The Facebook & Instagram 2021 Outage Impacts Wedding Photographers
Wedding Photographers Should Diversify How They Market Their Businesses Online //
When Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp went offline for about 6 hours on Monday, October 4th 2021, it was as if the whole world went still – in someways it might be an exaggeration to make such a statement, but in someways it is rather accurate. While some people realised just how addicted they are to social media, and others realised that they actually couldn’t get in touch with friends and family because they did not have their telephone numbers, small business owners noticed just how much impact this platforms have on their daily revenue and overall business.
The “short” outage may not have had such a drastic financial impact on wedding photographers, but a “longer” outage would certainly leave more than just a dent. There are some wedding photographers out there conducting their entire business on Facebook and/or Instagram. What happens if they no longer exist? It is too risky to rely heavily on a couple of platforms.
This outage should act as a wake up call for all of us!
Hi, I am Aida, host of My Wedding Season -The Podcast!
If you prefer listening, this blog post is also available in audio format on my podcast: Episode 14.
As a wedding photographer, it is important for you to diversify how you reach potential clients, grow your brand and market your business online. Pay attention to the following:
1. FOCUS ON OPTIMISING YOUR WEBSITE
YES, you need to have a website. For one, your social media should act more like a virtual business card to invite potential clients over to your homebase – your website. Your website should be where potential clients get all the necessary information about your products and services. It is also a space for your brand and personality continue to shine. Make sure that all the information/copy on your website is continuously being kept up-to-date, as well as the theme is modern and appealing.
And secondly, you have ownership over your website, unlike your social media accounts.
Bonus point: Make SEO your bestfriend! Being found on Google is a huge way to draw traffic to your website.
If you are overwhelmed by all things SEO, I can highly recommend Pepper, a creative marketing agency that helps photographers in all things content creation and marketing strategy. I am so honored to be a Brand Ambassador for Pepper because I truly believe in the team and the work that they do. They offer a number of services and products in their shop! Having trouble blogging regularly, lagging behind on posting on your different social media channels, in over your head with SEO – Pepper has got you! You can use the code Aida10 to get 10% off your purchase! Just go to www.meetpepper.ca to check them out!
Disclaimer: I am a Brand Ambassador and a part of a referral program for Pepper. I am sharing my honest opinion about their products and services with you! Read more about my Referral Program / Affiliate Disclosure here!
2. DIVERSIFY YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
Yes, it is super hard to manage multiple social media platforms. But it is also important to have a presence in different spaces as a means to not only have a back-up, but also as a way to build a number of audiences.
For example, you can consider making videos for TikTok and YouTube or taking the time to work on your Pinterest strategy.
(Side note: yes, I know that Pinterest is technicallly a search engine.)
My go-to platform has also been Instagram (@aidaglowik), but I too am now going to focus on showing up on other platforms – I’d love to connect with you on:
Facebook
YouTube
Pinterest
TikTok
Clubhouse: @aidaglowik
And if you love listening to podcasts, I would love for you to tune into “My Wedding Season – The Podcast”. This podcast is for wedding photographers who are feeling overwhelmed by the challenges that come along with doing life, building a brand and running a business.
Subscribe on:
iTunes
Spotify
Stitcher
Deezer
Google Podcasts
3. BUILD YOUR EMAIL LIST
Having an email list (newsletter subscribers) is a great way to serve your audience. You can show up in their inboxes every time you send out valuable emails.
Once again, this is a great idea because it is another way to stay in touch with your audience and you have ownership of your list.
If you want me to show up every now and then in your inbox with some goodies, sign-up for my newsletter here!
Cheering you on,
Aida