Branding Yourself on Social Media
Social media influences how we communicate, how we create connections with users near and in far-off lands, and helps us to spread brand awareness. Even in a sea of beauty brands, there’s always a place online for you to establish your brand.
So, if you’re a newbie just now joining social media, don’t feel like you’re late to the party. There are billions of users on social media. With the right intention and strategy, you can find your people.
Cultivating a following will take time and effort. Content creators plan out their posts in advance, poring over every word to formulate the obligatory caption to accompany their post. It takes forethought, timely brand announcements, and consistency to produce decent content on social media. The hustle to grow a following is real, but the reward can be brand loyalty that you can, hopefully, monetize.
Lots have been spoken about the challenges of growing a brand following, but you first have to ask yourself what matters to you and what your goals are:
- Do you want to boost brand awareness for an e-commerce shop?
- Are you a small salon in Montana that wants to attract a local audience?
- Are you a company with ambitions to grow but also have dreams of becoming an influencer?
To develop customer loyalty, no matter the salon’s or stylist’s social media aspirations, your brand should have a strong identity.
How to Develop a Brand
A brand is born in many ways, and in the case of Melt Cosmetics, it started with two makeup artists, Lora Arellano and Dana Bomer, working together at Sephora. They shared the same dream and vision, wanted to create a makeup line, and were both filled with creativity and ambition. Lora Arellano posted makeup tutorials and costume makeup videos on YouTube, which caught the attention of singer and fashion designer Rhianna. From there, the rest was history. Arellano forged a relationship with Rhianna, becoming her traveling makeup artist while growing a substantial social media following. Meanwhile, Bomer headed the early phases of the business development and operations.
Together the team created a distinctive-looking brand aesthetic composed of atomic neon and pigmented shades with collections called “Smoke Sessions,” “She’s in Parties,” and “Supernatural Lash.” They’re targeting a specific audience–fearless, bold, theatrical makeup lovers.
Attribution: @meltcosmetics
The fiery red-headed hairdresser, Jenna Perry, started as a stylist assisting on editorial shoots and with other stylists until she opened her New York-based salon. She’s attracted celebrities like Jennifer Lawrence and Bella Hadid with her fashionable colors, cuts, and confident hand.
Her Instagram posts look like they’ve been pulled from creative fashion editorials with captions like, “all about hot girl hair.” The cost for a haircut is high, but when you’ve cultivated a strong brand presence and significant celebrity status of clients, you can start charging…well, relatively marked-up prices, at least for the masses. Her haircuts are beautiful and youthful and sure to satisfy any customer.
Attribution: @jennaperryhairstudio
Kenna is a seasoned stylist with experience working in many different settings, including salons, London theaters, fashion shows, and movie production sets. Kennaland started as London’s best-kept secret, uprooted Kennaland to Hackney, and opened a sister salon in Greenpoint, New York. His website and Instagram branding align consistently with playful designs, quotes, candid shots of the stylist in action, and pictures of his client’s hair.
Attribution: @kennaland_brooklyn
Before developing a brand, you must find your creative voice and create a vision, skills, and portfolio to show you have the chops to offer professional services.
Find your voice and learn with industry professionals at Ogle School. The experience and education you’ll get will help propel your career. Learn more about our cosmetology programs today.
