Social Media in the Tattoo Industry

The tattoo industry has always been unconventional when compared to other industries, so it only makes sense that their advertising methods would be unconventional. In the past the only advertising really done by tattoo artists was through word of mouth. They relied on those they tattooed to pass the word on to others about where they got the ink done. Word of mouth advertising can often be the most powerful because these types of recommendations are often coming from someone you trust or know personally. Although word of mouth can carry a significant amount of power, it also carries its fair set of drawbacks. First off, the tattoo artist has very little control about what information is getting out. The only thing he or she can do is give the best tattoo they possibly can and hope that the client is happy and willing to share with others where they got it. Word of mouth also does not allow the artist to get specific information out in a timely fashion to as many people as possible. For example, let’s say the artist wants to hold a flash sale on Halloween themed tattoos. Meaning anyone who gets one would receive a 15% discount on the piece. The artist can’t just sit back and wait for existing clients to hopefully spread the word around town. It’s important that the artist can directly reach out to prospective clients and provide up-to-date information about upcoming openings and sales.

This is where social media can become the most useful tool for the tattoo artist. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest have begun to revolutionize the tattoo industry. It has changed the way tattoo artists market themselves, as well as how potential clients determine what they want and who they want it done by. This has changed the type of people that are getting tattoos in the 21^stcentury. Traditionally the only people that really had tattoos were bikers, soldiers, rockers, and anyone else that was considered an “outlaw” to society. Nowadays it seems like everyone you know has at least one tattoo and they are becoming more acceptable in society and the workforce. The type of people giving tattoos has also begun to changewith the advent of social media. Before, many of the artists were in the same “outlaw” demographic as their clients, but now more and more young people are entering the industry. A lot of these young artists were inspired through images they saw on social media and decided to give it a try for themselves. This is all because of the integration of social media into the industry. 

Social media has become such an integral part of the tattoo industry that most new clients won’t even make an appointment without first looking the artist up on social media. This has greatly increased the accountability artists have with their work. Now that every tattoo they perform is most likely going to be posted on social media a lot more people can view and or judge their work. While this can lead to more potential customers, 1 bad tattoo on social media can lead to the end of your shop or even your career. The level of accountability created through social media has led to a new wave of tattoo artists whose work is under the scrutiny of the entire world.