to learn how to set one up. Here is the thing—selling products is an easy way to increase your bottom line, and having an Instagram store is an easy way to promote your products.
First, you need an online product catalog (think Shopify) and a Facebook (Meta) store. If you don’t have an online product catalog, you must set up a Shopify account.3 You can set up a Facebook (Meta) store via your Facebook (Meta) business page. If you need more information on setting up a Meta business page or store, Facebook provides more information.4 Now that you have a Facebook business page and an online product catalog, you can merge them.5 Why should you bother going to all this work? Will it save you time and make you money? ABSOLUTELY.
Here are three reasons you need to set up an Instagram Store.
1. It makes shopping easier for consumers. If they need more products or that special serum, they go to your Instagram store. They can even shop at 2 A.M. if they want.
2. It allows you to promote products directly. If you know a client who needs a refill and you have a sale going on, tag them in a post or story. You
can even send them a DM with a link to purchase the product.
3. You can attract new clients who initially buy products from you. Having an Instagram store increases your visibility.
If you are still overwhelmed by selling products via Instagram, Oberlo has an article on the topic that is easy to read and gives you all the information you need to start.6
Are You A Nano-Influencer?
A nano-influencer is someone who has around 1,000-10,000 followers in a highly niche area. Most of us have less than 10,000 followers, and most beauty professionals serve a highly niche area. As most beauty professionals do, people who serve and work in a community have incredible power to influence their following. Just because you “only” have 500, 2,000 or 5,000 followers doesn’t mean you aren’t successful on social media. You can make money via Instagram.
Kimberly Watkins-Swenk is founder of Swenk Social, a social media company specializing in the beauty industry. Based out of Atlanta, Georgia and Colorado. Swenk can be reached on Instagram at @swenksocial, on Facebook at @swenksocial, and by email at [email protected]
