Posted by Monalisa The Ultimate Guide to Social Media for Photographers
As photographers, we're experts at capturing everyone else's big moments, but when it comes to sharing our own work on social media, we act like we're allergic to the 'post' button!
Despite the work, social media for photographers is an essential tool to grow their business. With millions of potential clients scrolling through platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and TikTok daily, the opportunities to showcase your work, connect with your audience, and grow your brand are endless. But with so many platforms and strategies available, it can be overwhelming to know where to start.
But the possibilities are endless —all from the palm of your hand.
In this article, we’ll dive into the best practices and strategies for using social media to market your photography business. We will be answering all of your questions about how to get social media to work for you and how it can help attract clients to boost your business.
Social media marketing is the way of using social media platforms to promote a product, service, or brand to a targeted audience. Social media marketing for photographers involves leveraging platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, TikTok, and others to showcase your work, connect with potential clients, and build a strong online presence.
We get so many questions on whether photographers should use social media. Let me just start by saying it is extremely crucial to have an online presence, especially in this digital world, where authenticity and trust come from having a presence online.
Think about it. If you were to buy something, you are probably gonna look up the brand's website, their social media, check out reviews, and then decide whether you want to purchase. If there is no social media presence, you will probably be skeptical.
Social media is a powerful tool for photographers looking to grow their business, and its importance cannot be overstated. Here are some reasons why social media for photographers is essential to market your business:
Reach a Wider Audience
If you are not leveraging social media for your photography business, you are missing out. Social media platforms give you access to a global audience that you might not reach through traditional marketing methods. Instagram has 2bn monthly active users, Facebook has 3.065 billion monthly active users, and Pinterest has 522 million monthly active users.
Every day these audiences are using social media to find something – whether it's inspiration or buying a product or service. Nothing beats the free exposure you get with social media. It's fascinating to think someone can just land on your services page, or your photography blog and book a shoot. How? Just by landing on your Instagram while scrolling and going through all the links you attached on your profile.
Showcase Your Portfolio
Think about this…
What is the best way to answer the question, “What kind of photography do you do?”
Yup…your social media. Your digital portfolio says it all.
Having a website link is great but as a business owner and busy photographer, you may miss updating it with your latest work. This is where you can use Instagram or Facebook to display your updated portfolio in a visually appealing and easily accessible way.
And then there’s the free exposure we talked about. A potential client can easily land on your page and DM an inquiry. That's the beauty of social media features – helping you connect with your clients on the go. Whether through comments, direct messages, or live sessions, social media enables real-time interaction with potential clients. This direct engagement helps build relationships, fosters trust and allows you to respond to inquiries, provide quotes, or book sessions quickly.
Networking with Peers
Social media is a powerful tool for networking with other photographers, industry professionals, and potential collaborators. Participating in photography groups, joining relevant conversations, and connecting with influencers can help expand your professional network and open doors to new opportunities.
If you ask what the best social media platform for photographers is, the first thought is Instagram. It's where 2bn people are and it's where you should be. But when it comes to social media marketing for photographers, it is beneficial to utilize all channels at your disposal to increase exposure and be in front of potential clients.
Photographers' choice of social media platform largely depends on their target audience and business goals. While Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook are great platforms to use, we also suggest exploring other channels beyond these well-known options. Here are a few social media alternatives specifically made for photographers to try:
500px
500px is exclusively designed for photographers and photography enthusiasts and offers access to a community that appreciates high-quality photography. It has a range of benefits including
- Create a professional portfolio to share with potential clients
- Connect with a large, active, and global community of photographers
- Network, share feedback, and get constructive critique from peers
- Get featured on Explore and their social channels to reach a wider audience
- Monetize your work by offering licensing options
- Participate in contests to win prizes
Flickr
Flickr is a well-established platform that offers photographers a dedicated space to showcase their work, connect with a vibrant community, and explore a vast library of inspiring images. Some of the key benefits include:
- Get 1TB of free storage for photographers to share their work
- Connect with a large and vibrant community of photographers
- Get featured on Explore to reach a wider audience
- Customize and organize portfolio based on clients, peers, or fans
- Participate in photo challenges to learn new skills and gain recognition
Behance
One of the best social media for photographers is Behance. As a professional, it is a great platform to showcase your portfolio and connect with a global community of creatives. There are several benefits of getting a Behance account:
- Create and showcase your portfolio with a global audience
- Connect and network with other creators
- Get discovered by potential clients based on your portfolio
- Integrate with Adobe Creative Cloud to share latest projects
- Get a dedicated job board to get freelance gigs
I’d say go now and create a Behance account if you don’t have it already! Better late than never right?
Foto
It's a new app but has already received a lot of eyeballs. An exclusive social media app for photographers. Some of the benefits include:
- Ad free app so there’s no distraction
- View posts of people you follow
- Get new income streams for creators
- Additional search and discovery features
- Quality cloud storage (an upcoming Pro feature)
Foto is still a work in progress but it is definitely a great place to be for photographers and artists. Learn more about how foto is different from other social media apps
Every human being is unique. And as for photographers, your photography style is the cornerstone of your brand identity. Here are the three pillars you should focus on when creating a brand identity on social media.
