Britney Tokyo on how social media helped boost her career
By Sophie Nutt | 02 August 2020 | Feature, Tech Talk
LA-based celebrity manicurist & Scratch columnist for 2020, Britney Tokyo reveals how social media helped boost her career…
Before moving to the U.S., I worked as a nail artist in Tokyo and I felt such a large gap in the reality of advanced Japanese nail art and the lack of advanced nail art in America. Japanese nail art is, and always has been, cute and girly designs featuring a lot of pink, glitter, ribbons and flowers. Those designs are really different from my personal style of nail art, which is ‘pop’ and a bit crazy.
Britney Tokyo
My search for a way to explore my own style of nail design while still appealing to an audience led me to to the U.S., as I thought American consumers would be more accepting and drawn to my style, providing me with the perfect opportunity to show off my nail skills.
However, the issue still remained that nail art wasn’t prominent in the U.S. at the time. What changed my nail destiny is that social media, in particular Instagram, came out of nowhere and became extremely popular. Clients didn’t automatically opt for nail art as a result, but I’ve always created striking art on my own nails, so I started uploading pictures of these designs on Instagram whenever I created a fresh set of nails for myself.
“Once celebrities started uploading images of nail art onto their own Instagram pages, it not only solidified manicurists’ and the industry’s reputation, but it forever changed the nail game in the U.S.,” – Britney Tokyo.
After a while, followers and likes on my profile increased dramatically and I started receiving direct messages from celebrities inquiring about my work, and who are now my regular clients! Once celebrities started uploading images of nail art onto their own Instagram pages, it not only solidified manicurists’ and the industry’s reputation, but it forever changed the nail game in the U.S., as consumers began to follow suit and nail art – although not as advanced as it is today – followed suit.
I feel if there was no social media, nail art wouldn’t have progressed in the way that it has and it would not be as popular as it is around the globe. Although this is my personal experience, this story alone shows how important social media is to effectively marketing your nail business and skills. You never know who or what company from any part of the world is looking at your page and might contact you via social media to work with you.
Follow Britney’s nail career on Instagram and check out her monthly columns in Scratch magazine throughout 2020!