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SEARCHArtist Connective member Sydney Lopez shares her tips to getting your work noticed and shared on Instagram.
A braided, boho rainbow creation by Sydney Lopez.
April 17, 2017, stylist Sydney Lopez (@sydneyannlopezhair) of Denton, Texas said social media affected her life in a big way. MODERN SALON was hosting a Wednesday color contest, Playing with Blue, and she entered. That was the first time Lopez's work was ever reposted.
"I was in the back room and I remember telling my coworker, 'Oh my gosh, it happened! It's a miracle I got reposted,'" Lopez says. "And then three days later I got reposted again for just, like, a natural balayage. And I'm like, 'Okay, I'm hooked. That's it, I have to tag Modern Salon in everything.'"
Here, Lopez shares tips on how to get your work noticed on Instagram.
BE KIND: "I think one of the things that my mom has even taught me since I was little is if you see something that you wanna compliment, just make someone's day by letting them know," she says. "So why would I just scroll past someone's work if it's incredible? I have to tell them! I have to take the two seconds to do it."
BUILD YOUR NETWORK: "I would say one of the things that's so cool about Instagram is the artists who have really inspired me," Lopez says. "I just follow their page, love their work, comments on things I really love.
"Build a network of artists that are similar and like-minded to you. Antonio Estrada Hair, he and I will message each other all the time about, 'Hey, how did you do that color? What did you do with that braid-in?'" (Note: Lopez and Estrada were teamed up for MODERN's Artist Session: Influencer Series in June).
TAKE GOOD PHOTOS: "I see incredibly talented hair stylists all the time without really good photos, so I think one of the things I was doing wrong was posting pictures that didn't fill out the perfect Instagram square," Lopez says. "I was posting a portrait or landscape with all this white on the sides.
"Lighting makes a huge difference. Take pictures of your icy blondes in 10 different spots of your salon. So, in your ring light, outside, outside in the shade, outside in the sunshine, and compare them all. Then that tells you where your warm light is, your cool light is, where hair's going look more green." If you follow Lopez, you'll notice she takes pictures of different colors in different spots. For example, icy blondes' get their pictures taking in the parking garage for that perfect lighting.
GET AN OUTSIDER'S PERSPECTIVE: "I encourage anyone that's out there that feels like your work is so good and you've got so many clients and you're not getting reposted anywhere, have an outsider take a peek at your page," she says. "I've done that for other hair stylists and there's been little things like stop taking your blondes inside and in terrible lighting or move your natural colors out of the sunshine and into the shade a little bit."
TAKE A TON OF PICTURES: And she means a ton. Last year, Lopez tells MODERN she had about 48,000 pictures on her iPhone. "I probably take anywhere between 100 and 200 pictures per client," Lopez says. "I'll take pictures of straight hair, curled hair, different poses. So I probably get 200 pictures of each client and then of course if it's a vibrant it looks so different in different light, so I wanna get as many as I can. I don't take 200 pictures in one spot. I probably get three to five out of those to post.
HASHTAG YOUR WORK: "I have my own hashtag that I use just so that my clients can find stuff, and I think that that's really good for everyone out there to create," Lopez says. "I just have #goodhairdaybysydlopez." Lopez encourages her clients to use the same hashtag so she can see their post-appointment selfies.
"I always hashtag MODERN SALON and then I try to hashtag the companies I use as well," she adds. "I usually tag every company I used for that look. Tag local and state publications. I think if you have 30 hashtags, you might as well tag them."
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION: "Make sure you guys are always putting the location on your picture because that's gotten me so many more followers from local places," Lopez says. Tag local colleges, events, and places of interest. You never know how potential clients will find you! And, remember to do this when you travel too, not just where you are based.
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