We love fielding questions at our One Week Course (aka OWC) from the many nail professionals that join us from all over globe. It’s incredible to hear first hand, which issues keep you up at night and which ones jump start your mornings. One hot topic everyone likes to talk about is- content creation for social media. It’s unavoidable. Content is now an essential marketing tool for building a healthy and thriving business. It’s just how it’s done. So how do you go about creating content for your individual business and how do you know how much content is enough? For a nail professional, or anyone with a business, there is just one goal: to create a steady and consistent stream of daily content. We know this sounds a little intimidating, but there is a method to the madness. Here we’re happy to share some of the lessons we learned along the way. So let’s begin!
THE NO CHOICE CHOICE.
Plainly stated. The first rule of Content Creation is that you literally
have to force yourself to do it. Every. Single. Day. Seriously, there
is no choice here. Posting is a responsibility that comes with the job.
Don’t even think about skipping a post. It’s not an option.
EASIER SAID THAN DONE.
At first glance, you might feel pretty sure you’ve got this content
thing covered. How hard can it really be? You might think it’s just
painting a bunch of nails and clicking to post. Oh, my friend, you
couldn’t be more wrong. Creating engaging daily content requires the P
word: Planning. To some degree, you have to plan out what ideas to post
ahead of time. All those free spirited Instagram images and stories
crossing your feed, most likely weren’t done on an impulse. It was part
of someone’s plan. Now go and make your own plan. Over time, it will get
easier and as things settle down, you’ll find yourself in a nice
familiar routine.
START WHERE YOU ARE.
Don’t worry if the first 352 posts are not perfect. We promise they
won’t be. What’s important is for you to start with just one post at a
time. There is no better place to start then exactly where you are. The
nail content might be a little rough and maybe even crappy. So what?
Tweak it as you go. The gold star gets handed out for just executing.
Your ability to connect will get better over time as you come to
understand your market. Two years ago, when I first started putting out
content, social media was a hassle. Didn’t like it at all; I was
actually opposed to it. What I created back then was so far off the
mark. I just made it a point to start posting and vlogging. It was about
random business travels and oddly nothing about nail content. It’s
funny looking back now at the journey of just trying to figure it all
out. The real miracle is that day by day, Young Nails was able to grow.
Something was working and I came to see our process of creating content
improve. It’s an ongoing process.
YOU DO YOU.
So what should your content be about? It should be about you. It’s what
you have going on throughout the course of the day. Successful content
documents your real life as a nail artist, your process, your day with
its highs and lows. That’s what people want to see, something relatable
and honest. We love to check out what @garyvee is up to. He’s a genius
that directly inspires how we shape our content. If you watch our
Instagram you will see how we create content. We use @garyvee as a guide
for how to tell our story. Right now, you can enjoy the 40 pieces of
content we put out a day. It’s not overly manufactured. It’s us being
us.
BREAK OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE.
For many years, Greg was the only one with the confidence to be on
camera for our Young Nails Youtube channel. He’s the king of doing nail
demos with an energy that naturally hooks audiences. It’s a space that
Tracey and I never imagined for ourselves. Personally, it was easier to
stay behind the scenes and run the business side of things. There came a
point when our Young Nails business was in a downward spiral. I had to
take up the challenge to figure out a way out of the slump. Back up
against the wall, I had to take some chances and put myself out there in
a new way. In the beginning, I felt stupid and embarrassed being on
camera. Since then, I’ve learned how to embrace my insecurities or fear
of being judged. Now I am so glad that I did. My feelings towards social
media has changed. Today, I love it and feel comfortable with myself
and have a lot of fun in front of the camera. It wasn’t like that
before. There’s a level of ease that comes from practice and a open
commitment to doing things that make me uncomfortable. To make it
through to the other side, you have to face the anxiety.
DON’T OVERTHINK IT.
The start off with the goal of posting on your business feed once a day.
Then work your way up to posting three stories a day. You can take a
picture of the nails and talk about how the process went. Share your
thoughts on whether you think the work is good or bad. Talk about what
you know and what’s going around you. It’s a chance to be candid about
your experience as a nail artist. Dedicate time to creating content.
Please do not obsess about every detail in the photo or every word you
write on your post. It’s an ongoing practice. Go at your own pace and
forget about perfection. Content creation is a volume game so don’t
sweat the small stuff either.
*This article was written as an adaptation of a Young Nails Biz Talk on
How to Create Nail Content, a candid weekly discussion between Habib
Salo, CEO, and Tracey Reierson, General Manager, of Young Nails.
Click here to watch it in its entirety: