Let’s face it, we are on a social media engagement recession. The screaming match on Instagram and Facebook is louder than ever and the reward is lower than ever. Meta has come up with ways to become profitable and those ways have made it harder for small businesses to gain visibility on their platforms. It’s no secret that I enjoy social media. I post on Instagram and Facebook every day, however I can see why many photographers, especially new photographers, are frustrated.

But here is my little secret… social media is NOT the main way that I get clients.

Are you surprised to hear that?

I have known for a very long time that social media is rented real estate and that I should be focusing my efforts on content that I have a lot more control over and that I essentially own. And you should do.

So if social media is not your favorite, you are going to love these marketing tips.

1. Focus your efforts on growing and utilizing an email list. You own your email list and get this, 100% of the folks you send an email to receive your email. How cool is that?! Every time I send an email about session openings I book session. Every single time! I have been booking my family photoshoot calendar out a year in advance exclusively with my email list. You don’t have to overcomplicate things. Download my guide to start your email list now! Button below.

2. Focus on creating high quality content that your clients want to see and read. You need a website to do that. You will do this with a great portfolio, a great homepage, a great about page, and a blog. Yes, you need a blog. Like I 100% think you need a blog. You can blog about things that your clients actually care about like “what to wear,” “how to prepare for a photoshoot,” “how to choose the best location,” etc.

3. Focus on your search engine optimization, SEO, on your website. Search engine optimization. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) refers to the practice of optimizing your website and its content to improve its visibility and ranking on search engine results pages, like google. The goal of SEO is to increase the quantity and quality of traffic to your website through organic search engine results. You do this by going back to step two up there and creating great content your clients need and love.

Most of us waste so much time on social media. Use it to connect and be personable but don’t make it your only strategy. Most of the metrics on social media area all about vanity and popularity. Likes and follows won’t pay the bills. Focus on the three tips I shared in this post to really fast track your marketing plan.