Posts tagged social media

Point 76: From the Editor – Marina Pecorino

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The Point: Issue 76 - Cover

Marina Pecorino headshotMarina Pecorino
Managing Editor of Content & Statistics

“Good morning. Today is going to be epic!” A note with these words is how my conference experience started, and they couldn’t have been more true. is conference experience for me was epic. As my third APP Conference, this one takes the cake, but I’m sure future Conferences will be even sweeter.

I started the rough draft for this editorial after attending the week’s opening festivities at the pool party. As early morning light started peeking through my hotel window, I had an almost giddy appreciation of the events of the previous evening. For the first time at an opening party, I felt like I finally broke out of my shell. I willingly and enthusiastically floated between groups, sharing conversations about professional and personal topics; social media marketing techniques, obstacles faced by international piercers, organizing state-wide groups for piercers. I credit the awesome APP unisex underpants largely for my brazen approach.

Truthfully though, the credit should go to the incredible people in our industry, this community, and my tribe. Conference is a week of hardcore learning and aisles of unbelievably gorgeous merchandise, but it’s also a week for connecting with a much larger family. We welcome new people from around the world with an open attitude and without judgement.

My first class of Conference this year was a round table about disorders in the industry, and I heard many attendees mention social anxiety. This is certainly something I face especially in such a large crowd in such an overwhelming city, but support is strong with this group, and I feel that is a vital component for many of us. This support and lack of judgement allows Conference to serve as a safe space where ideas can flow.

Every year, I’m continually impressed by our international attendees traveling so far to share in the event. For some, the experience was only possible because of generous donations from others in our community. As an industry, the self improvement of one piercer benefits us all. The give and take of knowledge is a communal effort. Sitting around the “Splash Bar”, there are never ending opportunities to learn from exposure to new perspective through a casual conversation.

On Thursday night at the annual Banquet dinner, everyone was sporting their most futuristic attire. Quite a few folks won life-changing prizes. The scholars and volunteers cheered each other on for a week of hard work. The Board of Directors had another changing of the guard, allowing some great leaders to move on to new projects and others to take on new responsibilities. We said hello, goodbye, and thank you to members of our industry family.

And then, before we knew it, the week was over. The vibe died down and the piercing tribe dispersed. We all trickled back home and started counting the days until our next chance to gather. For many, this count-down will be short, thanks to opportunities like guest spots, Camp APP, and conferences like UKAPP (congrats on the second annual!) and BMXnet. Personally, I can’t wait to see you all in Vegas for the 22nd annual APP Conference; mark your calendars now for June 11-16, 2017.

Point 74: From the Editor – Marina Pecorino

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The Point - Issue 74

Marina Pecorino headshotMarina Pecorino
Managing Editor of Content & Statistics

I initially struggled to come up with direction for this editorial, partly because I feel that I’m somewhat of an outsider. I’m connected to the industry, obviously, but for now, I live my days in corporate America. On an issue geared toward technology in the industry, my brain immediately jumped to marketing, as this was one of my primary business roles during my time as a piercer. Honestly though, I think the biggest impact technology has for me currently is allowing me to connect so easily with all of you.

Throughout my life, I’ve found it difficult to stay in touch with friends when there is physical distance; I have great intentions, but my follow through can be lacking. Social media allows communication with my distant friends to become seamlessly integrated into my day-to-day life. I can now feel connected and do my introverted “lurk and like” while allowing people I care about to do the same.

Recently, I was trying to explain to my partner how supportive and appreciative the volunteer family is, even though many of us have only met in person a handful of times, if that. We’re not a daily face to face interaction in each other’s lives, but we still feel like family. I believe this to be true throughout the body modification community, which is one of the things I love most about having chosen this path. In many ways, my continued involvement in the industry is made possible because of the technology we have at our disposal.

It amazes me to realize that, as a result of my involvement with this industry, I’ve developed friendships with awe-inspiring people all over the world. Unfortunately, the last year seems to have dealt a lot of hard blows to our community. Having friends that span the far reaches of the globe can be extremely tough when someone is going through a particularly hard experience, and all I want to do is give them a hug. Technology makes connecting over these vast distances a little less difficult and allows us to show our support, even when physical proximity isn’t possible.

