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Everyday I link to, or follow links on facebook, twitter, instagram and the rest which take me off to some random new corner of the internet. Keeping up active accounts across all the available platforms is both tiring and distracting but if you want to broaden your audience, make things happen or build an empire then social networking sites are the best place for it. Good news then that Photoventure have sat down and come up with a pretty definitive and useful set of tips on social media for photographers.
Most are free (as posted yesterday new ‘photography specific’ ones with special functions have subscriptions) and almost all are meritocracies where anyone has the potential to become the next big web sensation – providing you put the time in networking. On the flip side the potential is also there for you to inadvertently trigger a social-media storm with a misplaced quip that would be hilarious while with your friends at the bar but reads offensively in the cold light of day by strangers who don’t know your humor- a woman scorned can not hold a candle to the fury of a twitter storm.
Remember networking is only one letter away from ‘not-working’ and it is easy to loose focus when you have the whole of the world wide web to try and stand out in. Despite some of Photoventure’s tips seeming obvious there is a reason why some teenagers have more followers than corporations like Sony. Using sites like Flickr or Twitter to the fullest takes skill but following each of these tips will broaden your audience and could also help you make a living. Below are some of Photoventure’s words of wisdom, but to visit the original post and see the whole list and a treasure trove of other useful tips, lessons and advice please click here:
Social media tips for photographers: 1. Only sharing your own content
Getting your work seen is one of the main reasons you should use social media in the first place, but if your status updates are always about your own work, it will come across as advertising rather than genuine sharing, and your followers will eventually stop paying attention to you.In addition to your own work, share links to funny, fascinating or useful content elsewhere on the web that your followers will find interesting.
Social media tips for photographers: 2. Sharing unfinished work
People will judge you on what they saw last, so your best strategy is to keep posting your very best pictures; not your half-baked experiments accompanied by an excuse like ‘this isn’t quite there yet’.It’s better to become known as a constant source of inspiration than a hit-or-miss amateur.
Social media tips for photographers: 3. Not interacting
Don’t let your efforts go to waste once you’ve created a buzz; silence discourages people from coming back, so be sure to reward people who comment on your content by responding and encouraging dialogue.
Social media tips for photographers: 4. Failing to reveal your personality
You’ve always been told to be professional, but that doesn’t mean you need to be impersonal. The beauty of social media is that it allows you to curate and show the sides of yourself you’d like people to see.Clients, prospective employers and curious visitors often take to your social media feeds to see what’s behind the professional image on your website, so let down your guard and show the world that you’re a real person they can relate to; it pays dividends.
Social media tips for photographers: 5. Having too many images on your Flickr or website
There is such a thing as oversharing, and for a photographer the main problem with a flooded social media presence is that it might dilute your brand.It’s important that potential clients or important contacts can get an impression of what you’re really about without having to sift through 500 images of varying relevance to get the right idea.So clean up and make sure everything you share is relevant to your brand.
What do you think?
Are there any tips that have been missed off and should be added to the list?
How successful are you at using the internet to your advantage?
