My View 1: Instagram & Self-worth

Introducing a new sub-series to the LashBase Podcast. Short, sometimes sharp, sometimes sweet views of the lash industry from Jamie @ LashBase. Taken from an IGTV video and filmed from a car. The audio quality isn't great but the message is clear. We hope you enjoy the first of many of these mini episodes. Let us know what you think via Instagram (@LashBase_Jamie & @LashBase_UK). Episode info: I have now witnessed more cases of lash artists Instagram account being hack than I can count on my hands. This more often than not happens when the lash artist is doing something that may not be "by the book" when it comes to using Instagram. A mysterious email offering "verification", a third party app promising to give them deeper insights or even an auto-engagement platform that will do all of your "liking" for you. It all sounds so enticing and helpful. But regardless of how it happens, losing your account is never fun.It's also ironic, the reason you can become a victim in the first place is also the reason for such despair when it happens. You attribute your personal and businesses self-worth to the amount of followers you have. The amount of likes you get. A blue tick. None of those things prove or indicate anything about your business or you as a person. Instagram can be a great tool for your business, but it can also be your downfall. As a lash artist (trying to fill your diary with clients) you DO NOT need to have thousands of followers. In fact, having thousands of followers from all over the world will actually have a negative impact on reaching the right audience! You can have a diary bursting at the seams without Instagram. Yet most spend 90% of their efforts ON Instagram. This is why I am so against "follow for follow" plans or "engagement pods" because none of them help you achieve what you really want. CLIENTS, MONEY, BUSINESS. Honest and open Instagram education is not easy to come by and the world we live in also contributes to chasing vanity metrics. But please understand, growing your business has nothing to do with how many disinterested, unengaged, irrelevant followers that you have. Side note: If you understand who your target audience is and create content that is valuable to them, you will grow your Instagram account the right way. 500 local, lash-extension-wearing potential clients is worth more than 10,000 lash artists from 200 miles away.