Favorites Videos
Articles
Pricing  
Sign in Register for free!
Sign in Register
CLOSE


How to evaluate Instagram accounts in brow business

Feb 22, 2024, Update: Feb 23, 2024, author: Hairstrokes.com / Holistic PMU
Share this article
2

"For artists specializing in hairstrokes using Instagram, the actual value of your account goes beyond just the number of followers. What matters more are the genuine connections and how well your followers align with what you offer. Having an account with thousands of followers may seem impressive. Still, the true worth of your brow business lies in authentic engagement and having followers who are genuinely interested in your services. Don't be misled by large follower counts; concentrate on cultivating a community that truly appreciates your expertise."

1. Background


This article discusses interviews with 63 pigmentation artists specializing in hairstrokes, powder brows, microblading, and lip blush services. The majority, 51 artists, are based in EU countries, 7 in the UK, and 5 in the US. We selected artists who have actively worked on their Instagram accounts, achieving noticeable growth. Insights from these interviews were analyzed by three senior digital media marketing professionals from powderbrows.io, the digital marketing arm of the Powderbrows.com Research Center.

This article offers practical advice to new and experienced artists on navigating the world of Instagram more effectively.

2. Fixation on one number


When evaluating an Instagram account's value, a frequent mistake is focusing only on the number of followers. Experienced artists and social media experts agree that follower count isn't everything. The real value lies in the quality of the followers and their potential to become loyal customers.

A large follower count may look good, but their worth is significantly reduced if those followers are not genuinely interested in your content or fake. Instead, building a following of engaged, relevant viewers who genuinely enjoy your content and are more likely to become clients is essential.

Bigger numbers can be negative

This leads to a crucial insight: artists tend to fall into two categories—those chasing follower numbers as a sign of success and those focusing on converting followers and engagement into sales. Many experienced artists have noted that having many followers with low engagement can dilute the quality of your follower base. This, in turn, can make a high follower count counterproductive.

Understanding the Mass Follower Phenomenon

In social media, particularly among artists, there's a notable trend where fake followers are identified and rightly considered ineffective. They're part of “vanity metrics” or “vicious negative marketing,” a practice where competitors may artificially inflate an account's follower count. This is accurate - fake followers significantly deteriorate the quality of organic engagement metrics. However, a subtler issue often gets overlooked: the presence of mass followers. Though they may be real individuals, their impact on conversions and sales is just as negligible as that of fake followers.

Source of Mass Follower Growth

Some artists might implement strategies such as hosting giveaways of high-value items - like the latest iPhone or iPad - to swell their follower numbers. While such tactics can temporarily inflate the number of followers, they often do more harm than good regarding an account's genuine valuation. The reason is simple: many of these new followers are primarily motivated by the allure of the prize rather than an interest in the artist's work. These mass followers typically hail from populous countries (such as the US, India, and Latin American countries, notably Brazil), which can significantly skew the account's demographic profile.

The Impact of Mass Followers

Attracting followers through such prize-driven campaigns can lead to a demographic misalignment, manifesting in lower engagement rates and a diluted target audience. This demographic skew makes maintaining a high-quality, engaged follower base challenging, which is essential for genuine growth and sales conversions. The real value of a social media account lies not in its sheer follower count but in its audience's engagement and genuine interest.

Therefore, the emphasis should be on attracting a follower base that truly appreciates and connects with your artistry and services. Avoiding the temptation of quick-fix campaigns in favor of strategies that build genuine interest and engagement will ensure your social media presence's long-term value and effectiveness. This approach enhances the authenticity of your follower base and improves the likelihood of converting followers into clients, thereby maximizing your social media investment.

3. Be careful with agency services


The Challenge with Agency Services and Mass Followers 

A common issue arises when digital media agencies engage in practices that don't fully align with the long-term goals of artists and businesses. These agencies often enter into agreements promising to deliver "real people" as followers. However, the strategy employed to fulfill this promise frequently involves leveraging campaigns on external accounts, which remain invisible to the artist. While these agencies may concurrently run legitimate campaigns on the artist's account, the artist is led to believe in the growth of their "real follower" count. This situation becomes problematic when artists assess the authenticity of their followers based solely on the distinction between "real" and "bot" accounts, overlooking the fact that a significant portion of these "real" followers are, in effect, mass followers.

