Instagram @monikathen_yn_mentor
To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
It’s quite common to break into terrified cold sweats when it comes to putting yourself out there in a bid for self-promotion and marketing. If you’re scared of posting on social media, we’re sharing our biggest secret to getting over the hurdle. We had the chance to sit down with YN UK Mentor, Monika Then, who over the course of one year transformed her relationship with social media, herself and her business for the better. Monika took the plunge and forced herself to step outside her comfort zone, every day for 365 days. The risk was relatively minor compared to the reward; especially when it comes to making a livelihood. The results were incredible, today she’s grabbed the attention of 20K followers. See for yourself how she gets the job done, follow her work on Instagram @monikathen_yn_mentor.
WALK BEFORE YOU LEARN TO RUN
Monika: The first video I posted, I spent about 5 hours on it. Even after spending all that time, I still thought it wasn’t good enough. It takes time to shoot, edit, add music, cut something, speed things up. Everything was new for me. Back then, it was possible that my daughter could have posted faster (than me.) Now I can do it in a few minutes.
YN TIP: If you set your mind to do something, it can be achieved as long as give yourself a consistently safe space for trial and error. There might be an inner critic telling you that you’re not good enough or that everything has to be perfect in order to post. In reality, perfection is a stalling tactic for the risk-averse. Quiet that inner critic by being kind to yourself and be authentic throughout your learning process. There is no shame in being imperfect. The goal is to share something about you/your work every day. We never said it had to be perfect.
CONTENT RAMPAGE
Monika: I took the suggestion, “You have to do more video” and just started posting content. I thought, I have just to go home and start doing this now. I just posted it and it worked. In the beginning, on Instagram, I was like just today or maybe 2-3 times a week. I look at social media as a part of my work now. It is something that you have to do all the time.The first year I started with zero. I just used my phone. I learned by testing out a few apps. I studied YouTube to see if I could do similar things. In year two, I grew from a few to 2000 followers. Today, 733 posts and three years later, I will hit 20K followers.
YN TIP: Proceed slowly and one day at a time. Believe in yourself. With a tad more effort than you use to post your #staycation, you will be well on your way to posting more content. You already have everything you need. It doesn’t have to be crazy or complicated. Prioritize posting daily for a week, try a mini 7 Day Challenge. Break through the feelings of impossible to discover it is possible. Ask a fellow nail artist or salon mate to join you on the journey of building this new marketing habit. Notice what works for you and what doesn’t. After you clear one week, see if you can continue the week after, and so on and so on. The more you do it, we promise the easier it will become. Accept that some days are going to be more challenging than others. That’s just the nature of things.
A SIMPLE PLAN
Monika: I plan around, Who is coming today? Who is my client? The post doesn’t have to be huge or creative. I ask what knowledge or information can I offer even if it’s simple or basic. Just putting out good simple information helps a lot. It doesn’t have to be three inch stilettos with marbling and sculpted 3D flowers. Salon work is different than that. Students want to learn how to do nails. The simple (boring stuff) is important like hygiene and finish plus all the steps in between. I base (everything) on the nails that I’m doing that day. I put the camera on and don’t overthink it. Some posts just don’t do well. And that’s just it. No big deal. Get yourself organized. Think when you can do it. Get your phone. Hit record. Download the app to help you present it how and when you want to.
YN TIP: Big reveal...content is what you are already doing. I’m going to shoot and document it instead of create it. That’s how you get a lot of videos. Boom. That’s the true secret to creating daily content. Don’t overthink it. We recommend putting out small bites of education or entertainment. What makes content engaging is how it’s digested. Hook your audience with a straight forward video about removing shine, pushing back cuticles, working around the cuticles or building the body. These are all vital to what makes a set of nails hold up. You don’t have to create separate stand alone pieces of content. Keep it simple and document the salon starring you being you. You already have what it takes.
OBJECTIVITY
Monika: I’ve done videos that I’ve criticized, of course. Some weren’t centered, the background wasn’t great or the brush was on the side and I didn’t like it. I still posted them anyway. I actually never had a bad experience with it. Nothing bad actually happened to me when I posted something that I didn’t like. It didn’t matter in the end result. I’ve had people criticize or comment in a negative way. Even though I was afraid in the beginning, it still has never put me off from posting. There are posts that I didn’t like but got 100K+ views..
YN TIP: Just start to experiment and put it out there. The quality of the work improves as you go. The next time will be better. Sometimes the obvious is not so obvious while you are working in the moment. You learn from your mistakes. You can’t take the negativity you might receive personally. For every one critic, there are many more supporters of your work. Focus on the positive. That being said, don’t discount the criticism. Sometimes we are too close to the work to be objective. See if there is actually some feedback you can take from it. Turn over the criticism and examine it with curiosity. If it doesn’t serve you in any way; do not let it take up residence in your head space. Let it go.
**This is an adaption from our YN Biz Talk playlist on YouTube, “Overcoming Fear of Posting on Social Media”.
Follow our YN YouTube Channel and click here to watch the full discussion here:
21 October 2019