How to Increase Engagement on Instagram as a Brand Photographer
Ah the ever-changing world of Instagram. When I first started creating content on Instagram as a mom influencer, casual images were a thing. Now, video is trending and it may be a bit overwhelming for us brand photographers! How do you share your work and book clients, when Reels or videos are in demand?!
Also, engagement is down because there are so many users on the platform. How do you not only stand out in a sea of content creators but among other local brand photographers?
Take a deep breath. Inhale. Exhale. I’m going to share my top performing posts of 2021, and some tips to think about when you’re creating content for your brand photography business.
No, you don’t have to post Reels everyday to grow an engaged audience and convert followers to clients (but I will share some Reels tips in the next post). You can share your work, your personality and expertise in many different ways while growing your business. At the end of the day, your marketing content needs to both feel like you and resonate with your dream clients. Let’s dive in!
Look at your insights
First, you need to know what YOUR most loved content is, so you can repurpose it or create more of it! Look for the posts with the most impressions, post interactions, and I like to look at website taps. Knowing which posts sent your followers to your link in bio is super helpful to you as a business owner.
Take note of the images, text or videos you used, and repurpose them. Turn your caption into a text-based carousel, or an image into a Reel.
Image Ideas for High Engagement
You and your significant other or family
Sharing personal content humanizes your brand. It also builds trust and relatability with your audience. For example, a large segment of my audience is moms who are married. So, I share content that resonates with their everyday life, such as images with my husband and children. Also, share images that evoke emotion or feel sentimental.
2. Lifestyle posing
Headshots are our bread and butter as brand photographers, but they don’t have to be boring or look like everyone else’s. Share images of your clients in a more casual, laid back and calming environment, posing with a prop or doing something.
3. Side by side comparison (ie. then vs now)
Get your audience involved in your process! Who doesn’t love a good story? Share then vs. now images, before and after (ie. edited vs unedited) or ask your audience to help you choose something. Also, images with text perform well and are a great way to show your work and educate, entertain or inspire your audience. I love using Canva to create these graphics!
4. Text carousel
Educational-based content is a great way to establish yourself as an expert in brand photography. When your audience trusts that you can help them solve their pain points, they’ll book you. Use text-based carousels to share 3-10 tips on a specific topic. This is highly shareable, savable content that can keep you top of mind when a potential client is ready to book their brand photoshoot. Pro tip: Tell your audience to save or share the post with a friend. Great way to get your content in front of more of your dream clients!
I know creating text-based goes against everything we believe in as photographers. We want to use every opportunity to share our beautiful work on social media, but I highly recommend you try it! Even if post one text post per month. Again, I use Canva Pro to create my carousels and graphics. Be sure to use the same font or font pair and your brand colors for cohesiveness.
Want to know my top-performing Reels? I’ll be sharing about that next!
