Professional Photographer’s Guide to Social Media
This guide will cover the basics and explain how you can use social media to attract new clients, promote your brand, and grow your photography business.
What Social Media Platforms are Best for Photographers?
There are dozens of social platforms online, but they are not all created equally. Different platforms can work well for different industries, but as a photographer, there are only a few social media platforms that you should be focused on: Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and to a lesser degree Facebook.
1. Instagram
As a professional photographer, you should definitely be using Instagram because it showcases photography in a way that no other social platform does. As the most popular social media platform, it’s also an easy way to reach new clients.
You can use hashtags and posts as well as stories to share your work with a larger audience, some of whom will be interested in hiring you. In fact, many people discover new photographers on Instagram because they fall in love with their photography style.
2. Pinterest
Pinterest is another excellent option because it's full of pinboards where people collect things they like or want, such as a camera bag. You can "pin" photos of your work on Pinterest or create boards that focus on your specific type of photography.
This way, your followers will see what you post when they visit that page, which is a great way to show off your portfolio. You can gain new leads and book more shoots by including links to your website.
3. TikTok
TikTok continues to grow exponentially and is very popular with the younger generations. Although it’s primarily a video-sharing platform, you can certainly take advantage of TikTok to gain new clients.
The strategy is simple; you record a montage of short 10-15 second clips of things people might be interested in, such as behind the scenes of your latest photo shoot. You can then add a link on your profile page that sends new clients to your website. When people arrive on your website, they will see your portfolio, get to know more about you, and hopefully inquire.
4. Facebook
Facebook is another good social media platform for photographers because it has more than 2 billion users. Facebook is not as popular with photographers as it used to be, and it doesn't allow you to showcase your photography in the same way that Instagram and Pinterest do, but 2 billion users is 2 billion users. That's not a market you can afford to miss.
The idea here is to create a Facebook page for your business and then post and tag your photos. People who see your posts will be able to visit your business page, which then links back to your website and attracts them into your sales funnel. This is essentially the mechanism by which all social traffic is converted into money.
How To Post on Social Media to Attract New Clients?
In terms of how to actually post something, it really all depends on the platform because each one is a bit different, but the basic idea is always more or less the same.
You click something like "Create a New Post" and add a photo or video, write a few sentences describing it, and attach some photo specific hashtags so that people interested in that content can find it. Then you click "Post" or "Publish," and that's about it. Your post will now be discoverable on that social platform.
Social media is a great way for people who don’t know about your work to find out about it or learn more about you as a photographer but posting on social channels is not enough. You also need to be active on the platforms you choose and be consistent in your presence.
Think of it this way; if someone takes the time out of their day and visits one of your pages only to see that nothing has been updated since last week or over a month ago, then they will probably close the tab and move on with their life.
On the other hand, if there is a new post each day showing content related directly to your photography business, they might decide, "Hey! It looks like this photographer knows what they're doing! That's worth checking out!"
What to Post on Social Media as a Professional Photographer?
When posting on social media as a professional photographer, it's important to ensure everything you post conveys the right message. While many people think of social media as a way to express themselves and share their interests, it is also important that the things you post give potential clients an idea of who you are and what kind of work you do.
If there is one thing every professional photographer should be able to do well, it's taking great photos! Posting images from your most recent shoots will help potential clients get an idea of what kinds of photos they can expect from working with you in person, and they might even hire you after seeing some samples!
And Remember, whenever you post anything on social media, you should always include relevant hashtags, have relevant contact information on your profile page, and a link pointing to your website and sales funnel because that's how you will actually make money from your social media efforts.
How Often Should You Post on Social Media?
The frequency with which you post on social media is going to depend on your goals, but it's important to keep in mind that consistency is the key. That said, it's even more important that the frequency of your posts be appropriate for your audience and industry.
If you're a professional photographer who wants to reach potential clients, then it would make sense to post more frequently than someone who is not interested in building a business. The same goes for other industries as well; while posting once daily might be appropriate for one company, another might need to post multiple times each day due to how fast things happen in their particular industry.
As a general rule of thumb, if you can post every day on social media, that's good; if you can post twice, even better.
