“Every single one of these opportunities has been made possible by my presence on social media”

Chances are your next colour clients and staff are going to come from social media. Here’s how to make sure they can find you, says Stripe Colour Studio owner, Nancy Stripe

Nancy Stripe

Social media has been the gateway for so many amazing career opportunities. I’m a guest artist for L’Oréal Professionnel Paris (my dream job since I was 16 years old). I own my own salon, Stripe Colour Studio, in which I have freelance staff and apprentices. I also educate my own course, ‘Lived-in Sessions’ from my salon, and in the past year I’ve educated all around the UK, as well as working in Paris and heading a hair show for the ID twenty event at the L’Oréal Academy. Every single one of these opportunities has been made possible by my presence on social media. I don’t have the biggest account in the industry, but I know my audience and every follower is significant.

Above everything, I rate consistency as a measure for success on social media. Not striving for the big numbers but doubling down on your message is a clear way to creating your own career path. You don’t need the huge following to curate a maximised column and your dream job. You also don’t need to post for the sake of posting, have a clear plan of what you want to talk about and be consistent with it. Spend some time on really figuring out who you are as a brand and visualise your goals for the coming year. Here are some tips to market yourself online:

DO

• Think about who your audience are – if you’re speaking to clients, use clientfriendly language; if you’re speaking to brands or peers, get technical.

• If you’re aiming to attract staff, really understand your own brand and what it is that you offer that others don’t. This way, you can find your dream team.

• Show what it’s like to spend a day in your salon. What music do you listen to? What coffee do you serve? This builds up a picture of your brand.

• Show staff how much you appreciate them by pointing out what makes them special. It means a lot and it shows clients your nurturing environment.

• Switch up your content by mixing reels, carousels and short or longer videos.

• Get inside your analytics and know when your audiences are online. I know that Sundays are a dead zone for my audience so I avoid posting then.

• If you are looking to be noticed by brands, research their latest products and create content solely around them.

• Figure out your relevant search engine optimisation (SEO). There are great coaches out there (I recommend Vivienne Johns) who can help you on this.

• Keep the faith! Don’t get disheartened by a low-performing post. Some of my favourite pieces of content are posts that didn’t do as well as I expected.

• Include some personal stories, real life client journeys, voiceovers and face-tocamera recordings. It is vital to connecting authentically with your audience.

DON’T

• Try not to cross brand or mix your message, and don’t use other brands in a video that is trying to get you noticed by a specific company.

• When posting before-and-after carousels, never post your ‘before’ picture at the start as it really messes up the aesthetic on your grid.

• Stay away from negative messaging on your socials. We all love an online scandal, but you don’t want to be seen that way by potential clients or brands.

• Don’t post for the sake of it. I wholly agree with having days in the week where you switch off your socials. You come back so much more refreshed.

• Don’t only post the perfect. In 2024, real time social media is more attractive, which is why live consultations and process have taken off.

• Don’t look sideways. We all have days where we feel like we are not enough, which is easy in the world of social media. Keep your vision going forward.