I have to admit that this editorial started out as a quick comment in the APP volunteers group, while curled up in bed. I only got a few words in, when I suddenly realized that what I wanted to express is my appreciation for the chance to feel so close, despite being so far away. What started as a quick comment, ended up evolving into a rough draft for an editorial. It’s pretty incredible what you can create with technology.

Point #63: Making Piercing Viral – Social Media Dos & Don’ts

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April Berardi headshotJulie Taylor headshotBy Julie Taylor and April Berardi, with support from the Outreach Committee

To find out how piercers can use social media effectively, we interviewed several social media savvy piercers—April Berard from Born this Way Body Arts, A.J. Goldman from 12 Ounce Studios, Courtney Jane (CJ) from Saint Sabrina’s, Derek Lowe from Saint Sabrina’s, Christina Shul from High Priestess, and Crystal Sim from Evolution—and asked them to list some simple Do’s & Don’ts of online media usage. But first, remember that our audience doesn’t have the intimate relationship we have with piercing and industry related news. (One post could be someone’s first impression of you or piercing, so be sure to post with that in mind.)

Below are some recommendations to keep your page—and posts—positive and interesting:

DOs:

–DO have a social media page and keep it active!  Because—after all—our clients are media savvy, and online.

–DO create a Facebook page just for your work (especially if you’re not comfortable sharing your personal life with the public).

Screen capture, used with CJ Maxwell’s permission, is an illustration of how posting pictures of clients and new shop jewelry can bring your page positive attention.
Screen capture, used with CJ Maxwell’s permission, is an illustration of how posting pictures of clients and new shop jewelry can bring your page positive attention.

–DO post and share photos of cool piercings, unique placements, or new jewelry—and when companies release photos of new products, sharing them on your pages can generate instant interest, resulting in potential sales or special orders.

–DO give credit if you repost an image. Be sure to list and link, whenever possible, to the names of the image creator, piercer, studio and/or jewelry manufacturer.

–DO post healed piercings for piercing portfolios as much as possible.

–DO post fresh work for status update posts.

–DO answer questions promptly! If you leave your page(s) unattended for too long, your clients could seek out other studios (or friends) to help them. According to Derek, “Even if it’s not your intent to engage your clients that way, they are going to expect to be able to engage you [on your social media pages]. If you don’t respond, you’re blowing them off.  No good, obviously.”

–DO consider posting only the things you would be proud to show your mother, young kids, the health department, a respected peer, or a potential employer.

–DO post fun things that happen in the shop. CJ advises “Our job is very much seen as ‘cool’ by the general public, so

giving them a peek into the fun/funny things we do is great advertising. Even more, it gives us a chance to promote the positive side of the business. Imagine, if people think you can say literally anything you want to, and what you choose to post is how awesome your shop/customers/job is, they are going to get a really good feeling about what we do…I intentionally post some things about my private life, because I know my clients like to feel like they ‘know’ me. It makes them more comfortable with me, and certainly more loyal.”

–DO post regularly; routine is key.  If you post often, your clients will begin to put you into their own media routine. Derek says, “you can’t just have a FB page or tumblr page and expect people to flock to it and interact with it. You have to put out content regularly to keep people engaged and interested. Simply having the page isn’t enough.”

–DO actively take part in discussions on your page. Your clients love interacting with you, so if they are commenting in a thread about new trends, join in the conversation and give them your professional input.

–DO keep your network abreast of local, national, or even international trends. (If septum jewelry is flying out of your studio, tell your readers how hot septums are.) The same goes for legislation changes and any news that pertains to the piercing and tattoo community as a whole.

–DO post tips on caring for body piercings.

–DO post compelling, interactive, and relevant content:

  • Ask your readers to interact by requesting their opinions in your posts (ex: Which pair do you like best? What do you think of this color combination? What do you think of this new piercing placement?)

  • Use tags. Jesse notes that “taking pictures of your client’s piercings and tagging them in a photo on your fan page will also generate some great feedback and possibly new followers…which will potentially lead to new clients.”

  • Make posts visually striking. Derek told us, “I think that piercing (and tattooing) are very fortunate in that they are both visual mediums…so they can benefit greatly from social media sites which are wonderful tools for delivering the visual. So, the more visually interesting/impacting it is, the better it utilizes the power of social media.”