Five Tips for Posting on Social Media as a Photographer
So, now that we've gone over how social media can help you attract new customers, as well as how to post, when to post, what to post, and so on, let's look at five tips and tricks that you can use to stand out from the crowd on social media and take your photography business to new heights.
Stay up to date with the latest trends
As a photographer, you need to stay up to date on the latest trends in the industry. And social media is the best way to do that. It's easy to get lost in all the noise on social media, but it's important to remember that you're not just looking for information but also building relationships. If you're posting consistently and engaging with other people in your field, they'll be more likely to follow you and share your content.
To get a sense of what's happening in the industry, you should follow the social media accounts of other photographers or businesses related to photography. You can also go through Instagram hashtags related to photography and see what people are talking about. This will give you an idea of where the industry is headed, how it's changing, and what kind of work other photographers are doing out there.
Be authentic and transparent with your audience
Be genuine, honest, and transparent with your audience. When you post on social media, it’s important to be yourself and not try to be someone else. You are the face of your photography business, and in exchange that becomes your personal brand. You want people to see your photo and associate that with your work, and vice versa.
Be open to feedback from your audience by asking questions that require a response from them (e.g., "What do you like about my work?"), respond when they reach out or comment on posts and follow up with clients regularly after their shoot; this way, people will keep seeing the photos on social media, which will help grow awareness for your brand!
Engage consistently with industry professionals
Engaging with your audience is essential, but it's also important to connect with other photographers. You can share information about each other's work, give feedback and advice, or even collaborate on a project. This helps build your reputation as an expert in the field and allows you to learn from others who have faced similar challenges. Scroll through your home feed of posts from those you follow and leave encouraging comments reflecting on their work.
You should also reach out to other people in your industry, whether they are photographers or not. You may want to connect with influencers or bloggers who write about topics related to yours; who knows; they might even be able to send some traffic your way.
Use hashtags correctly
Hashtags are a great way to attract new followers on social media. They're so simple yet so impactful! A hashtag is a word or phrase you add to the end of your post to categorize the content. For example, if you were posting about your favorite camera lens, you could use #cameralens in the caption of your post to let people know what kind of content they're going to see if they click on it.
This categorization helps other users find and discover new content and keep up with conversations related to specific topics. Simply put, the more you use hashtags, the more visible your posts will be, and the more followers you'll gain.
Run contests, giveaways, and promotions
Running a giveaway or contest is an excellent way to get people interested in your brand. When people are motivated to enter and win, they're also more likely to share the promotion with their friends and followers online. This can help you gain followers who are interested in your work and content, making it easier for you to get paid clients later on.
You can run giveaways on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok by asking users to comment on or share posts from specific days during the promotional period (e.g., "Like this post on Friday before midnight for a chance to win a free 30 minute mini session"). You can also have users enter by following you on social media sites like Facebook or Instagram or tagging a friend in the comments to spread your brand awareness.
Social Media is a Valuable Tool for Every Photographer
Social media is a valuable tool for every photographer. You can use it to network with other professionals in the industry, showcase your work and get feedback from potential clients, promote your business, and connect with people who share your interests.
It's also a great way to keep up with what's happening in the world of photography. You'll be able to find out about new trends, learn about new equipment and software, and stay up to date on current events in the field.
And if you're interested in becoming a photographer but haven't taken the plunge yet? Social media is a great way to learn more about what it takes to be successful in the professional photography industry from what type of equipment is required to how much many client sessions you should be booking a month.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, the key to social media is being authentic and transparent with your audience. Don’t try to be anyone other than yourself on social media, just be you, and things will work out well.
Make sure you stay updated on all the latest industry trends so you can use them in your posts and keep up with what people are talking about! And remember, it takes time and dedication to run a successful social media strategy as a professional photographer. But have patience; good things come to those who work for them.
If you’re looking to post unique photos and video content of the photos from your latest photo session on your social media pages, order a few Canvas Wrap PRO prints and photograph those. You can even create an unboxing video of the canvases and add that to your social media as well.
Don’t forget to tag us on Instagram and Facebook!