If there is one thing that sets apart a really successful photography business, it’s how they embrace and implement marketing strategy. I know marketing can feel like a full-time job, especially as you try to reach more and more people in your photography business. When I first started out, I wanted to use marketing strategies that were low-cost and effective, so for me, that was social media and networking.
At first, this social media marketing strategy didn’t feel like it was doing much, but as time went on and I really got into a flow, I was able to incorporate other strategies into my business and slowly but surely, it all started to coalesce.
Here are three tricks for upgrading your social strategy so you can see RESULTS from your marketing efforts:
Designate Content Pillars
One oh-so-helpful tool to help you upgrade your social strategy is the use of content pillars. Content Pillars for social media are themes or categories that you choose for the content that you post. This is a GREAT strategy tool for your social platforms because it helps you stay on-brand and focused on your core messages. Additionally, it takes the guess-work out of the question, ‘what should I post today?!!’
I recommend designating 4-5 content pillar categories for your social media marketing and using them as a guide when you post to social. You can then break each of the pillars down into 3-5 subcategories to really get down to the specifics of what you’re posting about and why.
My themes have changed as I’ve evolved my business – right now they are: Guided sales sessions, marketing, and mindset. As your business grows and changes, you may want to change your pillars from time to time but get creative with it to start! What message do you want to send to your clients? What do you want them to know about your business? about you? Your categories should speak directly to your ideal clients AND help them get to know you.
Repurpose your content for social media
The second trick that will help you upgrade your social media marketing strategy is REPURPOSING your content! This one is a biggie – if you aren’t repurposing your content, then you’re working harder than you need to with your marketing! Repurposing for marketing purposes is when you take a single piece of content, like a blog post, a content pillar, a newsletter, a client feature or WHATEVER IT IS – and you use the SAME piece of content to market across several platforms.
This helps you use one piece of content to do the job of 5 (or more)!
Get started with this social media marketing strategy by getting CLEAR on the places you want to share information (hint: you should ideally be marketing in the places where your clients already hang out!!). When you’ve chosen the places you want to market, then create content from the same idea for each platform. (think instagram, pinterest, facebook, blogs, etc). This will streamline your social strategy and yes, give you massive peace of mind.
The secret to repurposing successfully is to set up a system that works for you. In my business, I start with a blog, then turn it into several instagram captions, a newsletter, a pinterest post, and a facebook post. It all stems from the same source, but becomes so much more in the end!
Make a schedule and STAY CONSISTENT with your marketing strategy
The third way to upgrade your social media marketing strategy is maybe the most important: make a schedule and stick to it! Admittedly, this is the hardest one to follow-through on. But consequently, it’s the most important.
The thing is – with any type of marketing, consistency is KEY. This is especially the case with social media. So, choose a schedule that WORKS for you. If you know you can easily throw a post together once a day, do that! If that sounds daunting, then shoot for twice a week.
Try scheduling one day per month where you can schedule out your posts IN ADVANCE. This is called ‘batching’, and it’s one of the easiest ways to set yourself up for success with your social media marketing.
Regardless of where you’re at in your business, marketing is an important part of your business strategy and shouldn’t be taken lightly. By coming up with a system that works for you and sticking to it, you’ll be on your way to knocking your social media out of the park.
Keep shining,
Meghan
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