2019 MODERN SALON 100: Madison Fetterhoff @hairstylist.madison

Madison Fetterhoff (@hairstylist.madison) switched from men’s grooming to balayage, and the industry is reaping the rewards. Her clients have reached out to thank her for her detailed posts that help them understand hair colorists limitations and are now able to manage their own expectations.

Madison Fetterhoff

@hairstylist.madison

Veda Salon and Spa, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Specialty: Dimensional color and contrasted balayage

Top-performing post: My most engaged post was a very high contrast balayage I did with some ribbons whipping through. I think I’ve noticed that the more contrast my photo has, the better it does, which must have been why this one was such a hit. The picture had close to 12,000 likes and reached a quarter of a million people.

Favorite apps: Facetune for cleaning up backgrounds, and Lightroom if I need to color balance a photo. I use a ring light that sometimes casts a glare on the hair, so lightroom helps me minimize that.

I follow: @coloredbycaitlin, @suetyrellstylist, @lo_wheelerdavis, @kellymassiashair

Pro tip: Lighting is obviously key but so is having a thumbnail that grabs people’s attention. When people are scrolling #balayage they will see smaller thumbnails of people’s work, not the large-scale detailed shot. For this reason, I choose which picture to post based on what looks better from farther away. Be available to engage with people at the time you post. Comment back and let people know you appreciate their compliments! Pay attention to the best times to post. I also feel like the more break-down style posts I make naturally do better, so maybe instead of just naming it “caramel macchiato,” try posting something that might be informative to clients or other stylists.

Hidden talent: Before balayage, I was known for giving edgy men’s haircuts – with skin fades and hard parts.

Fun fact: I sing and play guitar, as do my brother and father. If I ever give up hair, it’ll be to start a family band.

My audience follows me because: I think it’s a tie between the eye-catching contrasted ribbons I paint and the information people receive. I’ve had clients reach out and thank me for my posts that helped them finally understand our limitations, and it helped manage their expectations.

How social media changed my life: Last year I fired half of my business (all of my hair cut clients) and became a color specialist. I was terrified. It had to work. Otherwise, I was going to be 50% poorer. The exposure that I get from Instagram allowed me to do that without feeling any financial set back at all. I have more new client requests than I can accommodate. I also started educating as a result of social media. It’s been absolutely life changing.

My first @modernsalon feature: I can’t quite remember the first time, but the second or third time I was standing in line at Mile High Stadium in Denver waiting to get into the Broncos/Seahawks game with a big group of friends. The notification popped up on my phone, and I yelled “MODERN SALON JUST FEATURED ME!” and people cheered and clapped.

Click here to the see the full list of this year's MODERN SALON 100.