Not too long ago I received an email from PhotoShelter asking for my feedback on Photographers using LinkedIn. That interview was to be included in their Photographer’s Social Media Handbook. While I highly recommend downloading the free PDF from PhotoShelter, I wanted to share the conversation here on my blog. PhotoShelter did cut out some of the conversation to flow with the rest of the handbook so by reading this you’re actually seeing more than you will from my section of the PDF.
What you learn in this article corresponds to my Photographers SEO & Social Marketing series. If you’re interested in learning more about the subject, please visit Part 1, 2 and 3.
Before I get into it, please don’t forget to follow my website on LinkedIn and connect with me personally.
Why LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a fantastic method to network with other photographers and customers, share stories, articles, and request feedback on new photographs. If you’re a photographer with another business target in mind then LinkedIn is an amazing tool to use. In fact, for Business to Business (B2B) I find LinkedIn better than all of Social Media tools out there. I have been in the process of building a real estate campaign in New Jersey and LinkedIn will be my main source for marketing to realtors and real estate investors in the state.
LinkedIn Groups
I am a member of a variety of LinkedIn groups. Some are about general photography, some are photographic marketing, or business and some are marketing in general. It’s a good idea to join a few local groups if you’re planning on targeting in-state businesses.
To share a few:
- NAPP
- New Jersey Young Professionals
- NJ Social Media
- NJTC
- Photo Marketing Association
- Photography Business & Marketing
LinkedIn Strategy
If I write an article that I believe has value for my LinkedIn connections, I will post the article as a status update. However, if I feel that a specific group will benefit from the article, I will post it to those groups with additional content to add even more value. Simply posting your article in a group won’t be viewed positively by the group’s members. It might even get a person kicked out. Also, if you do post in a group and people reply, be sure to add your own replies, even if they are “thank you” comments.
I don’t pay attention to specifically when I post content. I have not found a statistic to guide me to a specific timeframe, nor have I found a tool to help decide. Instead, I do it when I have the time. The best content is usually an article about photographic marketing or a specific part of the business. General articles don’t do well on LinkedIn. Finding the niche is important and having it match the group is a crucial element.
The best content to share is usually an article about photographic marketing or a specific part of the business. General articles do not do well. Finding the niche is important and having it match the group is a crucial element. Remember, by sharing a photograph you are not marketing to your customer. Doing this would be marketing to a colleague. Unless of course your target is other photographers.
The LinkedIn Sync
Don’t sync with Twitter or Facebook. LinkedIn is best for B2B. The people you connect with on LinkedIn are not necessarily concerned with what you ate for dinner, what wedding you just finished photographing, or every tweet that you retweet on Twitter. Your connections want to see how your services can benefit them.
LinkedIn Findings
I have had posts where no one replied. I learn as I go and that is how I found that people do not want articles shared on their own. People want to see the value you can offer. After you share your first article, track its reach. Look at your inbound traffic from the link. Pay attention for replies. If nothing came of it, review your article and revise. If that does not work, revisit how you shared the article. Did you add extra value?
Marketing for Photographers
- Wedding photographers: connect with vendors, DJs, venues, bakeries, etc. Network and build relationships
- Real Estate photographers: connect with agents and stagers, etc. Network and build relationships
- Music photographers: connect with venues, recording studios, etc. Network and build relationships
The list can go on and on. In the end, think about who your target is, what your goal is, and consider who you need to connect with to reach the goal.
Make use of company pages. It provides added value for your business
- Follow ability
- Employee listing
- Services
- Customizable views based on specific demographics (aka… target your goal)
- Analytics!
So there you have it. I hope that you found this educational. Thank you again to PhotoShelter for asking me to share my thoughts for the Photographer’s Social Media Handbook.
Please visit the PhotoShelter site to down your copy of the handbook.
Thanks for reading and happy shooting,
Scott
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