–DO make occasional, unplanned, short-term specials.

This image, courtesy of Facebook, illustrates how online media can help you gain a better understanding of your client base, and how well you are interacting with your followers. Note: These options and analytics are unavailable on personal pages.
This image, courtesy of Facebook, illustrates how online media can help you gain a better understanding of your client base, and how well you are interacting with your followers. Note: These options and analytics are unavailable on personal pages.

–DO tell your clients about your pages. (This means that you give your social media contact info to everyone.)  CJ says, “I give my facebook URL to every single person I pierce, or to people that I haven’t pierced but came to me for troubleshooting advice. I even tell my clients to link me to jewelry they find that they like so I can help them make sure it’s good quality, or at least help them find something similar that is”. Jesse’s tip – “During my aftercare speech I will also discuss with my clients the social networks that I’m available on and also have the links on all of our aftercare brochures.  Plus I’ll personally ask them to join our fan page, or randomly discuss Facebook or Instagram etc. during the actual piercing appointment.  This has earned me many followers/friends over the years as my clients felt comfortable finding me online and asking questions.”  

DON’TS:

–DON’T post illegal activities or activities that could be construed as medical procedures. Crystal suggests, “If this is your lifestyle, try flying under the radar.”

–DON’T be afraid to talk positively about yourself and your accomplishments, or the cool things you like.

–DON’T be a miserable online complainer.

–DON’T repeat yourself every day. Things like “I’m here piercing until 9pm” get old fast.

–DON’T post anything you aren’t prepared to answer questions about, or get lots of requests for.

–DON’T post ANYTHING online that you wouldn’t be proud to share with clients. CJ says, “My Facebook is primarily for work…I avoid anything excessively vulgar or profane, and generally try to keep things PG-13.  I want the things that are posted to reflect me in the same way that I would want to be seen if I were with a client in my shop.”

–DON’T make negative posts about clients—even when it is hypothetical, or when no names are mentioned.

–DON’T make any negative posts about other studios, piercers, or the industry.

–DON’T sign up for more accounts than you can handle. If you do not have the time, manpower, or resources to oversee the page, do not create it—out of date information and unanswered questions can do more harm than the good.

Rather than try to take on too much at once, use these Do’s and Don’ts to fine tune what you are already doing.  Start with a few that will work for you, and watch your social media presence grow, as there are few things you can do with your business that will have the kind of immediate return and positive impact on your piercing business than social media interaction will.

Point #61: Making Safe Piercing Viral – Part Two

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April Berardi headshotJulie Taylor headshotBy April Berardi and Julie Taylor, with support from the Outreach Committee

Most piercers spend a portion of their day monitoring and updating their social media accounts. In issue #58 of The Point Bethra Szumski mused on the power of social media.  She mentioned the case of the explosively popular triple forward helix piercing which gained exposure on Pinterest. The next thing we knew, the “iDermal” video is blowing up our Facebook pages!

There are hundreds of qualified, talented, and safe piercers using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, and other websites. We don’t have to sit back and wait to see what the next piercing trend will be to take social media by storm. Instead, we can work together to use social media to steer people toward safe piercing practices, specifically those that define us as APP members.

To find out how piercers can use social media effectively, we interviewed several social media savvy piercers: April Berardi from Born This Way Body Arts, AJ Goldman from 12 Ounce Studios, Derek Lowe from Saint Sabrina’s, Courtney Jane (CJ) from TRX, Christina Shull from High Priestess, and Crystal Sims from Evolution.

In this, our second article based on those interviews, we will discuss the most effective ways to gain exposure for your website using social media.

Websites are a high dollar investment for most studios. One of the ways we can make our social media sites work for us is to drive traffic to the websites we have invested in,  but how can you practically apply this knowledge? Easy! When posting to any online media source, add your website link or watermark (or safepiercing.org) whenever possible. Of course, each site will have different opportunities to effectively share your web address. We will discuss the best way to link to your site using the most popular social media venues, as well as provide tips for getting the most out of these sites.

Courtesy of YouTube.com
Courtesy of YouTube.com

YouTube  
Every video you post should be placed on YouTube. In addition to the video, you should be sure to post a link to your website in the video’s description and watermark your video      with your URL, for people who don’t read through the description.

