How to Relocate Your Wedding Photography Business in 3 Steps

No one’s saying they’re easy steps, but we’re saying it’s definitely feasible to relocate your wedding photography business. Now, if you’re interested in wedding photography and the business aspects of this field, you already know that the issue of location is very important. It’s relevant for a wedding photographer’s digital marketing efforts (think location searches), for acquiring new business leads, for building a brand identity and for raising brand awareness. As such, with location being so inextricably connected with the very nature of the wedding photography business, how does one successfully transition from one location to another – without killing the business in the process? Check out our three helpful tips below, with input from real-life photographers.

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1. Future-proof your business for location changes

This is one step to start working on as much ahead of the time when you actually relocate your wedding photography business as possible. Your plan should be to target global audiences, even before your physical move. If you do this successfully, you will have already built a bit of a reputation for yourself, by the time the move comes around. Easier said than done? Perhaps. But in the digital age of social networking, it’s not that difficult either. Update your website and/or blog regularly, announce your upcoming move via social media profiles and keep your online presence pleasant and likeable. The Internet basically works as a global market place, so drumming up a bit of hype before you relocate will allow you to step forward with that much more confidence.

2. Get to know your new market

This second step in your plan to relocate your wedding photography business is all about pricing. The thing about different markets is that… well, they are different, in terms of pricing, client expectations, and requirements. Get a feel of the market by gauging the experiences of local photographers. They’ll give you a fairly accurate and comprehensive idea on what to expect. Should you stay at the wedding until the very last guest has left? Are your current prices too high for a different market? Yes, bear in mind that you might have to lower your prices in order to penetrate a whole new market; however, it’s important to know what the local expectations are, as you don’t want to go too low. Once you get there, your mission will be to get as many weddings booked in as short a timeframe as possible. Since most weddings are booked for about a year in advance, you will probably have to sacrifice making a profit in the beginning, in order to build a locally relevant portfolio. If you play your cards right, though, this will only be temporary – so grin and bear it. It’s definitely worth it!

3. Network, network, network

The third and final step in your efforts to relocate your wedding photography business is also probably the most difficult one to complete. That’s because the effort of networking needs to be sustained and ongoing, in order for them to be efficient. Not to mention that having like-minded peers as friends in a new market is good for your mental health. It will make you focused, accountable for your work, and will also provide a regular dose of inspiration. A word of advice, though: you might be tempted to follow the big names, the big shots, the big leaguers in your new market. Don’t. Keep an eye on them, to stay in the loop, but spend most of your energy building genuine connections with people you respect and look up to. In the long-run, that’s where your support system and life-long friendships will come from. Also, chances are that’s where your referrals and gig leads will come from, too.

3 Updates on Social Media Tools for Wedding Photographers

We’ve written about social media tools for photographers before, but here are some fresh updates for you, for summer 2014. The wedding season is upon us and we bet you’ll come out at the other end with some great new material to showcase all over the Internet. Check out our three tips, which will hopefully help you make the most of your work, in terms of branding and exposure.

Wow them with pictures

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These social media tools for wedding photographers have been hyped endlessly already, but this is one tip that bears repeating: you need to put your content out there on Pinterest and its wedding-focused ‘little sister’, Lover.ly. You can target your audience very accurately through these websites and bring traffic back to your website and blog. However, you will need to optimize your pictures, add credits to each image, and make sure your name is included in the file title. This tiny personal branding effort will go a long way in the long run. Pro tip: you will need to be relatively active, especially in the beginning, since these sites are already teeming with great content from your direct competition. Find a way to create content that stands out, such as color-themed boards, wedding guides in pictures, etc.

Follow the right crowd

Since we’re on the topic of social media tools for wedding photographers, we have to acknowledge that there can’t be any talk of social media without connecting, following, and accruing followers. Connecting with the right crowd can be a daunting prospect, especially for an up-and-coming photographer who doesn’t have much exposure. However, if you keep a blog, a website, or at least maintain a social media presence, you might want to get bold about it and reach out to some of the big names out there in the online wedding business. There are a few blogs and websites that we would recommend anytime, like Green Wedding Shoes, Bridal Musings, and Style Me Pretty.

