Tips to Boost Your Photography Business with Small Social Media Following
Lots of photographers are convinced that they won’t be able to develop their business successfully before they hit a coveted 100,000 followers on social media. Still, even a modest social media following won’t be a problem if you’re determined to upskill and grow as an artist and entrepreneur. From today’s article, you’ll learn some great tips that will help you get your photography business off the ground without impressive social media accounts.
Quality over Quantity
If you’re not new to using social media platforms, chances are you’ve already amassed some 200-500 loyal followers who like what you’re doing. If you’re unimpressed by such a small figure, you can easily give up on your followers and go about your business. But this is the last thing you want to do if you’re determined to grow your web visibility. Your current followers deserve as much attention as those you aim to attract further down the road. With this in mind, do your best to actively engage with people supporting you by responding to their comments and messages. Don’t forget to thank your audience for their feedback and useful advice. This way, you will not only retain your followers and boost the quality of your engagement but also score more likes, shares, and new followers.
Share Your Experience… in Writing
A good number of those who follow photographers are not only aesthetes but also knowledgeable content consumers eager to expand their horizons. So, you might want to diversify the channels for engaging your audience by starting to write about photography. You can either start your own blog or create a website where you’ll be sharing actionable pieces of advice for beginner and/or experienced photographers. Spice up and illustrate your post with effective photographs to win over more readers. You can then turn your articles into short posts and share them with your followers on social media websites.
Think about SEO
As with any business promoted online, the success of your photography business is largely contingent on your visibility in search engines.
If you have a website, which is highly recommendable for your business, make sure to use keywords as part of your image descriptions. Page titles should be optimized, as well.
Optimizing your photos is a whole new science, whose basics you need to learn to ingratiate yourself with Google. First, you need to resize your images properly to make them less cumbersome and more SEO-friendly. Second, choose the best image format and compress your image.
It’s also crucial that you pay enough attention to customizing your image file names. Each photo you upload on your website, blog, or media-sharing platform, needs to have a relevant, keyword-rich file name to alert search engines to the subject matter of your content.
Including captions under your photos can also go a long way in boosting your user experience and SEO ranking.
Last but not least, make sure all the images you post are 100% original. Not only will this help your content rank higher on Google but also establish your authority and prove your professionalism. As a result, you’ll get more kudos and loyal fans.
Try Other Platforms
If you’re relying solely on Instagram for following and recognition, you should definitely check out other popular platforms. You might be surprised to learn that such seemingly conservative platforms as Twitter provides modern photographers with the tools necessary to increase their web visibility, share expertise, and grow their fanbase. Such platforms as Pinterest, Reddit, TikTok, and Flickr are also worth a shot if you want to expand your reach.
Also, try cooperating with stock photography sites that offer royalty free photos. Though they won’t bring you an enviable income, you can make other people recognize you by sharing your works and thus create buzz around your photooffer royalty free photosgraphy business.
Grow Your Network Online
Get the most out of the online channels, which enable you to engage, cooperate, collaborate, and market your photography business to a wider audience. Thus, instead of focusing on amassing an enviable following, use social media to reach potential clients who might be interested in your services or the content you produce. Good old techniques like email marketing might also come in handy when you start growing your network.
Also, don’t forget about your personal and professional growth, which is impossible without the right connections. So, you definitely want to join a community of like-minded creatives that will help you upskill and take your craft to the next level. A good way to start is to check out Facebook groups or Instagram engagement groups to find potential followers, mentors, or like-minded people sharing your interests.
Building a huge social media following shouldn’t be an end in itself. Grow your photography business, invest enough time in your personal and professional development, grow your network, tap into new online marketing techniques, and expand your horizons. Once you get the ball rolling with these, your desired media attention won’t be long in coming.