Be your unique self
Consistency plays a major role in helping you be more recognizable as a photographer. For instance, Calvin Hollywood is recognized for his movie-style photo editing techniques.
Whether you specialize in moody portraits, bright and airy wedding photography, or vibrant landscape shots, your style should be consistent across all your social media platforms. Decide on specific photo editing techniques, color schemes, and compositions that reflect your artistic vision, and apply them consistently to create a recognizable look.
Build your voice
Along with colors and visual themes, it is also important to determine your brand voice. While speaking to your followers, do you use a friendly tone, a professional tone, or is it more funny and humorous? Whether your tone is professional, friendly, humorous, or inspirational, it should reflect your personality and resonate with your target audience.
Be transparent
You need to be able to connect with your audience on a human level. Share behind the scenes of who you are and why you started photography in the first place. This inspires transparency and helps build trust among your audience. For instance, you are photographing an event – a concert.
You can talk about how you always wanted to meet “this singer” and your job allows you to make your dreams come true. Social media is all about creating relatable content that your audience can re-share.
4 Social Media Content Strategies for Photographers
Building a strong social media presence is a crucial part of marketing for photographers. It’s key to connecting with potential clients and expanding your brand.
However, simply posting photos isn’t enough. To stand out and engage your audience effectively, photographers need to develop thoughtful social media content strategies that align with their unique style and goals. In this section, we will explore four powerful strategies that you can use:
Engage with other accounts
Social media was designed to connect and network with like-minded people. When you genuinely connect with other pages, you are bound to generate some eyeballs on your page. For instance, if you left a heartfelt comment on a fellow photographer’s page, they might just check out your page because you made their day with your comment. When you consistently engage with peers and relevant audiences, the algorithm gods automatically favor you by making your page pop up on other people’s feeds.
Of course, there are other factors involved such as consistency and quality of content. But when you start networking with other humans, it gets the ball running faster.
Use Pinterest to remain ever-green
Pinterest is a place where people go for inspiration. Whether it's a wedding photoshoot or finding the perfect home decor inspiration, Pinterest is the first thing that comes to mind. Think about it, if you are a bride, you are looking up Pinterest for dress inspiration, photo shoot inspiration, etc.
“If you're able to get Pinterest-worthy shoots, you can have pins go viral for years. The longevity of a pin is unlike anything I've ever seen,” said Cassidy Lynne on After the Shoot podcast. “I posted a pin back in 2018, and I still get hundreds of repins every day”
Listen to the full episode here with Cassidy Lynne on How to use social media to win photography clients
So create ever-green content on Pinterest to stay at the forefront of your potential clients.
Make it easier for people to connect with you
When customers land on your social media, make it easier for them to connect with you. DMs are great but if a visitor wants to explore your website or portfolio, it should be linked to your social channels. For instance, use Instagram bio section to add the most important links so people can explore your business and work. This makes it possible for visitors to quickly go through all your work, and projects and make an informed purchase decision
Paint a picture
The question is not “What do I post?” but “How do I provide value to my audience?” Honestly, the fastest way to get someone to unfollow you is to talk about yourself. A great social media strategy for photographers is to provide some story behind what you post – whether it's educational, inspirational, or any other important content bucket.
The content you create needs to paint a picture while also being relatable. For example, Melourra, a Vienna and Zurich-based photographer uses her wedding photography to tell her story. In this Instagram post, she welcomes Spring while hinting at her love for the season. The post reinforces this message with her recent photoshoot. This post acts as an inspiration for other photographers or clients planning for a spring photoshoot. They may even go one step ahead and even book her because of her photography style.
Putting yourself out there and showing up is what helps you win at social media.
Here are some tips from Aftershoot’s social marketing team on how to build your social presence:
Show Your Work and Testimonials: Regularly share your projects and client feedback on your profiles. This builds trust with the audience.
Comment on other profiles: Engage with posts from fellow photographers and brands. Remember, social media is more about collaboration than competition. Your interaction can lead to mutual growth opportunities. So be “social” on social media instead of just posting and ghosting.
Network and contribute: Participation in industry conversations can open doors and help you stay on top of trends and technologies.
Showcase Behind-the-Scenes Content: Audiences love seeing what goes on behind the camera. Share videos or photos via stories showing your setup, editing process, or what a typical shoot looks like. This makes you more relatable and the audience is more likely to engage with you.
Live Q&A Sessions: Regularly host Q&A sessions where you answer questions about your photography techniques, gear recommendations, or even business advice. This can be done through Instagram Stories or Facebook Live. It’s a great way to engage with your audience and address their specific needs directly.
DM Strategy: Direct messages are powerful for business. They allow you to connect directly with potential clients or collaborate with other creators.
Winning at Social Media for Photographers
Mastering social media is an essential part of growing your photography business in today's digital landscape. Remember, winning at social media is not just about the number of followers or likes—it’s about creating meaningful connections, providing value to your audience, and staying authentic to who you are as a photographer.
And while you grow your business on social media, let Aftershoot handle the mundane tasks of post-production for you. Start your 30 day free trial today