As a wedding photographer, social media is one of the top ways to market your wedding photography business. Here at ShootDotEdit, we know there are various platforms that require your attention. Some platforms, more than others, are often utilized in a greater capacity (like Facebook and Instagram). Other platforms, like Pinterest, are sometimes underutilized (even though there are great benefits in using it).
Melissa Jill is an internationally recognized Phoenix-based wedding photographer who has been shooting weddings for 14 years. She photographs 10-15 high-end weddings a year and also has 4 associate photographers. She has developed an extensive database of free information for photographers on her blog. She also mentors photographers one-on-one. She started an album design company called Align Album Design that helps photographers streamline their album workflow. She is passionate about business, has worked hard to maximize the efficiency and profitability of her studio, and loves helping other photographers do the same.
——————————————————
Pinterest for Wedding Photographers
What are the top 3 social media channels that you utilize for your business? Take a second to think about it. Where are you putting your marketing time and efforts? It is hard to keep up with all of the social media channels out there. In fact, no single business can do them ALL well. So it is especially wise for those of us who are small business owners to hone in on 1-3 channels where the bulk of our ideal clients are hanging out. We can’t do them all well, but if we pick 1-3 wisely, and truly optimize them, we can see a lot of impact from our efforts.
As I see it, when it comes to weddings, the top 3 social channels where brides are hanging out are:
- Facebook (And this one is a DISTANT 3rd with most young people being much less active on Facebook.)
Most photographers have a highly optimized Facebook and Instagram presence (with hashtag strategies, boosting plans, and more), but the one channel that is often overlooked by photographers is Pinterest. And I would argue that Pinterest has THE MOST POTENTIAL to impact our businesses. The reasons for this are:
1. It’s a Planning Tool
It is the one channel that most brides are utilizing for the express purpose of wedding planning. They create their own boards and search for inspiration from past weddings on there. That is often their goal in going to Pinterest, whereas their goals in using Instagram and Facebook are more likely to connect socially with others they know.
Related: Are you using these 5 tips for your Pinterest account to help your photography business?
2. It’s Photo-Centric
Pinterest is made for sharing inspiration in photo form. It is ideally suited for content creators and, as photographers, we are constantly creating beautiful and inspirational CONTENT. And what’s even better is that our photos are representative of the service we are selling. It is like Pinterest is made to sell what we have to offer.
Image by Melissa Jill Photography
3. It’s Made for Exponential Growth
Pinterest, unlike Instagram and Facebook, allows our photos that are saved even once to the platform to proliferate exponentially across that platform for years to come through endless sharing. Pins are often repinned hundreds and thousands of times endlessly across a wide network of people, most of whom do not even follow our profiles. In contrast, photos shared on Instagram and Facebook are primarily initially seen by our followers and then get buried in our feeds.
At MJP, we have been working to optimize our Pinterest presence for about a year now and we have seen tremendous growth as a result. According to my Google Analytics, Pinterest is the 2nd highest source of traffic to my blog after organic search results. In addition, I have seen an increase in client inquiries who say they have found me on Pinterest. Pretty awesome. Because our content is already living on our blogs, optimizing our Pinterest strategy is a fairly low-maintenance endeavor compared with other social channels.
——————————————————
BONUS: 10 Photography Pinners to Follow for Inspiration
Wedding photographers everywhere are using Pinterest to both showcase their work and to find other creative ideas to incorporate into their images. We made a list of 10 Pinterest users to follow in addition to Melissa who will help you find inspiration for your professional photography business.
Weddings
1. Style Me Pretty
The popular wedding blog, Style Me Pretty, has a Pinterest page that is a treasure trove of current trends in the wedding industry. With almost 100 boards broken down into every aspect of a wedding you can think of – hairstyles to cupcakes – it is a great wedding resource to follow. And since Style Me Pretty has over 6 million followers, chances are your brides are following them too.[ninja-inline id=19663]
2. Wedding Chicks
With over 4 million followers, Wedding Chicks’ Pinterest page covers more of the DIY wedding route. With projects and inspiration for wedding trends, it is a good page to keep on your Pinterest feed.
3. The Perfect Palette
Touted as “The Ultimate Wedding Color Blog,” Perfect Palette’s Pinterest Page focuses on wedding inspiration by color. With boards titled “Yellow Weddings” or “Pink and Navy Wedding,” you are sure to find inspiration in any color palette.
Photography Inspiration
4. Jeremy Cowart
Jeremy Cowart calls himself a “Photographer. Artist. Humanitarian. App Creator. Teacher.” Jeremy is active on all kinds of social media, and his Pinterest page is full of his own inspiration sources. It is a great look inside what he uses to create his own work.
5. Maia McDonald – Design Conundrum
Maia McDonald is the Art Director at Rue Magazine and a freelance graphic designer. She runs the blog Design Conundrum, where she shares her picks of things she finds “beautiful or intriguing in life, mostly in design, fashion, food, photography, and illustration.” Her Pinterest page is followed by over 2 million users and is known as a resource for inspiration outside of photography for photographers and other creative professionals.
6. National Geographic
The official Pinterest page of the National Geographic Society offers a different way to view the incredible photographs National Geographic is known for. Updated often and with boards such as “Nature in Black and White,” it can be a welcome addition to your Pinterest feed.
7. Life Magazine
Along the same lines as the National Geographic page, the Life Magazine Pinterest page is a valuable resource for photography references. Although it is not updated nearly as often as other pages, the images shared from the Life archives can be inspirational, especially for wedding and portrait photographers.
Professional Photographer Tips and Tricks
8. Photographer Cafe
Pinterest is not all about photographers, and The Photographer Cafe’s Pinterest page focuses more on the business of photography. With boards titled “beautiful presentation” and “the creative office,” this is a great page for going beyond inspiration in photographs (although it has that too).
9. Professional Photographer Magazine
If you enjoy the Professional Photographer Magazine from PPA, their Pinterest page is a must follow. It includes images from the print magazine but also showcases products and vendors.
10. Adorama
Adorama, a camera superstore located in New York City, may seem like a strange entity to follow on Pinterest. But they have created a page that encompasses everything from gear to education. You can find pins of the newest Nikon or Canon camera, followed by recommendations for Lightroom presets. Just like the store, the Pinterest page strives to be a source for all of your photography needs.
Related: Find out how photography duo, Jason and Gina Grubb, maximize their Pinterest account in our social media spotlight: Who’s Doing It Right on Pinterest!
——————————————————
Social media is such an important part of your marketing strategy, especially when it places your images directly in front of ideal clients. So, what do you think – are you properly utilizing Pinterest for your wedding photography business? What is one thing you can do today to maximize Pinterest to help you attract and book ideal clients?
After you look into your current Pinterest strategy, what other steps can you take to expand your reach on various social platforms? Our Comprehensive Guide to Social Media shares how to create a cohesive strategy to help you properly split your time and connect with ideal clients on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter! Click on the banner below to grab your free copy to get started on your strategy.
[mashshare url=“http://shootdotedit.com/2017/04/pinterest-for-wedding-photographers/”]