Tips (summarized from an article entitled “9 Killer Tips for YouTube and Small Business”)

  • Create a channel for your business. This will help people find and follow other videos related to your business.
  • Tag your videos! It is essential to tag your videos with the related keywords. If your video is not appearing in YouTube search results, you are not receiving the full benefit from it.
  • Create your brand using video(s). Don’t use them like commercials; instead, use them to promote a strategy that you can link to from other networking sites, like Facebook, Tumblr, or Twitter.
  • Create “how-to” videos, perhaps on how-to care for piercings, how-to use jewelry, how-to clean jewelry, how-to package it to bring into the shop, how-to pick a piercer, etc.

Courtesy of Facebook.com
Facebook
Facebook is the place to build relationships, answer questions, and connect with your peers as well as the public.  You can share new content as well as content from Instagram, YouTube and other popular social networking sites.

As with YouTube, be sure to include a link to your website in your response to questions whenever possible.  You can also link to a blog post about a particular topic or your aftercare suggestions. It also provides you the opportunity to provide your clients with links to the brochures and information at safepiercing.org, which can be an essential reference for many.

Tips (adapted from “Facebook Edgerank: What Marketers Need to Know”)

  • With facebook’s “edgerank” system, you absolutely need your followers to interact with you in order for your content to show on their news stream.  Asking questions, having contests, and inviting people to post and ask their own questions can increase interactions. (This is especially important to do to ensure the largest audience possible before you make an important announcement.)
  • Videos, photos and links: Facebook gives more weight to these types of content, which means more of your followers will see them–and if lots of people like or comment on this content, the weight increases even more.
  • Facebook cares more about new than old.  Post at least daily, and watch the activity on your page to determine the best times of day to post.  Then, schedule your posts to appear at those times.
Courtesy of Instagram.com.

Instagram
With the popularity of mobile devices, Instagram has gained “instantaneous” fame. It has become the place to showcase what you want to be known for, and undoubtedly, Instagram is the place to share your best and most beautiful photos.

Tips (adapted from “6 Effective Ways to get more Instagram Followers”)

  • Instagramers respond to beauty; use only your very best photos.  Photos of jewelry, piercings, your studio, as well as candid shots of your crew and clients can all work well.
  • Spread your posts out; don’t upload your whole portfolio at once. Ensure you upload a single beautiful photo  with the appropriate “tags” once a day. Be sure  to check out the “Popular” page and watch your “likes” (or monitor them with a service like Statigram) to determine which type of photos and what times of day (to post) yield the best results.
  • Hashtags or tags can be placed in the caption for each photo, allowing categorization with other photos sharing the same hashtags.
    • Examples: #safepiercing #stretchedears #fashion #jewelryoftheday #appmember #instagood #safepiercing #APP #piercings #piercing #yourcityhere #fashion #jewelry #gorgeous #girl
  • Similarly,geotags will categorize your photos by place, allowing you to reach existing and potential clients in your geographic area.
    • Examples: #sanfran #sanfrancisco #sanfranciscoca #california #cali #ca
  • Your instagram page will also gain popularity and garner more attention if you actively participate with your followers, and those that like and comment on your photos, by doing the same for their photos.
Courtesy of Tumblr.com

Tumblr
Tumblr is also a great way to connect with a larger audience, including other piercers. On Tumblr, you are able to set a ‘click-through’ link to your website on every image you post in your feed.

Tips

  • Like Instagram, Tumblr utilizes hashtags. Be sure to use relevant and popular hashtags to get as many viewers as possible.
  • Share or “reblog” others work. Tumblr is a perfect venue to share other great piercings or jewelry photos. However, it should be added that many others will repost your pictures, so be sure to watermark them appropriately.
  • Follow the APP on Tumblr, and reblog amazing piercings from qualified piercers from around the world. (If you are not already, become an APP member and submit your own photos. This can greatly increase your exposure and giving your clientele a great resource to draw ideas from for safe successful piercings.)

Social media sites are filled with millions of people just waiting for the right piercing video or picture to inspire them to stop piercing themselves or find a safer piercer in their area. Legislators look to these media streams for their research and parents are seeking out media when their children ask for (or come home with) a new piercing. You have now been armed with some great information on how to maximize your internet presence through social media. It is now our responsibility.  We have the power to fill these streams with information about safe piercing and its practices; there is power in numbers. The more we work together, the greater the influence we can have on the direction piercing takes.

