Social media – tricky waters to navigate for some of us.  What to post, when to post, how often to post.  We were lucky enough to attend classes with Aquage Artistic Director Nogodar Martinez (@nogodar) and L’Oreal Pro International Educator, salon owner Chelsea James (@chelseavonnejames) and we picked up a few social media tips we want to share.

Visual Arrest

If something is arresting, it causes you to stop and notice it.  You want to learn more.

If you post pic after pic of beach waved blond balayage, that’s great, but its boring.  And everyone else is doing it too.  Post your beautiful color work, but add something unexpected to the hair that will cause your followers to stop and want to learn more.  Even if its something you add for the photo and redo before your client leaves the salon.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BtnbIZjg08a/

https://www.instagram.com/p/B7m2dcsJsQ0/

Timing

Timing is everything.  Know the best times of day to post so that you reach the maximum number of followers.  While times may change from industry to industry, here are some general guidelines.

• Monday: 6am, 10am, and 10pm EST
• Tuesday: 2am, 4am, and  9am EST
• Wednesday: 7am, 8am and 11pm EST
• Thursday: 9am, 12pm, and 7pm EST
• Friday: 5am, 1pm, and 3pm EST
• Saturday: 11am, 7pm, and 8pm EST
• Sunday: 7am, 8am, and 4pm EST

Set up a Schedule

Setting up a posting schedule can help you in many ways.  First, it helps you maintain a consistent aesthetic.  You are able to plan your post, coordinate your stories and insure your grid has a complimentary design.

By keeping to a regular posting schedule, you are letting your followers know what to expect from you – and when. It builds a consistent experience for your audience.

Posting more consistently can also help with your engagement. When your followers expect you to post, they’re more likely to interact and engage with your content.

Instagram Scheduling Tool

If consistency in posting is key, consider using an Instagram Scheduling Tool or app. Staying on top of your postings and using quality pictures and captions can eat up more time each day than you think.  Would you prefer to spend 30 minutes each day or 1-2 hours on ONE day that will schedule for your entire week?  Scheduling saves time.  Scheduling creates better captions because you have time to PLAN what you post and how it flows together.

Some of our favorite scheduling apps are:

• Apphi
• Combin
• Sked Social
• Hopper HQ
• Tailwind
• HootSuite
• Later

These scheduling apps will schedule posts for you on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LInkedIn and cost between $0-$19/month.  Most of them come with a discount or free trial offer.

Most of us are finding a little extra time on our hands and this is a great opportunity to look at your social media presence.