There are two different types of photographers, those who love to start and run a photography business and those who, well - don’t.

 

For those who struggle a bit more to find their business groove, success can happen - even if that looks different for everyone.

Learning the best photography business practices can be hard, let alone throwing in social media and its ever-changing algorithms. Having a thriving business, one that still produces organic reach is possible with the right approach.

 

While these 10 tips won’t guarantee success, they will guarantee to produce better social media engagement.

 

Quality of Posts

Photographers often believe to increase their SEO ranking and social reach, they need to produce more content. The reality is - that couldn’t be further from the truth.

 

With the new Facebook and Instagram algorithms, quality content is key. Producing content that doesn’t speak at readers but to them, is crucial.

 

When writing new blog articles, and planning social media content, remember - more isn’t always better. Create content that excites and informs readers to keep them engaged.

 

Time to Post

In life timing is everything, and scheduling social media content is no different. Understanding when to schedule your content is just as important as knowing what to write about.

 

By using social media analytics, you can determine the optimal time to post content, taking the guesswork out of it. Don’t waste your quality content on a socially dead time slot.

 

Best Performing Social Profiles

Most photographers when starting their businesses are told - create a social profile on every social media platform available. While securing your social media handle is a great idea, engaging on every platform isn’t necessary.

 

To have the best return on your investment (ROI), focus your time where it counts. Where do you need to spend your time? The answer is easy - where are you seeing the highest conversion rates? Depending on what business goals you have at the time, conversion rates could be a variety of things. For example, you might be looking to increase traffic to your website or produce higher product sales.

 

In other words, you don’t have to be good at many things but you need to be great at a few.

 

Posting Content on Social

When it comes to the biggest social media mistake photographers make, this might be the most common.

 

With so many social media profiles to market on, photographers look for what’s easiest. Easy generally looks like the same image or content being published on every social media handle they have, the same way.

 

With so many voices influencing people on social media, having unique content is crucial.

 

When writing content for your blog, look at how you could alter that same content to fit on all your social media profiles. Respect the platforms and you will see more organic growth.

 

Target Marketing


Learning how to target readers on social media for marketing is important. So often photographers create advertisements, only see them fail. What are they doing wrong? They don’t know who their ideal readers are and how to find them.

 

Brands that know who their ideal readers are, can produce better results through Facebook and Instagram marketing. Don’t wait until paying for an advertisement to find out who you should be reaching.

 

Engaging with Readers

Social media is meant for connecting and sharing our stories worldwide, and to connect and share those stories, we need to be engaging one-on-one. Facebook and Instagram will now be rewarding those businesses that take the time to build a connection with their community.

 

Often content is published on social media and left to die. Photographers are no longer able to focus on “just taking pretty pictures,” but they also need to engage directly with their community.

 

Variety of Posts

Often the hard part of content curation is variety. And when there is a lack of variety, readers become bored.

 

When creating a social media plan, photographers need to remember to show variety in their content. Asking for a sale post after post is a sure way to lose community interest, and quick.

 

Remember, people want to be entertained and inspired, and they are looking at you to do that.


Producing Content For Readers

 

Far too often photographers write content they think is inspiring but is not written with their reader’s interest in mind. Content that isn’t curated specifically for an audience is consistently going to struggle.

 

When writing content for your blog, look back to articles that have done well in the past. What other content can you produce that's related to that topic without directly copying it?

 

Keep an eye on global and industry trends, as this will also help keep your business relevant.

 

Staying Up on Current Social Trends

Staying up-to-date on trends can be a grueling task, let alone on social media where trends can change by the day. But by not staying updated on platform changes, your business will suffer.

 

A great way to stay updated is to follow social media influencers. Typically, these influencers are the first to spot new trends and like to update their community on such.

 

Also, don’t be afraid to delegate some of your workweeks to read business articles and news. Be engaged within community groups that discuss business and inspire you creatively.

 

Call to Action

Today, more than ever, social media posts need to matter. Every piece of content produced should have importance to it.

 

Do you want your readers to comment on a question? Ask them! Did you write a new blog article and want people to read it? Tell them where to find it!

 

With every post you should think:

  • Does this help my reader?
  • Will this build like and trust?
  • Does this content relate to my business?

 

While social media can’t be perfected, having a social media strategy will help grow your business. What mistakes are you currently making in your business?

 

Have you implemented any new social media strategies this year that have grown your business?