Social Media and Continuing Education

Like it or not, things change often in this industry. Retaining current clients and getting new ones goes hand in hand with staying updated on your continuing education. Even the best clients will sometimes feel a need to stray, and one way to keep them from wandering is to prevent them from getting bored. Ask them if they want to try something new or say you want to try a new technique you’ve learned.

With travel restrictions, and in-person classes still sparse due to COVID, remote classes and social media are more important than ever.

You don’t necessarily have to spend a ton of time and money on your education to stay up to date. Plenty of brands, stylists, educators and instructors have taken to social media to keep you updated on the newest trends and techniques by posting bite sized videos and stories free of charge.

A few simple tips to keep you on the cutting edge are to:

• Follow your favorite stylists and brands on social media that are doing things you’re interested in. You don’t have to check out yet another technique for balayage, look for things that are brand new to you. Clients get excited when you learn new things!

. Look for trending stylists and brands to learn from. Go outside the people you already know.

• Post your own techniques and formulas you’ve invented over the years. Clients and potential clients like to see you’re continuing your education as well as seeing you are educated enough to post your own tips.
• Be involved. Reply to people. Ask questions. Have conversations. Many of us are fairly silent on social media. The more you interact, the more people can see you are an active participant in your education and are truly one of the leaders in your craft.
• Pay attention to what others are doing and what’s trending. When your client asks you what the popular cuts and colors are, you’ll have an answer for them. And, for those clients that hate trends and change, you can make fun of the trends together! There are many ways to utilize all that information you carry around.
• Post photos of your work, especially of the new trends. One of the easiest ways to get new people is to advertise your work with great photos. Talk about the new techniques you’re using and post examples that will captivate your fans.

Although many things have changed in the past year, the importance of continuing education has not gone away. Until the hair shows and in-person classes are back to normal, you can still stay on top of it all through your phone.

[originally written for The Stylist News]