Over the last 5 years, television viewing time has been reduced by as much as 40%*. So what is everybody doing now instead of watching Bachelor every Monday night or The Office on repeat? You guessed it! We are all glued to those teeny tiny computers we carry in our pockets and purses and much of that time is spent watching video. Facebook reports that over 100 million hours of video are watched on the platform daily and Youtube reports that over 5 billion (yes, with a “b”) videos are watched daily. That is a whole lot of video!
There is a reason why you see those totally addicting recipe videos on your feed daily. Buzz Feed started using video marketing years ago. This is no mistake. Video is addicting and we all get sucked right in. I can’t tell you how many tater tot nacho recipe’s my hubby has forwarded my way or how many make-up tutorials I’ve watched the whole way through and then went straight to Ulta online to buy a new foundation or shadow brush. We are hooked!
I hear stylists all the time saying that they’ve completely lost their Facebook reach and I’m starting to hear the same feedback from those using Instagram. Both platforms use an algorithm that determines whether your content makes it out in front of your audience’s eyes. I’ve talked to some social media heavy hitters who say their Instagram & Facebook reach crashed in recent months and some who say that social media is still their main source of traffic. Those who are still loving both platforms have two things in common; they are using both platforms correctly and they are using video on one or both.
Facebook and Instagram both came out publicly saying that those who use video will have a stronger organic reach than those who don’t. They know that video is king and they want to put as much popular content into the feed as possible to keep the platforms alive and kicking.
I think the problem most stylists face is that they aren’t sure what to include in a video. What can you even share that would help to grow your clientele? Here’s a breakdown of the 5 major video sharing platforms and how to use each:
Facebook Live
What we love– You likely already have a Facebook page built with followers so you have a built in audience
What we don’t love-Live streaming video is scary! We are worried that we’ll mess up or freak out. We get nervous and weird and don’t know what to say.
What is working-Tutorials!! This is a great place to share new techniques that your clients can practice at home. Demonstrate how to style bangs, how to curl hair (seriously, clients have no idea how to do that), easy DIY up-dos. Become a go-to resource for techniques and beauty knowledge and your clients will want to tell all their friends about their awesome stylist.
YouTube
What we love-It’s a searchable platform with a strong reputation for providing great, free education
What we don’t love-It’s already really saturated and it’s difficult to break in and build a following right now.
What is working-Brief, high-quality, actionable videos that show the viewer exactly how to complete a task in a short amount of time. When building a Youtube channel it’s almost like building a television network. The higher the quality of the video including lighting, video clarity, sound clarity and content, the more likely you are to build a following. This is another great resource as an educator.
What we love-Instagram has always required us to be more polished and less personal. Video helps to break down those walls.
What we don’t love-What the heck should be show that goes with the online brochure feel of Instagram? Also, the 1 minute time limit for videos on the feed and a 10 second limit for those in the Instagram-Story is limiting.
What is working-Truly sharing stories. If you can share a 1 minute edited video on your feed showing your client going from before to after, that is a crowd pleaser. It gives your potential new clients a real chance to get to know you and see what it would be like sitting in your chair. This can be done with Instagram Stories too by using a sequence of short but very high quality video clips. Quality is really key on Instagram so don’t scrimp on quality.
Snapchat
What we love-It’s totally casual! This is meant to be a sneak peek into your life using crazy filters and snapshots of funny moments. This the reality TV behind the scenes documentary of your life.
What we don’t love-It’s very entertaining, but it isn’t doing much to build clientele right now. Beauty bloggers and educators are finding huge success with it however because it doest build an emotional connection. Also the lack of organic reach sucks!
What is working-Raw behind the scenes footage. This is a great place to show you prepping to teach your next class, your crazy life on the road, have clients film the experience in your chair show us clips from the class you’re taking. It’s a great way for current clients to see what your life is really like and build even more of an emotional connection with you.
You don’t ever need to master all of these platforms, but you’ve got to embrace at least one. Video isn’t going anywhere and is growing tremendously year over year. Now is your chance to dive head first into this awesome new trend and allow it to drive traffic to your chair or classes.
