Our Most Wanted Education Expert for 2023, Conor Doyle, is here to teach the basics on building your profile from the bottom up
As a social savvy hair pro with over 150K followers on TikTok, Conor James Doyle knows a thing or two about social media and how to build a platform from the ground up, while keeping up with its ever-changing trends. Speaking exclusively to Creative HEAD, he shares some top tips on where to start…
Be authentic
“TikTok is a zero ‘BS’ platform with a cutthroat userbase. Users don’t tend to give much attention to over-produced content (unless it’s veered into professional level) but more importantly, they hate to feel that the person they are viewing is overly polished, sales-focussed or pushing an agenda. Don’t be afraid to have fun with it! Record your content and tone of voice in the same way you would talking to friends.”
Process over result
“Consumers on TikTok thrive on getting a glimpse behind the professional curtain. A 13 second video of an application shot with a few key points will often do better than your classic ‘before and after’.”
Be reactive
“TikTok is VIOLENTLY fast in its pace, trends, and themes; ideas erupt daily and vanish as quick. If something catches your eye, roll with it, and make a video in similar taste or responding to something topical. Again, as I’ve mentioned, it doesn’t have to be perfect, just authentic.”
Stay consistent
“TikTok caters more to a new crowd than your own following. Showing up in a similar way (and frequently!) creates recognition, meaning you will pop up on ‘for you pages’ of new viewers. Pick a rough number of posts per week, have a general style of video (this can take some time to finesse but have fun experimenting in the meantime!) and then stick with it as best you can.
Think of it like this metaphor; if you regularly attend events in a specific city wearing the same kind of style, even those who do not know you, will start to recognize you the more they see you.”
…Here comes the cliché
“Have fun! It’s not that serious. I can tell you now, the videos I pour my heart and time into rarely do well. On the contrast, some of my videos with views in the millions have often been filmed or edited off-the-cuff and felt fun to create.
Don’t forget this: If you were bored creating something or bored watching it back, there’s a good chance other people will be too!”
Related Articles
A Walk into the Unknown
Learn the art of maximising every opportunity in the salon
How to double your business without one new guest, upgrade or take-home sale
A no-nonsense guide from Robert Cromeans to improving your salon’s re-bookings, and boosting frequency of visit
Make that connection
Authenticity always wins out
