Booking Clients with the Power of Instagram
A guest blog post by Sara Russell, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Wedding Sparrow.
Recently, Wedding Sparrow has traveled around the world attending workshops, and we hear more and more often how photographers (and other vendors) are booking their clients via social media. And it seems that Instagram is the star of the show when it comes to reaching a fine art niche audience in particular. Is it really a surprise though when our audience is hunting down beautiful fine art imagery?
This is why our Instagram feeds in particular should represent our websites and branding more so than ever before. Our accounts should be seen as mini websites, if you like, especially after I read a report recently that stated over 65% of clients find us through our social channels first, before visiting your website. Our images should be curated enough to tempt that person into following/clicking/wanting more!
Are you posting what you want to shoot? This is another question we ask at workshops. All too often we get asked to review social channels after being told the photographer isn’t booking the type of client they really want. After seeing repeated imagery of cute, downtown engagements when the photographer is looking for ethereal, outdoor, soft weddings, we often ask, when was the last time you 'cleaned house'? You’re only as good as your worst post after all (and don’t be surprised to hear that followers really do scroll a long way down your feed!), so get cleaning and remove all the posts you don’t want to be known for. Worried you won’t be left with any imagery? Therein lies the problem. Get out there and create the imagery you want to attract back!
As brands and small businesses, we also forget to think of our key brand words when we post online. Is what you’re posting in keeping with your brand identity? Think about how confusing it can be to a client to see you post a heavily contrasted VSCO style one minute and then posting a light, grainy 3200 image the next.
Do you know when your clients are online? Having you been using IG analytics since it’s been freely available? Check out who follows you (if it’s fellow industry folk, ignore them!), what time they are online, and what days of the week. Use your time efficiently and pre-plan your posts via an app like Planoly so you can just press ‘post’ when it’s time to go. And don’t worry about posting every day. As long as you are posting regularly, your potential clients can see that you are online and active. And that’s all that matters.
Worried about hashtags? I wrote a little piece about shadowbanning on Instagram on the Wedding Sparrow blog, so if you fancy geeking out over some hashtag talk, you can read the full article here.
If you’d love to chat more about social media and the confusing world it revolves in, feel free to contact Wedding Sparrow any time...
- Sara Russell, Founder & Editor in Chief of Wedding Sparrow