11 Tips for Successful Instagram Marketing for Photographers
Social media advertising is now seen as a very effective way to win new customers and build trust and loyalty to existing ones. Many experts refer to visual marketing as one of the most important business trends in the coming years. Social media sites like Instagram are the perfect tool for this.
Pictures appeal to human emotions and are a powerful way of promoting products and services and developing a brand.
Instagram marketing may not be something you’ve considered for your photography. Still, the increasing popularity of this social media platform means that it could be an excellent opportunity to reach more audiences.
If you’re currently taking photos for a hobby, living, or just starting out as a photographer, and you’re not on Instagram, you might be missing out on a ton of potential exposure. Lack of familiarity with this platform could mean that you’re not sure where to start, so we’ve crafted a simple guide to help photographers, novice or seasoned, get ready on Instagram Marketing.
The following questions and answers would help you decide whether Instagram marketing is a productive activity that will give you a return for your time and effort:
1. What is Instagram Marketing?
Instagram is an online photo-sharing platform. It integrates with Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and other networks. It also allows users to share images instantly.
Publish or Perish!
The more you publish on Instagram, the more you can increase your brand awareness. Yes, you’re not just an artist; you’re also a brand. The channel is packed with thousands of curators, potential clients, and agencies looking for new talent like yours.
Having an Instagram photo account will help you build an enthusiast community that will hopefully be associated with your imagery. This platform allows for a one-on-one engagement that can give you precious feedback on your work.
The Best Part
The greatest part of Instagram marketing is that you need not even be a professional photographer. It is all about snapping and sharing the moment and making your audience feel close to you.
The quality of photos captured by most smartphones is very good, so there’s no need to worry about technical skills. If you want to share and promote photos of your physical products, you just have to ensure that they in a well-lit environment. If your photos look too professional, you might lose the impact of sharing images that seem to have been taken at the moment.
2. Do I Need to Have a Product?
Visual advertising is recommended for marketing physical products, but you can likewise use the same strategies and techniques for the services you offer. Nevertheless, if your business is in the fashion retail niche, it’s easy to see how sharing your clothing photographs can raise brand awareness and lead to revenue.
However, an industry like dental hygiene may need to think more creatively when it comes to Instagram marketing, like sharing abstract images of confidence and freshness.
A lot of the most successful case studies of Instagram marketing include sharing photos of satisfied customers with raving testimonials.
3. What Should I Post?
Instagram is not really supposed to be a carbon copy of your website or portfolio; think about it more to show the world your own unique personality and style. Try to strike a balance between excellent shots that show your ability and some ad-hoc phone photos that give you a glimpse of your business – more like a visual diary!
You can also use Instagram marketing to experiment with different styles and get feedback from your followers.
4. To Filter or Not to Filter?
Instagram’s wide range of filters is perfectly suited for a lot of users. Being able to change the level of the filters makes it easy to modify your images until you’re satisfied and happy.
However, as a serious photographer, you are likely to already have your own style and technique. Using filters is fine (after all, it’s your Instagram account, and you can do whatever you want). You can achieve the style you are looking for by experimenting with the various editing apps on offer or using your preferred computer software until you find one that fits your preferences.
5. What is the Ideal Time for Posting on Instagram?
Posting content at different times of the day will affect how your audience responds and engages. You want to post your content when most of your audience is online, and your engagement may be high, so the Instagram algorithm identifies your content as accessible. This way, you’re going to get a much better shot at landing a spot on the Explore tab–this is where you can get a lot of new followers. Once you know the time that will work best for your chosen audience, schedule all future posts.
So how can you ensure that you’re posting at your best time? Post, experiment, learn, rehearse.
Trial and Error
Like a lot of things in life, the only way to discover what works for you is to try out many different options–the same is true with Instagram marketing. Before you decide to post a specific day or time on your Instagram photo account, play with different posting schedules. Keep in mind that the important thing is to be consistent. There’s no point in finding the best time to post on Instagram if you do it only once in a blue moon.
6. What Caption Should I Put?
You do not have to write that much on Instagram. However, always make sure to add a description or caption to each of the images you post. It may be short, but it should still be rich with valuable information for your audience.
7. How Can User-Generated Content Help My Brand?
A lot of marketing experts believe that UGC is probably the best form of digital marketing. Word of mouth recommendation is considered incredibly powerful, and business has been thriving on it for decades. In the online realm, customers can be actively involved in how their brand is perceived by others.
Promote Authenticity
Satisfied customers can share photos of themselves enjoying your services and products, and this is a powerful marketing tool. UGC builds trust and promotes awareness. Many business owners nowadays are encouraging their customers to take pictures of Instagram, which will ultimately lead to positive reviews and further sales.
It also promotes authenticity. Consumers are twice as likely to view user-generated content as authentic compared to brand-generated content. This gives brands an important boost in credibility. Most people say that less than half of all brands produce authentic content.
8. Growing Your Audience with Instagram Marketing
Instagram marketing works only if you already have an audience and followers. There are several ways to develop a follow-up. Strategies are like those used to build audiences on other social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. Engaging potential customers by following them and enjoying their photos is a great place to start.
Great way to Attract attention
Once you’re comfortable with Instagram, it’s a good idea to focus on expanding your reach – especially if your photography business is your bread and butter. Keep in mind that more followers = more potential customers.
9. How Can You Make Sure You’re Getting Real Engagement?
Follow individuals whose Instagram accounts inspire you, and do not just restrict this to the most popular posters. By searching for hashtags yourself, you can find other photographers interested in the same subjects, techniques, and technology.
Once you start tapping into Instagram to interact with other photo accounts, the app will begin to understand your interests and, as a result, populate the Explore tab with photos you think you’ll like. This is another good way to find new accounts to follow and engage with.
Getting involved with your creative fellows by commenting on their images and starting a conversation will introduce more people to your work. You might even make a lot of friends in the process! You can also find a local community that you can become part of, for the benefit of everyone involved.
10. How Can I Attract More Attention?
This is a fun and easy way to engage in the culture of social media. To be successful in Instagram marketing, you need to be up-to-date with current trends and relevant hashtags. Then you need to shape some of your work to fit current trends. This is an effective way to get your photograph in front of millions of new audiences.
Use Hashtags
But with millions of images published every minute, there’s little chance that a random user will stumble across your photos unless they’re one of your followers. That’s why we’re using hashtags: to allow new curious eyes to see our images without paying for a promoted post. A hashtag is a text that follows a # symbol that is linked to a specific subject. Social media users can search the hashtag to discover content that would be most interesting to them, allowing them to discover exciting new artists.
To boost your Instagram marketing game, you can attach hashtags to each description of your posts. Thus, you will multiply your chances of being discovered and attract more followers, likes, and comments.
11. How Can I Protect My Images on Instagram?
Watermarking your photos is extremely important in Instagram marketing because the images on Instagram are meant to be shared. Without a watermark, the source of the photo can be lost quickly. Make sure your watermark is visible, without affecting too much of the image itself. Check out our Watermarks The Importance of Location – 6 Points to ConWhere to Put Your Watermark guide for ideas.
