Alternative Platforms To Grow Your Clientele Other Than Instagram

Jodie, I think people should be paying me for this frigging podcast episode today. Because if you ... if I had anybody come to me and be like, "Okay. I wanna use other platforms that are really working well right now besides Instagram to grow my clientele.

Which one should I use and exactly how should I do it?" This is literally what my answer would be, in exchange for money. So, if you're listening to this right now my friend, trust, believe you're going to want to get into it. It's going to be juicy.

We are so excited about this outline that we have ready for you today. I can't ... no. We're gonna be talking about three unique, quote unquote, like alternative platforms that maybe you wouldn't normally think about right now.

Or, maybe that you maybe think about or consider, other than Instagram, to be able to grow your clientele right now, today's day and age, this date that we're recording. Yeah. Are we excited, Jodie Brown? I'm super excited 'cause I would also say like very seldom can we bring things that are like super, super, super, super new in the marketing space.

Like, because there's so many foundational things. I don't think- Yes. any of these things would have been even something we could talk about, like two years ago. So, I'm really excited about this.

I agree. I agree. And so, one of the things on here, actually two of the things, uh, that we're gonna be talking about, two of the platforms that we're talking about here today, have to do with the fact that right now people are so sick of sponsored or curated algorithmic responses to what they're looking for online. So, for example, if somebody is going to Google something, they want to find the answer that is relevant to them.

But oftentimes, you have to surf through a couple of different things until you actually get there. Now, we do have AI summary with Google right now, and that is changing a little bit of things. But, what that brings me to is, I will even not trust the AI summary. 'Cause I'm like, okay, well where are you getting this ...

where is this AI getting this information from? And, what we now are trying to find as human beings are other human experiences and opinions about things when we are searching for things. Which is often why it's powerful for you to be mentioned, let's say, in a Facebook group thread, because oftentimes Facebook, in Facebook groups, especially community local Facebook groups, you'll have people post and say, "Where are y'all getting your hair done nowadays," right? That's why, because people are looking for real human being experiences, instead of just like what the Google, what the first Google My Business listing is with the best reviews.

And this brings me to our first platform, which is not Facebook groups, it is Reddit. Especially for me with traveling, 'cause y'all know I'm crazy with like traveling and nature-y, hike-y stuff, w- I will, every single time I put anything in my Google search, I am putting Reddit at the end of it. And the reason why is because Reddit is a community input thread. It is, everybody is putting in, in their own experiences, responding to whatever the post is, right?

And so, I'm actually get, getting real people's voices and experiences. And a ton of my students are now actually saying that their clients are finding them through Reddit recommendations, because their clients are recommending them on Reddit threads. Right. So, here's the tea.

As a human being, I like am regretful of sharing this advice because I'm like kind of pushing us to kind of ruin that for us, like I'm kind of like pushing to like ruin the fact that like we can find this authentic space, so like find authentic, real answers. But that's not necessarily true. I'm go- but I'm going to, in spite of that, give you the advice for how you, as a business, can strategically start to show up in these spaces, right? So, basically it's really straightforward and simple, which is the great part about this.

Only if you know how to mobilize your clients to take action. We do a lot of that stuff within Modern Stylist Movement, but you basically just need to Google best hairstylist, and maybe add your specialty in there as well, too, in X city, right? So your city, wherever your sal- salon in, and then Reddit at the end of your Google search. And then you'll find all of the Reddit threads that first pop up, and all of the Reddit threads that are relevant to that, and I'm sure that p- most likely, unless you're maybe, unless you're in like a smaller town, most likely there are Reddit threads that have already been established and posted that have asked for the best hairstylist.

And so then you're, there's o- might already be some responses, et cetera, et cetera. You collect those links to those Reddit threads, and then just mobilize your clients to leave their own experiences on those Reddit threads, the same exact way that they would be leaving you, let's say a five-star testimonial on your Google My Business listing. So it's literally the same exact thing. So that is how you can use Reddit and be the one who's recommended multiple times, and be much more likely to actually show up.

And this is also going to furthermore help with your SEO and being found in other ways as well, too, because there's gonna be more mention of you across the internet. There's gonna be more sources of your name under these certain topics and categories where AI is crawling, and we'll talk about AI in this episode, but I'm gonna pause. And Reddit threads do show up in search too. Like, I'm planning a move next year- Yes.

and so I'm doing a lot of research 'cause I'm moving to a big city, about neighborhoods. And so, when I'm putting in like all my questions about neighborhoods into Google, it's bringing up Reddit threads, as well as all the other things. So I feel like it definitely is becoming more like prioritized, and probably for exactly the reason that you said, 'cause people wanna hear from other actual humans. Yeah.

