Publishing text, graphic, and image content on your website or blog is a great place to start, and with the right titles and content, you can generate an impressive amount of traffic to your site. But websites and blogs are only the tips of the iceberg when it comes to reaching potential clients. You can expand your reach tenfold if you learn to harness the power of social media sites as well.

 

Social media sites are great avenues to promote your skills, products, and services. Not only that, but these sites help you interact directly with your audiences, discover new markets, network with other professionals in your field, and more. They are integral parts of your social media strategy. Furthermore, if your content sparks the interest of your readers, they may share them with their networks, doubling or even tripling your exposure. 

 

Here are some of the best social media channels where you can showcase your business. Remember it’s not necessary, or even possible, to share your work on all of these sites so pick three to five that really interests you and get started sharing your work today.

 

Social Media Sites 

 

 

1. Instagram 

Instagram is currently the world’s best mobile photo-sharing platform (we may be a little biased). It enables you to directly share your images to a network that numbers over 800 million! And the number of Instagram users is increasing day by day! The beauty of Instagram is that you decide who to follow and your content helps you build your audience. This puts you in charge of what images you see and what network you want to connect with. In addition, Instagram also allows you to share photos with a variety of top social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and Tumblr.

 

Instagram is also considered a micro-blog as you can put interesting captions, links, and hashtags on your photos. Including these in your photo posts will exponentially increase exposure which in turn could lead to more opportunities and more sales.

 

If your business is into visual arts such as photography or graphic design, it is vital for you to have an Instagram account. It should be no surprise that Instagram is considered a vital marketing tool for businesses in the industry of visuals.

 

2. Facebook 

With over 1.11 billion users, Facebook is presently the largest and most extensive social network in the world. Take advantage of this vast network by creating a Facebook page where you can showcase your products, services, and promos as well as share blog posts. You can also share to Facebook groups or even send proposals to interested individuals via FB's private messaging feature.

 

Facebook is about improving and increasing your social network, so tag your clients to effectively promote your work.

 

3. Twitter 

Twitter is a fast way to share photos, articles, links, and blog posts quickly. Sharing or re-tweeting quality content can spread like wildfire. Additionally, a lot of Twitter users utilize the social network through their mobile devices, which means your content can be seen anytime, anywhere.

 

Because Twitter only allows 140 characters per tweet, posts need to be direct and to the point. You can shorten long URL's using bit.ly or TinyURL shorteners.

 

4. Pinterest 

Pinterest is one of the fastest growing social networking sites today. It acts like a virtual pinboard where you can pin and share photos, albums, and posts. Think of Pinterest as a way to showcase your portfolio. It is also interesting to note that many brides-to-be turn to Pinterest for their photography inspiration. Thus, if you're a wedding or portrait photographer, don't forget to activate your Pinterest account.

 

Check out these awesome Pinterest boards for inspiration:

 

 

5. Flickr 

Flickr has more than 87 million users who upload millions of photos every month. It's an excellent photo-sharing site not just for photographers of all niches and levels but for all kinds of businesses. Furthermore, their recent redesign allows many applications to work with it including using Flickr to license your images to Getty.

 

Although Flickr might not be the best site to target if you are a family photographer or a real estate photographer, if you’re a landscape or travel photographer, this might be an important site for you.

 

6. Tumblr 

You may be one among those who don't have a knack for writing full blog posts. In that case, use Tumblr, a social media site that makes blogging easy. Upon signing up, Tumblr adds a clickable icon on your browser. Click this link to share image and text content on your Tumblr account. Accompany your photos with short and simple descriptions.

 

In addition, Tumblr allows you to add tags to your images, which makes it SEO friendly. Set up Google Analytics for Tumblr so you can monitor your traffic and identify your best posts.

 

7. 500px 

500px is an ideal platform to showcase your images due to its layout and excellent image quality. If you take advantage of an upgrade, you can sell your photos directly from 500px. The downside, however, is that you cannot set your own rates.

 

8. Google + 

While seemingly similar to other social networking sites, Google+ is a vital tool to increase traffic on your site. That's because your activity on Google+ is indexed by Google search engine, making your photos and posts searchable. We suggest you put keyword-rich captions in the photos you upload in Google+.

 

Directories and Other Social Media Sites 

 

 

1. Digg 

Share your blog posts and articles through Digg, an online news aggregator. Digg also has sharing options that you can use to distribute content in Facebook and Twitter.

 

2. StumbleUpon

Through an automated collaborative filtering process, StumbleUpon creates virtual communities of Web surfers who have common interests. By rating a website, page, or link, you update your personal profile; share content, and generate networks with professionals related to your industry.

 

3. LinkedIn

With over 175 million members in more than 200 countries, LinkedIn is the biggest online platform that professionals of all industries use to network. It is a great place for connecting with other professionals of your industry.

 

4. Reddit

Post a link about your latest blog post, promos, or projects on Reddit. Make sure your photos and posts are top-quality because registered users will vote for submissions. If you have lots of positive votes, your link will appear on the main page or on the top of a subreddit topic.

 

Other Ways to Share 

 

1. Emailing 

Email new blog posts, newsletters, photos, projects, and proposals to friends, regular clients, sponsors, and influencers. Emailing is more a personalized and direct way of sharing content, and it makes the recipient feel special. It is also a good way to share content with those who are very familiar with social media.

 

2. Texting 

Advancements in mobile technology have made it easy to share content. In fact, many blog platforms and social media sites support text sharing. Check the browser in your mobile device for apps and buttons that enable easy sharing of links sent through text.

 

Social media sites are your best friends when it comes to online promotion. Impressed readers and viewers become your advertisers and marketers. Sharing your work in the right venues will drive more traffic to your site and, subsequently, increase your business.