Embracing a New Vision for My Socials

A year ago, I made a conscious decision to stop focusing on growing my socials in the usual sense.

Instead, I chose to use my socials to grow my business and my presence in a way that felt more aligned with my aspirations.

This might sound counterintuitive in a world where high follower counts are a coveted metric, but let me share the incredible things that happened as a result of this decision.

Identifying and Catering to My Ideal Audience

This strategic shift allowed me to hone in on exactly what content my ideal clients wanted and needed.

No longer was I creating for the masses; my content was now tailored to educate and inspire fellow photographers and catch the highest end photography clients.

This pivot in my approach led to an influx of the right kind of audience – passionate, eager to learn, and perfectly aligned with the educational direction I was taking as well as attracting the type of photography clients that needed more that just a photographer, they needed an idea generator, a video maker. A content creator.

Building a Business Beyond Views

The results of this shift were mind bending. I was able to enroll amazing photographers into my educations programs, where I empower photographers to refine their craft and business acumen through mindset shifts and my 6 part system.

This not only added significant profit to my business but is a testament to the power of targeted, high value-driven content.

When I first ventured into the realm of social media, I viewed it as an easy way to get seen. Soon I realized it was a digital ocean, where my work easily got lost in the waves of content.

That's a common trap for photographers - we focus so much on showcasing our work, we forget that social media is more than just a gallery; it's a platform for storytelling and connection.

This revelation led me to a strategic pivot in my approach.

I started by really understanding my audience – who they are, what they seek in a photographer, whether it was my photography and creative ability or my pro photographers education. I learned how to explain how my 33 year pro career and newly developed skill-stack can meet and exceed their needs.

I started sharing the transformations. The testimonials, the feedback, photos of me working, portraits of me…. as well as my work.

The game-changer was when I began sharing the stories behind my photographs, the techniques I used, and even the real challenges I faced in my life and my work.

And I started writing here on Substack. This narrative approach fostered a deeper connection with my audience when I wrote my social posts the same way I write these blogs.

I also added making videos regularly on top of my 3 weekly podcasts and the timing with what I was currently doing with all my socials caused a ripple effect that I’m still feeling today.

The BEST Photography Advice NOBODY listens to. I gained 7.1K YouTube subscribers, 226K views and 11.5K hrs of watch time from a single 7m video. This single video exploded all of my social media platforms.

Key Strategies for My Social Media Success

Here are the six key aspects of my social strategy that made all of this possible:

1. Targeting Quality Viewers Over Quantity: I focused on attracting viewers who were genuinely interested in photography education, rather than just boosting my view counts.

2. Understanding My Audience and the Algorithm: I delved deep into understanding social media’s algorithms, ensuring my content reached those who would benefit the most from it. When you post for a specific audience, eventually the algo understands who your content is for. When your style of content isn’t consistent, algorithms don’t know what audience to show you to.

3. Creating Content with Purpose: Every piece of content was crafted with my ideal viewer in mind, addressing their specific needs and challenges in photography.

4. Synchronizing My Social’s Metadata: I aligned my content and captions to establish my social channels as an authority in the field of photography education.

5. Building an Audience Beyond Social Media: I used my social platforms to grow an email list, further solidifying my relationship with my audience with an email list of potential clients that I own.

6. Playing the Long Game: Instead of chasing viral fame, I focused on building a sustainable and impactful presence on all my social platforms. 

My Message to Fellow Photographers

Remember, social media for photographers like us is not just about sharing your images; it's about building your brand, telling a story, and creating a community.

It's a tool not just for showcasing your work but for building relationships and growing your business. Having direct access to anyone with an instagram account is powerful.

You can turn your social media presence from a mere display of your portfolio into a dynamic, engaging platform that attracts and retains a dedicated following.

Actionable Steps:

1. Understand Your Audience: Dive into analytics to see who engages with your content and tailor your posts to their interests.

2. Tell Stories: Share the journey behind your photos. Be human. This could be the inspiration, the challenges, or the technical aspects as well as the mindset behind the work.

3. Engage in Conversations: Respond to comments, ask for feedback, and engage in discussions. Make your followers feel heard and valued, provide value when you post. Seek out potential clients, follow them and genuinely engage without the expectation of work, money, or anything that benefits ‘you’. Focus on helping others, be selfless and the money will flow like it never has before.

4. Offer Value Beyond Your Work: Share tips, tutorials, and insights into the photography world. Position yourself as a resource, not just a photographer. Be obsessive about how you can bring value to your potential clients and when they have the budget to pay for photography, you will be top of mind.

5. Consistency is Key: Regular posting keeps your audience engaged and helps you stay relevant on social media algorithms. Regular posting doesn’t necessarily have to mean ‘daily’. Posting 3 - 4x a week is fine, but be consistent, and post for one specific audience.

6. Leverage Different Platforms Effectively: Understand the unique social language and audience of each platform. YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, X, and LinkedIn all serve different purposes have specific nuances and are used differently. What works on Insta may not work on Linkedin.

7. Collaborate and Network: Partner with other creatives or small brands. This exposes you to a wider audience and brings fresh perspectives to your work.

8. Adapt and Evolve: Stay updated with social media trends and adapt your strategy accordingly. Adaptability is crucial in the ever-changing digital landscape. This creative industry is a rushing river, always moving and evolving. You can’t be doing the same thing you were doing 10yrs ago and expecting it to work today. Which means, if you’ve never been on video, shot self portraits or really put yourself out there, how can you expect to connect with your audience in a real authentic way? I’ll say again, there is a ‘reason’ why Peter McKinnon is a household name. It’s because of his presence on YouTube, not for his camera skills. Imagine how you’d do if you used video as a marketing tool for your specific audience?

If you're a photographer looking to grow your business and impact, know that social media, and yes that includes YouTube, can be more than just platforms for showcasing your work.

They can be a powerful tools for education, for building a communities, and for creating a sustainable business model.

My journey from using YouTube as a simple client work showcase to a thriving educational platform is a testament to the potential that lies within that platform, and social media channels in general.

Remember, replace the word ‘algorithm’ with ‘audience’.

The algorithm’s only goal is to share ‘your content’ to the ‘right audience’.

It's not just about the views, followers or subscribers; it's about the impact you can create in the lives of your audience and their businesses and the community you build along the way.

If you’re making valuable content for your specific niche.

If you haven’t found your perfect niche yet, watch this video.

Thanks for reading me this week.

I hope this brought you value.