Whether it's Instagram or Facebook, everyone’s using social media to promote a product, sell a service, or share their memories of loved ones. So what's the secret? Let's turn to an unlikely source to learn: Will Smith.

With now over 15 million Instagram followers, Will Smith seems to have one of the most interesting, consistent and yet, early-stage accounts to date. He only opened his account during his appearance on the famously hilarious Ellen DeGeneres Show on December 14, 2017, and immediately gained over 1 million followers. I began to watch his account very carefully and there are 3 things that really drew my attention.

1. Content: Before his big Instagram reveal, I began wondering how much content Will and his team stirred up during the course of not being on social media to give enough “content” to have his followers entertained? Every few days Will is posting a very entertaining 1-minute trailer into the happenings of his life that are really put together. I remember one post that he filmed while shooting a movie scene. While he waited to shoot a scene, Will shot a video about how most of us want to say how we feel yet we don’t. It was so relevant, funny, and entertaining that I couldn’t help but laugh.
2. Consistency: Every day (or every other day) you see a post on Will’s page that not only draws you in but keeps you wanting to know more about him and his adventures. All you know is that he will post something soon and you can’t wait to see it. Having consistency helps him engage his followers and build his audience.
3. Relevance: Believe it or not, I don't actually follow Will Smith on social media. So how do I see what he's posting? He makes connections to what people are talking about at the moment and it goes viral, getting shared across social media channels. For example, Will made a ton of video related to the Philadelphia Eagles win at the Super Bowl and tagged the team in his posts. This helped bring his content to a larger audience and people shared it with their friend and family. Why? Becuase it was relevant at the moment.

So what can we as barbers learn from Will Smith’s social media presence? Create content consistently that is relevant to your followers. If you’ve never started a social media account or you have an account and are not actively using it,  start taking pictures of clients, services, products and more importantly “happenings” within your community or around the world and begin to post about them and tag/hashtag it. This will help you become visible to the topic and raise awareness to become a part of the explore page of your audience. I know that you’re thinking, “I don’t have the presence Will Smith has” but that couldn’t be further from the truth. You are a local celebrity to your audience/fans and they’re paying attention to your content. 

Today it is just as important to have an online presence as it is to have an in-person presence. You must be willing to have a story, tell a story, and sell a story; this is what fills your book and keeps happy clients in your chair.

Photo: Jacob Lund

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