What makes these blogs and websites great? For one thing, they are among the most important sources of images shared via Pinterest, Tumblr, and Facebook. For another, their numbers of followers are impressive to say the least. But, most importantly, they consistently feature great quality content – which is exactly what made them massive to begin with. If you can get them to showcase some of your wedding photography work, you can count on being credited and in seeing a traffic spike on your own website. And if your outreach efforts turn out to be less successful than you’d hoped, you can always promote your work on these websites via paid advertising. It tends to run cheaper than the standard promotional fees on Facebook and Google.

Pay for promotion

The debate on the efficiency of Facebook advertising continues to rage on. Some believe that the decrease in organic reach that the social network has imposed on its users will spell the site’s demise. They argue that Twitter and YouTube are still keeping social media promotion free – and they don’t seem to be losing market share; quite the contrary! On the other hand, another faction believes that Facebook is entirely right to capitalize on its paid advertising potential. After all, they say, “if you’re not paying for a product, you are the product”.

Debates aside, investing in Facebook ads might be one of the social media tools for wedding photographers to consider, if you want to increase your reach and score new sales leads. Yes, it can be expensive, but it’s also easy to refine, in order to reach very specific targets in the audience. You’ll probably need some expertise with CPC and CPM ad campaigns, as well as with SEO and keyword research. Experiment with the keywords that connect with your particular photographic niche, target people in your area, and also target audiences connected with some of the major wedding-focused websites we mentioned above. Throw in a sweet deal or discount for your first clients and you’re all set!

Expand Your Photographer Profile in Social Media: 3 Ideas

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Being a photographer can be a practical job choice, even though it usually starts from a spark of genuine passion (which is admirable, considering that most practical job choices out there probably get picked precisely for their practicality first and foremost). But managing to earn money out of your photographing of things (mainly people, since they’re the only subjects that afford to pay you for your work – just kidding, many other photography branches pay off as well) will take some time to happen. Building the credible profile of an employable photographer isn’t done overnight, but more like a goal to slowly work towards. As your skills improve in time, so will your portfolio, and so will your number of satisfied collaborators and your professional good name or renown. But to make sure your good work and polished skills don’t go unnoticed, especially in this time and age, it’s crucial to be as visible as possible in the realm of social media.  We’re pretty sure there’s no need to start with the basics and you already have a facebook account and a twitter fanbase and so on. But perhaps applying some unintuitive tweaks can refresh your online presence and give it a welcome boost. Here are 3 ideas to try in order to up your game.

1. Improve Your Online Portfolio

If you want to be taken seriously as a photographer, you probably already know that having a deviantart account will not be enough to count as an online portfolio. But beyond having a professionally looking profile, your main priority should be branching out. By branching out we mean creating a profile and a presence you remember to update once in a while on every platform that could offer you a fanbase, and especially every platform other photographers wouldn’t immediately think of. For example, consider being present in an online game community, like for a quiz app, as way to get publicity. You can promise some coupons for your services to the first 10 people who accomplish x points, or whatever else you can think of as a good way of reaching previously unreachable targets.

2. Promote Your Images in Video Format Too

Make a video out of your best images by compiling them in a visually powerful clip. Then upload it on your Youtube profile (time to make one, by the way) and make sure you optimize it in order to make sure your video is selected by search engines as a highly relevant return to those searches that might be interested in someone like you. Since we were already discussing the idea of branching out, going into video territory might seem counterintuitive to a photographer, but it will gain you the recognition you wouldn’t be able to reach otherwise.

3. Include Fans’ Voices in Your Social Media Presence

We’re not talking about the already done and overdone section of customer reviews and feedback, though an approach like that in your profile set-up is not only welcome, but usually even required. So while not encouraging you to forego it, spice it up with unexpected formats and content. The more you can incorporate the voice of your fans in your social media profile, the more you get content related to your name as a photographer without actually having to create it yourself, not to mention that the praise always helps. Furthermore, having a “human” voice speak highly of your skills can work wonders, as opposed to a cold voice of a corporate-like PR strategist.

