Social media strategy for tattoo artists
Tattoo artists on social media – everything you need to know!
Content strategy
Set objectives using the SMART framework
Create a content strategy that is:
- cohesive
- consistent
- targeted
- clear objectives
Content pillars – 3 main topics
Find out more about content pillars here.
Tattoo
- showcase tattoos
- film the tattooing process
Behind the scenes
- preparing for a tattoo
- client consultations
- drawing stencils and tattoo flashes
- studio – opening/closing, cleaning
Life – include yourself in the content
- day in life
- favourite places around
- give your audience more info about yourself
Content ideas
Entertaining
- Transitions
- “Tap” the skin before, with stencil on and a done tattoo.
- Film your stencil and shake your phone; do the same shake when you film the finished tattoo.
- Tattooing
- simply shoot yourself as you prep for a tattoo, meet the client, tattoo and a finished product – keep each of these max 3s long
- Stencil application.
- Drawing freehand (from reference).
- Film the tattooing process and slowly reveal how it’s becoming a whole tattoo.
- Don’t forget to share clients’ stories – What did they want and how did you make their story “alive”?
- simply shoot yourself as you prep for a tattoo, meet the client, tattoo and a finished product – keep each of these max 3s long
If you want to be creative, create carousels in Canva and share some of these as static posts ⬇️
- Inspirational/promotional – share your story
- How did you become a tattoo artist?
- When did you decide you wanted to do tattooing as a career?
- How does it affect your life?
- What (and where) course/degree did you study?
- How did you land on your tattoo style?
- Share photos/videos of the studio before and after.
- Educational – show your opinion
- Tattoo myth debunked.
- Share what you think about certain myths
- Tips on how to treat a fresh tattoo.
- Common “complications” with a fresh tattoo.
- Show fresh and healed tattoos.
- Common misconceptions about tattoos/tattooing.
Social media content
- Create content for your targeted audience.
- Mix-up formats:
- Reels – create engaging videos and add trending audio to increase visibility.
- Posts – create carousels showcasing your expertise. This gives you space to showcase your skills in different formats.
- Stories – Include promotions, free flashes, day-to-day life etc.
- Videos – shoot videos that you can repost on TikTok or Youtube shorts.
Instagram profile optimisation
Your profile NEEDS to include these elements:
➡️ Keywords
- Thanks to keywords people can find you better and your content will pop up to the relevant audience.
- These would be words like “tattoo”, “tattoo artist”; “tattoo studio London” etc.
➡️ Brand value
- This is anything about your business you want to highlight.
- Create a brand story and let it shine through in your content
➡️ Location
- Location is a crucial part of SEO.
- Include it in your BIO, as well as posts and stories.
➡️ Service highlights
– Every platform has some sort of highlight or feature post. USE IT!
– These featured posts should include key information about your business as well as products or services.
– Don’t forget to add a personal touch.
BIO
- Instagram BIO should answer these questions:
- Why should people choose you as their tattoo artist?
- Who is your service for?
- What do you specialise in?
- Where are you located?
Highlights and pinned posts
- These give you the opportunity to introduce yourself as a tattoo artist, but also your business.
- Include information like pricing, about, tattoo flashes etc.
- Here is what I usually include for my clients:
- Booking information – how and where to book?
- Free flashes – designs that are free for people to choose from.
- About you (your work) and your studio.
- Healing information.
Creating content on social media doesn’t need to be hard. As a tattoo artist, you have a lot of options. Don’t be afraid to be creative with it!