In the next issue of The Point we will look at how you are able to incorporate these types of social media into your daily work routine.

Editor’s note: Due to the time sensitive nature of the information provided—and the constantly changing state of the internet itself—some the content and/or screencaps in these articles may become outdated very quickly. For up-to-date information on each of these sites, please view their individual FAQs, tutorial or training pages.

Point #60: Making Safe Piercing Viral – Part One

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By Julie Taylor and April Berardi, with support from the Outreach Committee

Most piercers spend at least a portion of their day monitoring and updating their social media accounts. In issue #58 of The Point Bethra Szumski mused on the power of social media, mentioning the case of the explosively popular triple forward helix piercing from exposure on Pinterest. Next thing we know, the “iDermal” video is blowing up our Facebook pages!

There are hundreds of qualified, talented, and safe piercers using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, and other websites. We don’t have to sit back and wait to see what the next piercing trend will be to take social media by storm. Instead, we can work together to use social media to steer people toward safe piercing practices, specifically those that define us as APP members.

To find out how piercers can use social media effectively, we interviewed several social media savvy piercers: April Berardi from Born This Way Body Arts, AJ Goldman from 12 Ounce Studios, Derek Lowe from Saint Sabrina’s, Courtney Jane (CJ) from TRX, Christina Shull from High Priestess, and Crystal Sims from Evolution.

In this, our first article based on those interviews, we will look at what we can hope to accomplish by making safe piercing “viral.” Our goals are popularity, reach, share of voice, engagement, customer support, brand advocacy, brand trust, sales, product development, marketing insights, and brand loyalty.

Popularity

We want safe piercing to be popular! We want comments and “likes,” and we want our content to be reblogged, retweeted, and shared. When people interact with our pages in these ways, their friends can see it, and that increases our reach. Each interaction on Facebook is even more important in light of changes that may have decreased the portion of your network (that is, members of your social media circle) that sees your posts.

  • Without exception, the piercers we interviewed said photos were the most popular content they posted to their social media pages. Unique piercings and fancy jewelry generate a great deal of attention. Other popular posts are those asking people to talk about themselves and/or voice their opinions.
  • Suggestions: Post photos with captions that ask your audience to comment on which piercing or piece of jewelry is their favorite. Assemble a team of clients and friends that will work with you, expanding your reach by sharing your content with their own networks.

Share of Voice

We want safe piercing posts to be sought out by the greatest share of social media users.

  • Familiarity draws people into our networks. As CJ told us, “I intentionally post some things about my private life, because I know my clients like to feel like they ‘know’ me. It makes them more comfortable with me, and certainly more loyal.”
  • Being seen as a source of information is crucial to this loyalty. Each of our interviewees answers questions via social media, and recommend that this is done promptly and in detail. Christina and CJ mention they specifically tell their clients to contact them on Facebook. April also keeps her “network abreast of local, national, and international trends, events, current legislation changes, and news that pertain to the piercing and tattoo community, as well as other trends in health and fashion, which are both closely related to our business.” April also posts “tips on caring for body art and a variety of other related topics.” Derek and Crystal mention that their websites have long been sources of piercing-related education.
  • Suggestions: Put links to your social media sites everywhere and tell your clients to contact you this way. Organize your day to spend time answering clients’ questions via social media. Keep your network in the loop by posting news of interest. And don’t be afraid to share the real you! Although, as April points out, you should “use discretion while promoting transparency.”(See the article, “Internet Posting Etiquette” on page 6 and look for “Dos and Don’ts of Posting” in a future issue.)

Engagement

We don’t want to spam our network with ads for piercings. We want the average person to be able to have a real conversation with a safe piercer. We don’t just want to push; we also want to give.