As for ways in which you can do that, think about including feedback videos of you fans in your “what other say…” section. A video is a much more powerful message, and if you have many enthusiastic voices talking about how good you made them look, that makes you look good as well. Another idea is to promote the use of tags and check ins done by others which are linking to your profile (by offering bonuses to the first 20 to check in and so on). This way, you are present within the social media spheres of others and nothing gets you more viral than that.

YouTube Video Optimization for Photographers: 5 Tricks

youtube-video-optimization-for-photographersIf you’re a professional photographer, not only do you (hopefully) have an online showcase of your work, as well as a website and a regularly updated blog – but you are also active on social media and know a thing or two about SEO. Now, content optimization for search engines is neither brain surgery, nor rocket science, but it’s the sort of differentiator that can turn your business into a highly profitable one, when used properly. This is why today we bring you five ideas on how YouTube video optimization for photographers and videographers can bring you new business leads and help you grow your profit margin. They can be used both for branding, as well as for marketing purposes and are a great way to increase your visibility. So here’s what you need to do:

#1 Create a video

It goes without saying that the building block of YouTube video optimization for photographers is actually putting that video out there. Some photographers are camera shy, understandably enough: after all, your job is to stand behind the lens, not in front of it. But the thing is you don’t need to be on camera, in order to create your video ‘business card’, as it were. You can use a platform like Animoto to turn your pictures into a video – and you will definitely want to do that, since, in case you didn’t know, YouTube is the world’s largest search engine, second only to the web giant that owns it, Google itself.

#2 Tagging is essential for YouTube video optimization for photographers

All right, so now you’ve got your video ready to hit the intertubes – but before you upload it, there’s one essential step you need to fiddle with and perfect. That’s tagging, i.e. attaching tags to your work. They work like labels and are best employed as keywords that potential clients in your area are already searching for. They can be anything along the lines of “wedding photography in [your area]”, “[your area] wedding photographer”, or anything along those lines. Choose top targeted keywords as tags and make sure to enter them into the Details tab of the video’s properties, in the title, subtitle, target, and comment areas. In order to find the most appropriate keywords to use, you can always get some hints by using the Keyword Planner function in Google’s AdWords platform.

#3 Use a good title for your video

This one might go without saying, but it’s important to mention, since it’s the second step in our crash course on YouTube video optimization for photographers that needs to be performed before the video is uploaded. Use the top ranking keyword among those you’ve culled out to use as tags. Another important tip is to use the keyword in the beginning of the title, since this lends it more ‘weight’ in the eyes of search engine crawlers.

#4 Drive traffic back to you

The main purpose of YouTube video optimization for photographers is to lead potential business back to your main HQ, which is probably your website or online portfolio. For this purpose, you’re going to want to include a link to said domain as early on as possible in the video description. Use a clear call to action and make sure the link is visible, or else risk losing a business lead in the endless pool of distraction that is YouTube.

#5 Use GeoTagging

Chances are that, if you’re a wedding photographer, you’re going to want clients in your area to find you – receiving the admiration of viewers across the globe may be flattering but, at the end of the day, it doesn’t help lift those profit margins. So add Geo Tags to local videos, via the Advanced Settings option of your account on YouTube. Input your address, then get the precise coordinates on the map that pops up and remember to “Save Changes”. Presto – your vid is now optimized for local searches!

The One Trick to Get Your Wedding Photography Clients to Follow the Rules

Have you ever had to deal with those kinds of nightmarish wedding photography clients that you just couldn’t convince to follow the rules, no matter what approach you took? You tried sweet talking them and they just got even more relaxed about the rules. You tried to be more firm about your principles (think punctuality, clear-cut decisions about locations, make-up, etc.). They failed to take you seriously – or, conversely, gave up working with you altogether, because you had turned ‘dictatorial’. If such conundrums sound familiar to you, you’re probably also wondering if there’s a way out of them. We’re here to tell you that there is: you can get your wedding photography clients to become more rule-abiding, with the aid of this single simple psychological trick.