Mass Follower Engagement

The skepticism surrounding the engagement and conversion potential of mass followers is well-founded. Seasoned marketers often quip that "a dead man raises from the grave before a mass follower starts buying the services," a statement that, while hyperbolic, is grounded in reality. 

Analysis by the powderbrows.io team, drawing on data from over a hundred accounts, confirms this observation unequivocally. Despite being real individuals, most mass followers rarely purchase products or services. This lack of financial engagement is often attributed to their economic circumstances. Furthermore, their engagement with the account is minimal, except in campaigns offering freebies, where their participation spikes in the hope of winning something.

The Impact on Instagram Algorithms

Instagram's algorithms are adept at identifying accounts with a high percentage of mass followers and have increasingly taken actions such as shadowbanning to penalize accounts for this imbalance. Shadowbanning can severely restrict an account's engagement levels, as it limits the visibility of the account's content to users, effectively negating the perceived benefits of a large follower count.

This dynamic underscores the importance of prioritizing quality over quantity in follower acquisition strategies. For artists and businesses seeking to leverage Instagram effectively, it's crucial to collaborate with digital media agencies that understand the value of genuine engagement and are committed to strategies that attract truly interested followers. The goal should be cultivating an authentic community around your brand that follows, actively engages with, and supports your work. This approach ensures compliance with Instagram's policies and builds a solid foundation for sustainable growth and success on the platform.

4. Audience Quality


Audience Quality and Niche Specificity Relations

The worth of your Instagram account is inherently tied to the caliber of your audience and its unity with your specialized field. A compact but highly motivated and engaged audience interested in your Powder Brows, Hairstrokes, or Lip Blush services holds more value than a vast but indifferent group of followers.

Niche specificity is a potent tool on social media. By tailoring your content to meet the interests of a dedicated brow pigmentation community, you position yourself as a leading figure in this domain and heighten your chances of drawing in potential clients who truly value your expertise.

Engagement and Interaction Metrics

The real value of an Instagram account is measured by its engagement rate and the genuine interactions it fosters. Look beyond follower numbers and focus on critical engagement metrics such as likes, comments, shares, and saves. A high engagement rate indicates content that resonates with your audience, fostering meaningful interactions and reinforcing your standing in the beauty industry.

Fostering a welcoming space that promotes dialogue and attentiveness to feedback cultivates trust and loyalty among your followers. Authentic engagement demonstrates to potential clients your commitment to their opinions and needs, significantly enhancing your Instagram account's perceived value to existing followers and prospective customers.

Understanding the Vast Difference

Many artists fail to recognize the profound impact of genuine engagement on the value of their follower base. The gap between a large following, diluted with mass followers and bots, and a smaller, niche-specific, actively engaged following can be immense. The value differential can be as significant as "10x" or even "50x." This underscores the importance of prioritizing a quality, engaged audience over merely chasing higher follower counts.

5. Creating an Ideal Client Persona


In the realm of Instagram marketing, understanding the value of an account goes beyond simple demographic analysis. The true essence of a valuable Instagram account is its connection with an ideal potential client—the specific persona you aim to attract and engage. Crafting a detailed client persona is crucial for tapping into your target audience's preferences, aspirations, challenges, and fears, laying the groundwork for content that resonates deeply with them.

In-depth Characterization

To develop an ideal client persona, start with a comprehensive characterization of this individual. To create a multi-dimensional profile, include their age, location, occupation, interests, and hobbies. However, the depth comes from exploring their aspirations, the challenges they face, the goals they pursue, the dreams they cherish, and the fears that hinder them. This deep dive enables you to create content that appeals to and profoundly connects with your audience, making your Hairstrokes services more appealing.

Goals, Dreams, Problems, and Fears

Understanding your potential client's goals and dreams is vital for effectively tailoring your content to meet their desires and aspirations. Whether they desire the perfect hairstrokes for a special occasion or to boost their self-confidence, aligning your offerings with their goals creates a stronger connection with your account.

The strategy involves creating a tangible representation of your ideal customer and tailoring your marketing messages to resonate with this persona. This process starts with defining this "avatar," a crucial step that far surpasses the focus on vanity metrics. Concentrating on developing and refining this persona leads you on a journey toward more authentic and meaningful engagement, laying the groundwork for a successful Instagram presence that genuinely addresses the needs and desires of your ideal client.