  • CJ advises “connecting with people in a casual, friendly, but direct way online makes them feel like they ‘have a friend who is a piercer.’ Once your clients feel that way about you, they will spread the word, and send so many people your way for piercings, or for information in general.”
  • In addition to photos of piercings and jewelry, April says that “pictures of anything funny get feedback and build hype, and make people smile and like you.” A.J. has engaged hundreds of piercees in his “Ask A Professional Piercer” Facebook forum, and also with his photo collages showing a good piercing beside a bad piercing.
  • Derek warns, “you have to put out content regularly to keep people engaged and interested. Simply having the page isn’t enough. It’s also critical that you pay attention to the sites and answer the questions people post and address comments in a timely fashion. Even if it’s not your intent to engage your clients that way, they are going to expect it. If you don’t respond, you’re blowing them off, which is not good, obviously.”
  • Suggestions: Don’t be aloof! Talk to your network, and be a friend. Share the work of colleagues, such as A.J.’s photo collages, as well as contribute to “Ask a Professional Piercer” and other forums. Provide customer support by answering questions and checking up on healing.

Brand Advocates

We also want to mobilize others to be ambassadors of safe piercing on our behalf. 

  • Find people who are already engaged with your business and who will use social media to advocate for you. You probably already know who they are! These advocates influence the opinions and purchases of those in their networks more than your average audience member.
  • Suggestions: When you identify a potential brand advocate, interact with them. Comment, like, or retweet their posts. Thank these advocates when you see them in action on your behalf. They become, in a sense, employees-at-large, creating their own media campaigns for your business.

Brand Trust

We want people to see that safe piercers operate in a transparent manner. 

  • Being connected with other safe piercers builds trust. CJ uses Facebook to get to know her industry peers and says, “When my clients are looking for ideas for piercing projects, or want to see photos of what different styles of jewelry look like, I always go to Facebook. I start with my own photos, but I often show people photos from my friends’ portfolios. Remembering who has good pictures of very specific things has helped me many times, because I can look it up at the drop of a hat. I will often tell clients little anecdotes about the person whose portfolio we are looking at. My clients always really enjoy hearing about my industry friends, and they also like having insight into what is popular in different parts of the country.”
  • We’re used to seeing the worst of the worst online. Sharing our own safe procedures is a way to build trust.
  • Suggestions: To the uninitiated, the piercing studio may seem mysterious. When you unshroud that mystery, perhaps with videos of your studio or photos of jewelry options, you build trust. Don’t be afraid to reach out to other piercers and industry experts online. As a group, we’re stronger and are seen as more trustworthy.

Sales

Surprise; we all want to increase our sales! Social media is a great way to increase awareness of your products and services, which will result in increased sales. 

  • Building a great social media presence will go a long way. While some studios find posting discounts to be unhelpful, Derek finds unplanned, short-term specials are really well received. CJ has had good luck with “getting clients to get the piercings that I want to do. I have posted on Facebook plenty of times that I was ‘in the mood’ to do something specific, and had plenty of people show up at the shop to get that piercing. I think it’s just one of the many ways clients enjoy that ‘I have a friend who is a piercer’ dynamic.” A.J. has had similar experiences, “A couple of months ago, Anatometal came out with their industrial barbells with the threads in the middle, I posted one photo of the jewelry online and the next day I put in three of them! A lot of times people don’t know about the cool stuff that is out there, so you need to show them.”
  • A.J.’s experience also shows how social media can help with product development. You can use your network to figure out which jewelry will be popular in your studio as well as poll people to find out how you can improve your services.
  • Suggestions: From spur-of-the-moment promotions, outright suggestions, and fancy photos, opportunities abound for increasing sales via social media. Poll your network to determine the next jewelry line you will introduce in your studio. For example, if you use Facebook to post photos of a wood jewelry line beside a glass jewelry line, simply ask your followers for their opinions. You could also do something similar when determining which stone colors to bring in for a new line of navel curves.

Marketing Insights

We want to know our core demographic: what their needs are, but most importantly, what they are into, what they are doing, and what they care about.

  • April monitors her Google Analytics weekly. Anyone with a gmail account can sign up for the free (yet priceless) infographics data that lets you learn about the traffic to your website. Specifics include how long people stay, what pages they visit the most, how they found your site, and where they are from. “I watch trends [in visitors] and adjust my behavior to that. When my reach is up (i.e. I’ve posted a bunch of useless posts to get peoples’ attention/likes/comments) I then post announcements. For example, I’ll mention sales we’re having, events, guests, upload new jewelry pics, etc. and that gets far more response than simply posting the things that are most relevant…. Consistency and planning are more important than people think. If I want to post about a guest to get more bookings, I might spend the few days prior asking ‘what piercings are you getting before summer?’ It gets people thinking, produces more recent interactions with our page, and puts us higher on the news feed…then once the stats have peaked and interest is highest, I announce the guest.”
  • Suggestions: Use Google Analytics as well as your Facebook Insights to truly get to know your network. Watch your numbers and learn what is working and what isn’t. Use your statistics to time your important announcements.