Reverse that psychology on your wedding photography clients

wedding-photography-clients-rulesIf you’ve ever visited Trafalgar Square in London, you may have noticed the big signs that say “Please, don’t feed the pigeons – they cause damage and nuisance to the square”. Even if you have, even if you haven’t, try to imagine what such a sign would rouse in you. Be honest about it. Would you be tempted to do the exact opposite of what the sign would ask you? If so, it’s not because you’re particularly naughty or have a penchant for disobeying: it’s because rules like this one tell you two things. 1. That it’s not good to do a certain thing. And 2. That a lot of people are doing it anyway. So, the basic takeaway from this lesson, is that if you want your wedding photography clients to follow rules, you need to word them right.

As the old adage goes, people are social creatures. If a group of people does a particular thing, chances are others are going to follow in their footsteps. It’s the principle of social proof, deeply ingrained in our mentalities, which tells you that if other people are doing it, you should probably be doing it, too. Psychology has countless examples in this sense: for instance, when the IRS announced it was hiking tax penalties because tax evasion had been rampant during a particular year, tax fraud actually increased the next year. Because, hey, “if everybody else is doing it, why can’t I?”, right?

How to formulate rules your wedding photography clients will actually respect

If you’ve been following this post up to now, it’s probably quite clear to you. Combine reverse psychology with the principle of social proof and you’ve got yourself a good rule on your hands, which people are going to want to abide by. Here are a few examples and counter-examples.

Example #1: Late bookers

BAD: Don’t book me two weeks before your wedding! It’s annoying, unprofessional and messes up my schedule!

GOOD: Most clients I’ve worked with successfully in the past had booked me right after setting the date. This gave us a lot of time to get to know and understand each other, figure out all the details and come up with great ideas for photos.

Example #2: Sharing photos with no watermark

BAD: Do not share my photos on Facebook without a watermark on them!

GOOD: All clients receive a set of watermarked images, which they are more than welcome to share on Facebook. In fact, I love it when wedding photography clients share my work, because this basically works as free advertising for my business!

Example #3: The chronically late

BAD: If you’re always late for shoots and appointments, I’m going to become really annoyed and frustrated working with you.

GOOD: Most clients do their best to respect the set times of our meetings and this helps us work better together, since we’re all more relaxed.

Photographer’s Best Friend: Google Reverse Image Search

It’s all diff’rent strokes for diff’rent folks when it comes to image usage and propagation online: while some photographers are happy to have their work featured on Tumblr, Facebook, various blogs, and media outlets, others are less than excited about it. Today’s post is for those who fall in the latter category, rather than the former. It’s here to teach you how to use Google reverse image search, in order to find your pictures all over the web. Perhaps you’re not happy with not being credited, or maybe your image is used in a context you don’t want to be associated with. Whatever your reasons may be, here’s the way to find those pictures and prevent further occurrences from happening.

How to start the Google reverse image search

Image search is a service provided by search engine giant Google, in order to help others find specific photos online; conversely, the Google reverse image search is what you do when you have the image already, but want to know who else has it and has been using it. There are two ways to start your Google reverse image search: one is by uploading your photo into the Google images search bar, and the other is by copying the photo’s original URL (say, off your own blog or website) and pasting into the search bar. As far as the first option goes, you can also simply drag and drop the image into the search bar, if you find this easier.

The Google reverse image search results

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Photo via Photo Shelter

The results that Google reverse image search delivers look much like a collage of visually similar pictures. Note that they may not all be precise and exact matches of your photo. However, chances are you will come across websites that have been using the photo without your explicit authorization. Another great feature that Google delivers at this point is a brief text-based description of your photo and the context in which it’s being used. Perhaps yours is not so much a case of being offended by ‘photo theft’, but maybe the website owner or blogger that’s featuring your work has misspelled your name or attributed the image to someone else by mistake. This feature will allow you to identify such errors and contact the people in question, to ask them to amend the issue. You can also use the advanced image search page to find your work online. Google can help you specify various words your photo might be used in context with. It will let you whittle down the results by image size, aspect ratio, colors, type, usage rights, and many other filters.