And you know, like I said earlier, as a human, I am not excited about ... I think that, I think that we, uh, as marketers are just ki- like I, we're seeing this opportunity and we're trying to grasp- Mm-hmm. Right. onto it.

Like ma- like b- businesses and marketers, we are trying to basically colonize every single space that we can get visibility, right? And so like, you know, it's inevitable and it's gonna happen at some point, so how about you be the early adopter. I think there's massive opportunity for you, my friend, listening to this right now, to take advantage of this opportunity. And I just gave you some really badass advice.

Again, you should be paying me for this, my friend. So, thanks for tuning in to Modern Hair Stylist Podcast. So, we were ta- I was, I was alluding to also AI a little bit, and that's kind of like the second platform here. And I've talked about this a little bit.

You know, I, I really do believe that AI is becoming so important to take into consideration when it comes to being found as a hairstylist. And so, w- w- you know, somebody may post in ... This, again, these are real experiences from my ...... hairstylists who are in my community who are being found by AI.

Like, their clients are literally saying, "I put you in my ChatGPT search." Like, or they said, "In my ChatGPT search, I asked for the best hairstylist who specializes in this thing, under this budget," with whatever else, or, "in the ChatGPT prompt." And so, what they're calling this now is AIO, like, AI optimization, versus, like, SEO, which is, like, search engine optimization, and I would say they're two in the same, right? But, like, now, like, we wanna be even more so likely to be recommended by AI.

And the thing about AI is that it's going to allow people to be much more specific with their search, and I've ranted about this already so much, about how maybe this is becoming so much even more important to be more specialized, to be more unique in your space, because people are looking for exactly what they're looking for, and they're able to find it now with this AI. But basically, you wanna focus on your AI out. And so, the other day, I actually opened up, uh, a ChatGPT search, and BTW, I've always given y'all the advice of turning off your memory in your ChatGPT and going about, you know, making sure that it knows your stuff in different ways. But because my memory is off in my ChatGPT and it doesn't know who I am, it was non-biased, and I asked it, like, "Find me, like, a hairstylist, like, business coach," or whatever it may be.

And I did not show up in this search. And I was like, "Okay, well, this is obviously an opportunity for me to figure out, why did I not show up in this search?" So then I asked it, "Why didn't I show up in the search?" It gave me a bunch of reasons, and then I asked it, like, "Okay, so how can I, like, what are your suggestions for h- h- for how I can show up in your AI searches in the future to other people?"

And you're basically reverse engineering and getting the exact answer to why somebody else's ChatGPT prompt would sh- would or would not show you in your specific area. And I think that that- that's very powerful information, and that g- that coincides with just making sure that you are focusing on your SEO and doubling down on it. We have an entire master class on it in Modern Stylist Movement, if you're already a member, if you wanna check that out. But making sure that you're sh- again, showing up in many places across the internet, very much searchable, and then niche down and specific enough, so that way, when people are looking for specific solutions, you're likely to actually show up in these AI searches.

And I feel like this also, like, ultra emphasizes the importance, which you've said this a million times, about how important it is to understand the language that your clients are using and the language the consumer is using. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, actually. So, we just had a- a bunch of new students come into Modern Stylist Movement, and I talk about, like, you know, market research all the time and, um, how important it is, and I... Because it's so important, I'm now making it, like, the very first thing that people do when they get into the program is, like, "You are now going to poll your clients, and you're going to figure out what is their language around what you do."

Yeah. So, that way, in your copy, in the places that you're showing up and using these words, you are likely to use the same words that your clients are likely to use. So, thank you so much for bringing that up. That is becoming much more important as well, to be able to be found by AI.

And when I say "AI," I'm talking about the umbrella, you know, uh, whether it be ChatGPT, Google summaries, um, even Instagram has its own AI situation l- when it comes to that search now. 100%, yeah. I think when it comes to AI optimization, whatever, like, it doesn't matter if you yourself are, like, massively adopting it. It is now a part of every single search functionality on the internet, period.