Brand Loyalty

We want our network members to be loyal to safe piercers.

  • “Likes” are not loyalty. Our ability to engage with our network builds loyalty, as does using social media to provide customer support (see both above). Reward programs can also be built into your social media strategy.
  • Suggestion: Reward those in your networks with special updates, the first shot at appointments with guest artists, small discounts, or anything to make them feel special. Social media is a constantly changing beast none of us can tame, though hopefully we have outlined some strategies that you can use in your own studio to make safe piercing more viral. In the end, that will benefit our clients and the APP, as well as ourselves.

Stay tuned for the next article in this series, when we make specific suggestions for how to best utilize each of the popular social media sites.

Editor’s note: Due to the time sensitive nature of the information provided—and the constantly changing state of the internet itself—some the content and/or screencaps in these articles may become outdated very quickly. For up-to-date information on each of these sites, please view their individual FAQs, tutorial or training pages.

Point #60: Social Media for Piercers

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By Jef Saunders

As moderator for one of this year’s Conference roundtable discussions, my focus was on a topic that fascinates me: social media. We’ve all seen examples of piercers advancing their careers and representing the industry very well by utilizing social media outlets effectively (see Bethra Szumski’s article in The Point #58 “Pinterest and the Triple Forward Helix”); unfortunately, there have been equally viral social media gaffes, such as videos of piercers using biopsy punches and referring to surface anchors as “implants.” With all of the possibilities for both meteoric success and horrifying blunders, a larger than-expected group of piercers met to discuss this topic.

My approach as moderator was simple: I’d bring up the name of a social media website and allow the roundtable participants to take the dialogue where they wanted. A brief synopsis of our discussion is below. 

Yelp
It seems as though there was very little middle ground with Yelp and the attendees; they’d either had spectacular success, or Yelp and its reviewers have seemingly gone out of their way to make life more complicated for them. Of particular interest was the amount of genuine, positive reviews that seemed to disappear, while suspicious negative reviews stayed posted. Many of the attendees felt that Yelp was so inaccurate and biased toward negative reviews that they didn’t like participating on that website at all. Others found Yelp to be one of the best weapons in their online arsenal. When good reviews were posted there, they had clients visit on a regular basis because of them. 

Facebook Personal Pages
This was a particularly interesting discussion for piercers and also for any other professionals who work with the public. I posed the question: “Do you add clients as ‘friends’ on your personal page?” For some piercers, Facebook became solely a marketing tool and any illusion of privacy quickly disappeared. Some went so far as to delete family members and friends to focus on Facebook only for professional networking.

On the other hand, legitimate safety concerns were raised. Could having such a public persona result in a piercer being harassed or stalked? Some attendees felt that was definitely a possibility, and kept a very private Facebook page for this exact reason. Still others tried to have the best of both worlds, having a “piercer” Facebook page and also a private, “friends and family” page.

Facebook Fan Pages
Interestingly enough, the way Facebook charges and promotes posts changed just before the 2012 APP Conference, so our discussion focused on two things: The first was how to moderate discussions and comments on a business (Fan) page; the second was the frustrating changes in policies that have just made maintaining a Fan page more expensive. The new “Promoted Post” feature, in particular seems to have struck Fan page owners as gouging them for something they had been getting for free. 

The Body Modification Learning Forum (BMLF)
Rick Frueh’s creation has undoubtedly served to introduce more piercers (and other body modifiers) to the importance of minimum standards in health and safety, jewelry quality, and proper techniques. It has also left a lot of forum members smarting from the online tongue lashings they have received. For both reasons, we may all be in Rick’s debt. Essentially, this discussion was less about the BMLF in particular but rather how piercers interact with other professionals in online forums.

