There’s a lot of talk about the impact blogging and social media have on running a successful photography business. While there are many valid opinions, we’ve chosen to focus a large portion of our effort into maintaining an active blog and a strong social media presence for our business. And although I’d love to say that all we have to do is post pretty pictures and watch our readership skyrocket, that’s simply not the case. Heck, even my best friends tell me that they “rarely” look at our recent session posts! So, how do we engage people with our work, but continue engaging them enough to keep coming back?
By making them take an interest in US. Now, that might sound self-serving, but hear me out. When we sat down to think about our ideal couples, we realized that our ideal clients were pretty much like us. Knowing that, we decided to incorporate more of US into our blog and social media posts. And then a funny thing happened…people started commenting, interacting, and becoming more invested in our business than when we posted strictly photos. Of course, photos will always be the heart of our business, but knowing our audience and creating new content that is relevant to their interests means we connect more with the perfect clients for us. Win-win!
Sounds great, right? So, how do you make this a reality for your own business? Every business is different, but here’s how we go about creating content and getting it out into the universe.
- Timing is everything. Think about times that you and your clients are most likely to be browsing online, checking Facebook, reading blogs, etc. Then, time your posts and updates to coincide with those times. You may have the most amazing post or witty status update, but if you post it at midnight, it’s less likely to be seen.
- Make it Fun, Make it Regular. For me (Ashley), clothing and fashion are fun obsessions, so I started a “Styled Session” series on our blog, where I post different outfits and give fashion advice.
These posts get more comments and feedback than 99% of our photo posts. Jen is a serious food connoisseur, so she started her own “Bottomless Appetite” series, where she documents her culinary adventures. Again, our ideal clients/readers are into fashion and food, so they are interested in these types of posts. And they keep them coming back! It’s also important to do these posts enough to be regular, but not SO much that it gets “old” and loses its appeal. We usually do one of these types of posts at least every two weeks. - Everyone Loves One-Liners. When we post sessions and photos on Facebook, we get comments and likes. But when I post “I’m TOTALLY still going to wear white after Labor Day…just saying.” I get 77 likes…people WANT to relate to other people, and posting silly stuff about our lives not only makes people feel more connected to us, but it also brings them into the conversation. It may feel awkward at first, but sharing quirky quips about yourself (keeping in mind the timing for posting them) is an easy and FUN way to draw others into your business and life.
- Be Balanced. There is such a thing as sharing too much. That line is different for everyone, but for us, anything we share is always positive, always a little bit funny, and very genuine. We’re happy, outgoing, silly people, and we want to attract those types of people to us. Everyone’s comfort level is different, and as long as you’re engaging others and getting positive feedback, you’re on the right track!
Maintaining a blog and a social media presence can feel pretty daunting. And it’s not for everyone! But if you’ve been curious about how to take your online presence to the next level and start attracting ideal clients to your blog and Facebook, we hope these tips point you in the right direction!
About the Author
Jen + Ashley are a two-woman wedding photographer team specializing in modern, fresh, and timeless wedding images. Ashley loves sprinkles, the color mint, living audaciously and dancing to The Wobble on wedding days. Jen is a persian cat collector, out eats all her guy friends, watches a mean game of tennis, and knows just as much about her car as she does her camera!