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A freelance career in the creative arts
A freelance career in the creative arts

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5.1 Promoting on Instagram

Read the following Q&A with bridal makeup artist Harpur who has used Instagram to promote her business.

Case study _unit6.6.1 Case study 1 Harpur, Bridal Makeup Artist

  1. How did you identify the most appropriate social media to use in order to reach your target audience?

    I naturally gravitated towards Instagram which works brilliantly for every creative business as you can create and showcase something aesthetically beautiful, promoting not only your work but other inspiring images around the same subject or industry that you are in.

    Knowing and understanding my target audience before I created my Instagram was integral to its growth. By using Instagram as my main platform I knew I could create a vision board where the target audience could get a real feel of my skills as a makeup artist, but also give an insight into my world and the other related things I am passionate about.

  2. How do you use social media to promote your business?

    I am incredibly selective about what goes on the Instagram grid as it has to be aesthetically pleasing, good quality and show consistency as the client scrolls through. I sometimes share relevant and inspiring images from other suppliers who I love and admire and tag and credit them in my posts.

    With any small business, I think it’s super important to promote yourself as being the face behind the business as more people are likely to connect with you and want to interact. With Instagram stories you can be talking in the background whilst filming something so they can get to know your personality, which is hugely important in this industry!

  3. How do you know it works?

    Because I book clients from social media! This does take time and doesn’t necessarily happen overnight, but I do have brides who get in touch directly through Instagram.

  4. How does your website work for you?

    Once people have seen my Instagram, they can link straight onto my website which I have ensured shows consistency and a similar feel to my social media.

    Having a website is an absolute must for any creative business. I personally love building my own as I am then in complete creative control over everything and can change things quickly and efficiently, but if you aren’t someone who enjoys this I absolutely believe that investing money in this area will pay off and is worth every penny!

  5. What tips and ideas can you give someone who wants to use social media to promote their business or creative idea?

    1. Choose content wisely! Make sure the images are good quality, in focus and aesthetically pleasing. People who love Instagram often find pleasure out of seeing things that are inspiring and pleasing to the eye.
    2. Use it as a ‘vision board’ to showcase your brand style and personality. Make sure the content relates to your industry but don’t be afraid to add things you are passionate about. Likeminded people are likely to interact with you if they resonate with your passions.
    3. Connect with local suppliers who you love and admire, add them and maybe send them a message, you never know what can come of interactions like this. With this said, be selective about who you do this with as their business should mirror your standards and potentially have similar clients that you could see yourself working with.
    4. Post regularly! I often have three days’ worth of posts ready, so I don’t feel like I am doing things last minute. If I feel like I have run out of things to post, I will promote another business I love on my grid. Not only does this show support but you have good relevant content ready to go!
    5. Use your Instagram stories! I don’t particularly love being in front of the camera, but I do often talk on my stories whilst behind the camera so people can hear my voice and get my sense of personality and humour, which I think is so incredibly important if you want to stand out from the rest.
    6. Update your bio on Instagram! It should tell the audience what kind of clients you work with, what the business is about, any awards or qualifications you might have and if relevant, a line to describe who you are. Everything is aimed at getting the right clients so the information you give needs to be in keeping with your brand!

Now you’ve heard how others have used social media to their advantage. you’ll start to think about which platform might work best for you.