6. Account Valuation


Evaluating the Account Value with Persona Overlap

After developing a detailed ideal client persona, the next step is assessing the subjective value of your Instagram account by examining how closely your follower demographics align with your persona's characteristics. This alignment—or overlap—between your ideal persona and actual followers is a critical indicator of your Instagram marketing's potential success. A strong correlation suggests your content effectively engages the intended audience. At the same time, a noticeable disparity might indicate a need to refine your content strategy to attract a more relevant follower base.

Practical Evaluation Process

To truly understand the value of your Instagram account, especially for Hairstrokes artists, it's crucial to look beyond mere follower numbers. The account's actual value, marked by organic growth, greatly depends on its congruence with your target client's persona. Analyzing your followers' demographics about your ideal client persona provides a solid foundation for accurately assessing your account's value.

Leveraging Analytics Platforms

Begin your evaluation by thoroughly defining the persona of your ideal client, noting their attributes, aspirations, and preferences. With this information, utilize analytics platforms like HypeAuditor.com to examine your account's follower demographics. This step allows you to measure the degree of alignment between your current followers and your target audience, offering a quantifiable method for assessing your marketing effectiveness.

Demographics vs. Engagement

In evaluating your account, the relevance of demographics to your ideal client persona is paramount, taking precedence over engagement rates. Although engagement is a significant aspect of social media success, pinpointing the precise reasons for fluctuations in engagement can be complex, as various factors, including content changes or algorithm updates, might influence it. Therefore, prioritizing demographics ensures that your efforts are directed toward reaching the appropriate audience, maximizing the likelihood of achieving your marketing objectives. This strategic focus on demographics over engagement provides a more reliable basis for enhancing your Instagram account's overall value in alignment with your business goals.

7. Conclusions


In the competitive brow business on Instagram, growth and maintaining a valuable account require prioritizing follower quality over quantity. As an artist, you should focus on building an engaged and relevant audience likely to become loyal customers. It's crucial to recognize that mass followers gained through giveaways or agency services can reduce your account's value due to their lack of genuine interest in your services and minimal contribution to engagement or sales.

To improve your Instagram strategy, create a detailed ideal client persona, delving into your target audience's preferences, aspirations, and challenges. This persona should inform your content creation, ensuring it appeals to potential clients who value your expertise in Powder Brows, Hairstrokes, Microblading, or Lip Blush services. Moreover, assessing your account's value should extend beyond follower numbers, focusing on the alignment between your followers' demographics and your ideal client persona. Tools like HypeAuditor.com can offer insights into this alignment, aiding in refining your strategy to attract a more relevant follower base.

Ultimately, engagement and interaction metrics, such as likes, comments, shares, and saves, better indicate your account's value than follower counts. Creating a welcoming environment that promotes dialogue and responsiveness can cultivate trust and loyalty among your followers. A more minor, niche-specific, actively engaged following is often significantly more valuable than a more extensive, disengaged audience. Prioritizing quality engagement and tailoring your content to match your audience's goals, dreams, and fears will boost your Instagram account's value, guiding you toward lasting success in the brow industry.
 
  Readers suggest
How to evaluate Instagram accounts? 
 
Personal branding and pocket brow brands 
 
Instagram online training analyzes 
 
 
 Read a longer version
Find this interesting?
or
 
Comments
 
Larissa
Friday, Feb 23, 2024

Great article once again. I believe being reader and member of this site has really changed my life as a PMU artist.

Relica
Friday, Feb 23, 2024

Very informative and good article one agai, especially if the artist is starting up in the PMU industry.


Want to learn Hairstrokes?
Your name*
E-mail*


Hairstrokes.com is a Powderbrows.com LLC company. It serves as the premier resource for material related to Hairstrokes - the most natural technique for creating brow pigmentation. For collaboration opportunities, contact us here.
Powderbrows.com partner in Scandinavia: Brows.fi
Holistic PMU
Powderbrows.com
Hairstrokes.com
Lipblush.com
Combobrows.com
Everyoung.com




Company
About us
Contact us!
Terms of Service
Privacy Policy
User
Account
Log In
Register
Upgrade!
© 2024. Powderbrows.com LLC. 225 Park Avenue, NY, NY, 10003, USA. All rights reserved. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy   |    Sitemap
Do you want a similar private portal platform? Contact developer: stprivatdevserv@gmail.com