Period. Yeah. Period. Yeah, and there's nothing that you can do about that as of right now- Yeah, for sure.

in a significant way. Um, go ahead. So, the next platform that we're gonna talk about also, there's a little, there's a little SEO conversation to be had here al- as well. Yeah.

So, couple, I think I even actually have an, a specific episode about it. It's literally, like, Instagram versus TikTok. Like, which one sh- would I go for? And I think that was, like, two years ago, I had, like, somebody message me, maybe, like, a beauty school student or something like that, like, asking me, like, "Which one should I use and which one should I focus on if I had to choose one?"

Mm-hmm. And I think at the time, my answer was Instagram. And, you know, I don't, I don't know if that would still be my answer. I mean, my answer is always gonna be wherever your ideal client is showing up, right?

But if we're just talking general terms, right, like, more influencer terms, right, then I don't know. Like, because I have students who are now, like, blowing up on TikTok and, like, doing really well with TikTok. And I think there's something to be said about the TikTok algorithm being so amazing at doing what it does. Right.

Like, y'all, if y'all are on TikTok, like, y'all know that that TikTok algorithm knows you better than you know yourself. Right. Like, it is wildly accurate, way better than Meta's, as much as Meta wants to try and copy it. At the time of recording this, there's, like, some political stuff going on where there's, like, threats of the algorithm getting sold or not sold or recreated, so hopefully the algorithm stays good, because that we can use that to our advantage.

As to I am getting Philadelphia-specific stuff all the time now, and... Whereas two years ago, where I evaluated TikTok as a viable, you know, platform or not, like, especially from the beginning, like, it has not necessarily been, like, a locally optimized platform, and it was reaching people from all over the world, the majori- and it still is the majority of the time. But I'm finding that it's now curating, at least on my feed and, of course, with my, eh, apparently with my students' feeds and their clients' feeds- Yeah. more l- geo-located things, where it's showing people from their area, their community, and even then some, even if it doesn't, there's still, with so many people being exposed to you, of course there has to be some sort of odds that there is going to be a- a small amount of that group that will be somewhere close to you, right?

And... Because you reach so many people with TikTok. Like, you can reach so many more people with TikTok than you can with Instagram in a very short amount of time.So, the biggest concern with TikTok has always been that it's showing your content to people beyond your local area.

And, of course, the people in your local area are the people who are going to pay you, right? So, if we're not reaching them, then we're not growing our business and we're wasting time. However, the ways that we can make it so our content on TikTok is more likely to reach people in our local area is, of course, SEO. I've used that acronym a lot this episode, right?

We wanna make sure that we are using our local city name, our local state name, and even our specialty name as well, too, in our bio, in our TikTok title, in our captions, in our hashtags of our captions, and then even in the word that you're saying if it's relevant. I don't s-... I don't think that you should ever force it, and actually, a lot of the time, like, things that, things online that detect SEO can tell if you're trying to force it a lot of the time. So, if you c-...

if you can make... if you can naturally put these things into your stuff, then I... it'll be m-... it'll make it much more likely for the algorithm to send it to more local people.

If you're nervous to show up on TikTok or you're not really sure where to start, the first thing I'll say is I believe that the same type of things that you could post on Instagram I think will do really well on TikTok as well, too. So, you can just double post and start to repost your content, at least, right? Granted, with that being said, one thing that I do think would be really great for you to start with, and I'm actually getting inspiration from somebody in our mastermind, Alyssa Monet, and that will hold you accountable too, is doing, like, a multi-day self-challenge or something like that. So, Alyssa, l-...

I just checked out her TikTok. She has been doing this, like, 30 days to, like, better curls. And so, she's posting every single day and talking about how people can get better curls. Like, and so it's, like, something that somebody can follow along with.

Normally, that does really well with TikTok, but also volume is very important with TikTok. You can post and should post a ton on TikTok, because you will get, like, one post that gets, like... Like, one out of your, like, five posts may blow up, right, no matter how much you post. Where I feel like with Instagram, like, you kind of...

I don't know. There's, like, theories and even personal experiences where, like, if you post too much, then you feel like you get penalized for doing so, right? Yeah. Where I think with TikTok, it's the opposite, where, like, the more volume you have, like, the better you will do overall.

Mm-hmm. So, to hold you accountable, because you'll be putting yourself out there and saying, "Hey, I'm gonna be doing a 30 days of whatever," right, and now people are... You're o-... y- you know, your ass is on the line, right?