Rec.arts.bodyart, BME, and Tribalectic forums were all brought up during this discussion. The dialogue diverged in many directions, but the upshot was, when posting or commenting in a forum with other professionals, have thick skin and an open mind. If you make a mistake, you will hear about it!

Of potential concern is the number of piercers, especially new piercers, who use online forums as a substitute for a hands-on apprenticeship. While the forum is a valuable tool and resource, the roundtable attendees voiced unanimous concern that using the BMLF in place of an apprenticeship is ill-advised and potentially dangerous.

YouTube
Is it a good idea to post videos of piercings being performed? Is it a good idea to allow a client to videotape you while you work? This topic alone could have filled an hour or two. What was very clear is that, at this point, YouTube is brimming with bad piercing videos. In many cases, poor health and safety practices and techniques end up being on display on this huge social media powerhouse. One question that remained unanswered is whether or not it is important to stem the tide and be larger participants, showcasing our safe piercing for the world?

Unfortunately, the roundtable was only able to briefly discuss Tumblr, and was unable to cover other social networking tools like Pinterest, Instagram, and older sites like Myspace. The piercers that participated brought an amazing amount of insight, and I couldn’t be more grateful. I left with changed attitudes and a better understanding of how to use social media and networking websites to my benefit. These are a permanent part of our industry, and those who utilize the internet well are giving themselves an excellent opportunity to be representatives for safe, healthy, beautiful body piercing.

Point #60: Internet Posting Etiquette

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By Bethra Szumski

Without question, the Internet—social networking in particular—is changing the way that people interact. It brings people closer by creating more convenient communication between friends, family members, and co-workers. In many ways it has reduced the “need” for more personal communication. This is creating a totally new mindset in our culture.

One of the major consequences of this transition is that people often have difficulty with the line between what is (and should remain) private information, and what is safe and suitable for public consumption. As Americans we have the right to freedom of speech—but that doesn’t mean what we say publicly can’t get us fired, arrested, or divorced. Most of us voluntarily post more information online than any intelligence agency in the world could possibly uncover. People in every field and profession from politics to education have lost opportunities and employment due to imprudent Internet activity.

In a field like ours, which on some level is built on freedom of expression, an individual is unlikely to risk being fired for posting profanity or political views. However, there are certainly online “dealbreakers” that have led to folks losing their studio positions. Based on these stories, I’ve come up with some general guidelines for body artists to consider when posting content to their social networks:

  1. Never assume, no matter how carefully you choose your “friends,” that something you post about a business or individual won’t be relayed back to them.
  2. Understand that nothing you post—even if you delete it—ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever truly goes away. [I wrote that six times because that’s how many backup copies Facebook keeps of every photo you upload, every word you type, and every page you visit.]
  3. If you have a problem with your studio, keep it in your studio. If you need to seek advice or vent about a situation, do it privately—preferably in person—with a handful of colleagues that you trust. Never post complaints about studio policy, coworkers, bosses, or clients on the web. Find a private place to vent instead.
  4. As a point of studio policy, it’s important for workers to know what kinds of posts are likely to get them in hot water. As long as you declare your place of employment—or if any of the people in your network even know where you work—you are a representative of that business. The argument “if you don’t like my posts, don’t read them” holds little water when you represent a business or entity. People will show their disapproval by not frequenting your establishment or purchasing your product. Studio politics play a big role here as well. Posting negative remarks about competing studios or practitioners will put your entire business at odds with that establishment. And even if what you say is true, gossiping about it online is unprofessional.
  5. Your personal social media accounts, especially on your cell phone, can catch you in a lie faster than anything else. If you call in sick, really be sick. Checking in at the bar or golf course that day is an offense that could get you fired, no matter what your position.

If any of these ring a bell it’s not surprising. Technology is moving too fast for most of us to keep up. The surprising thing to me is when people actually feel a sense of personal privacy and security on the Internet. Is this perhaps due to the intimacy we often feel with our electronic devices? After all, we talk to them, and they keep us company when we are alone, help us when we are lost, tell us everything we want to know about almost any topic, remind us of our appointments, provide us with sexual gratification—you name it. Most of the things we used to need from other people can now be found in a palm-sized device. It’s easy to believe that our special electronic friend could never do us wrong, but be cautious: this is a friend that could unknowingly betray you.