What We Can All Learn from this Talented Young Stylist’s Instagram Account

I’ve known Dusty McEvoy (pictured) since she was a teenager. Always artistic, I was thrilled when she told me she would be going to cosmetology school to be a hairstylist. One thing we shared was our love for photography. As she learned and began her career working in salons, she would often post photos on her Instagram account and her followers grew steadily.

Now that Dusty has a few years of salon experience under her belt and full-time career at Alexander’s Spa and Salon in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., she has perfected her Instagram game not only to share her styles, but to strengthen her brand, and to promote Alexander’s as well. This has resulted in a full appointment book, an ever-growing client list, and weekends booked throughout the summer as the hairstylist for bridal parties. So how did she do it, and what lessons can we all learn, no matter what our professions, about her Instagram strategy?

Dusty’s Top 10 Instagram Tips

1.  Download a good photo app. As most people do, Dusty uses only her phone to take photos of her creations. With the right apps, optimizing photos is easy and saves time. “I use two apps exclusively,” says Dusty. “Between Snapseed and Pixlr, I can do anything I need to with a photo.” Both Snapseed and Pixlr are available for Apple and Android, and have free versions. Snapseed is an amazing all-around photo app that has more advanced photo filters than Instagram, and you can use its tools to crop, skew, correct brightness and color, and more. The second app, Pixlr, is also a photo editor, but Dusty uses this app to overlay her name as a watermark on all photos. Which brings us to her second tip…

2. Watermark all of your photos. Dusty’s advice is to subtly watermark every photo you upload. What is a watermark? It’s an identifier of your logo or some branded text that identifies the photo as yours. “I try to put the watermark as close, or on, the subject so that it can’t be cropped out. I’ve become pretty creative about where I put it,” says Dusty. “This is important because with my hairstyles, braids and color I want people to know, even if the photo is shared, that it’s mine.”

3.  Find good light. “One of the most important aspects of a great picture is the light source,” says Dusty. “Alexander’s has big beautiful windows that lets light in.” A flash won’t do a beautiful color job justice, so rather than trying to duplicate daylight, she doesn’t feature all of her styles on Instagram. “I am selective about what I post,” she said.

4.  Make sure your background is free of clutter. “I frame my photo before I take it. I want the hair to be the focal point, so I find a neutral background or plain wall space to put my subject. If he or she is wearing a busy print or clothing that is distracting, I put the cape back on for the photo.” Dusty also uses her photo app to blur the background as much as possible to emphasize her subject.

5.  Keep it real. Even though Dusty has access to lots of pre-built filters, she doesn’t use them on her subject. “I may crop the photo and add watermarks, and maybe adjust the exposure, but I don’t use filters on my photos. What you see is real,” she said.

6.  Post regularly, but it’s not necessary to post every day. “I post to my Instagram when I have something I want to show,” says Dusty. She is more concerned with quality than quantity.

7.  You are your brand – protect your image. Since Dusty is a stylist, her Instagram tag is her name, and it’s important to her that her personality shines through, but she manages what she shares. “I always make sure that I’m being authentic, and I share personal photos, but I also maintain a level of professionalism in everything I do.” 

8.  Make your Instagram a business account. If you are using your name as your business, you can convert your personal profile Instagram to a business profile. “The business account gives me information about which posts are popular and at what time of day,” she said. Converting to a business account is easy and it gives you access to all analytics, makes it possible to share posts to your Facebook account, and it also allows you to advertise certain posts, increasing reach and engagement. Here’s a link that shows you how to convert to a business account:

https://www.socialreport.com/insights/article/115005498723-Should-You-Convert-to-an-Instagram-Business-Profile-

9.  Don’t be afraid to post. “I post a lot of different things to see what resonates,” says Dusty. “Some things really take off, and others don’t. But it’s ok – I just have fun with it.”

10. Follow others in your industry and keep learning. “I’ve found a lot of other stylists online that inspire me,” says Dusty. No matter what your industry, there’s someone out there doing what you do and is killing it on social media. Learn from them. “I have my own style, but I love to see what others are doing. Maybe one day I will inspire others,” she said.

So what’s in the future for Dusty? “I plan to keep creating and doing what I love,” she said. “I have the best job in the world.” Big things for her right now are interesting color combinations, braids for men and women, and hair jewelry. Start following Dusty’s Instagram to see her creations – and be inspired! @_dusty

Here's a photo @_dusty took after our interview - blue hair is a first for me :)

Questions about social media or marketing? Contact Patty DeViva at [email protected].