Like, you told people that you were gonna do this. I think that could really be helpful. And the great thing about TikTok is you can just pull out your front-facing camera, and it can be so messy and, like, so, like, natural, and that's actually, a lot of the time, what does better on TikTok anyway. So, it takes a little bit of the polished, curated, perfection off...

weight off of your shoulders, I guess you could say. Right. And then, so, what else is performing well? Like, what are the other kinda things that you can take from Instagram and put onto TikTok in this stylist space?

And the reason I say that is because there are specific things on Instagram that will do really well over on TikTok, such as, like, consultation videos, right? Mm-hmm. Like, consultation videos, like, where you have a microphone on and then the client has a microphone on, and then you guys film that entire thing, and then you show the, the after at the very end. Like, that shit hits on TikTok.

Like, hardcore. I see it all the time. And there's that one influencer who became, like, very famous for... very viral for, like, asking for permission to, like, touch their client before they, they actually move forward with the service.

Like, perfect example. Like, that person has, like... is probably booked the... out and busy.

By the way, I must address this. This person also gets a lot of haters. Mm. And I think I even brought this up in my episode w- uh, when talking about TikTok a couple...

whenever I did that. I brought up the fact that, like, be ready for haters, you know? And- a- and, and I know that's scary, but, like, f-... who the...

cares about these people? Like, they don't offer any value to your life. So, like, what I've always told myself as a gay man who expresses myself unapologetically is, like, "Am I going to let this dickhead, who literally does not matter to my life at all, take away... am I gonna give them my opportunity, give away my opportunity to reach the people who will actually celebrate me and who I can benefit from sharing with?"

Like, no. I'm not willing to make that compromise. So, I suggest that if you're scared of that, then you don't make that compromise either, and when you get the hate, that you keep that in mind, that these people are just trash and garbage and they literally don't add anything to your life. They don't matter.

The people that matter are the people who love you, and the people that you love, and the people who are celebrating you. Those people's opinions matter. Happy people- Period. don't comment hateful things on other people's posts on the internet, so I try to always keep that in mind.

Yes. So, yeah, that consultation videos, and then just anything authentic, you know, or anything where there's human engagement. And then, but also B-roll works too. As long as you have, like, something that you're saying on it, maybe- Right.

Or, E, I would go as far as to say even just B-roll, if you're, like... if your brand is a little bit more, like, relaxing, or if you have a really, like, relaxing and cool client experience, like, a little bit more of, like, the ASMR vibe- Mm. of it all, you know? Like, B-roll, like, sexy video of that type of stuff will also do really well too, 'cause it's, like, satisfying content.

Yes, 100%. I think it's a little bit of, like, a nervous system reset. I always stop and watch those, personally. Oh.

My. God. I always get pulled in by an ASMR video. Same.

And people don't... Okay, so b-... uh, for those of you, because I cannot believe how many people don't know what an ASMR video is. An ASMR video, I don't know what the...

sound, uh, stands for. Neither. Y'all can google it, okay? It's, like, it's like...

Well, we're talking, like... if we're talking, like, real ASMR, it's when people, like, make, like, weird, like, noises that, like, just, like, tickle your brain, basically. Go... If you don't know what ASMR is, go on YouTube and look up a video so you can understand what I'm talking about here.

But, those are our three platforms, other than Instagram, that are working right now to grow your clientele, and two of them are honestly really simple, and honestly don't really require that much consistency. Yep. So, no excuses, y'all. I ain't playing games, because here's the tea.

I was talking to Jodie about this. There's actually... Wait. W-...

We are going to... We are gonna have a, a episode soon enough about how to stay consistent on social media if you don't feel like doing it. Okay. Is it next week?

No, three weeks. Oh, wait, we're doing it in three weeks. So, stay tuned for that. It's gonna be very tea.

If you stop marketing, you cannot be upset that you are not getting clients. Like, I don't know what to tell you, friend. Like, marketing... Like, like, no company i-...

like, stops marketing and then is surprised that they don't have clients, right, that they don't have customers or business. So, I just gave you beautiful formulas for how to make all these things work for you. I, like, handed it to you on a platter, so no excuses if you listen to this episode, all right? Thank you so much for tuning into the Modern Hairstylist podcast.

Peace out, girl scout. Bye-bye.

End of transcript. © 2025 Hunter Donia LLC.