More Google reverse image search tips & tricks

–          Search for as many different variants of the same photo, even if the differences between them and the original picture are subtle – especially if you’ve uploaded more than one version of the same photo online. Some might be cropped differently or uploaded in other color schemes.

–          You might find your work online edited by third parties: cropped, rotated, in black and white, etc.. Try searching for differently Photoshopped variants of your own work by creating these variations yourself.

–          Don’t disregard smaller sizes of your image. Perhaps someone has resized an initially large photo and is using it as such. Google has a harder time spotting visually similar images in smaller sizes, because, the smaller the photo, the less data it has to work with. Resize the photos yourself and look for them like this.

In terms of what you decide to do with the results, the choice is entirely up to you. It all has to do with the way you license your work and whether or not the people using the pictures are making money off your back – case in which you might even decide to prosecute for copyright infringement.

Success Stories: How to Create Your Own Photography Niche

In a day and age where social media and other media consumption habits gear users toward a torrent of visual information, how does a commercial photographer go about creating a lucrative business? The answer, according to more than just one accomplished pro photog, lies in knowing how to create your own photography niche. This is, of course, about personal branding to a large extent, but it also has to do with finding what you love, catering to an already existing audience, and getting noticed (and paid!) for it. Easier said than done, huh? Well, it might take a bit of soul-searching, market research, and adapting, but it certainly is feasible. Here’s how:

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Create your own photography niche by providing quality products to ideal clients

Do you happen to know at least one photographer who does it all? Product shoots, events, concerts, architecture, fashion, travel, babies – they know all about it and dabble in them all. While, on the one hand, it’s perfectly acceptable to sometimes step out of your comfort zone and try your hand at a type of photography you’re not entirely specialized in, this is not a very good business strategy. See, the reasoning behind such a ‘smorgasbord’ approach is that the photographers in question believe that if they have something to offer to everyone, then someone will surely want to do business with them. Key word: someone. Anyone. On the other hand, though, the process through which you create your own photography niche starts with knowing what you love to photograph and who you can sell it to, ideally.

So, in your quest to create your own photography niche, start out by identifying the following:

  • The perfect picture. What segment of photography do you feel most comfortable with? Narrow it down as much as you want. It could be a particular type of wedding photography, or something exotic like pet portraiture. The important thing is that you’ve got the technical skills, gear, and experience, to create great pictures of this kind. Finding this segment will take an honest look on your part at your current portfolio. You can also gauge social media reactions to your photos, for an indicator, as well as ask for unbiased second opinions from your peers.
  • The perfect client. First and foremost, a perfect client in any photography niche is one that trusts their photographer and knows they’ve chosen the best person for the job. Then come the specifics. Perhaps you like to work with couples in your area, or with big brands, or not-for-profits. Whatever tickles your fancy is entirely acceptable.

In order to create your own photography niche, you need to find that point of intersection between the two narrowed-down groups above: the perfect product you are able to deliver, and the ideal person to pay for it.

The benefits of creating your own photography niche

There’s far more to gain from specialization in photography nowadays, than just mere monetization. Of course, this aspect is not to be ignored, but here are a few other things you’re likely to gain in the process:

  • Confidence. By working with and for people who appreciate the kind of work you do, you will also gain more self-trust in your own skills and value. This way, you’ll be able to price your shoots at a fairer value.
  • Identity as a photographer. When you stand out from the crowd, when you’re no longer just another photographer on the virtually endless list of online artists, you’ve got yourself a personal brand.
  • New business. This almost goes without saying – when you know what you’re about and what you can deliver to discerning customers, you will also know where and how to go looking for them. If it hasn’t already, you’ll start seeing your photography business take off.

6 Must-See Photography Portfolio Websites

You know that Virtual Photography Studio likes to keep you updated on all the latest trends in digital marketing and social media for wedding photographers. Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and newer platforms such as Viddy are all great, of course, and they stand to help you increase your visibility, as well as your revenue. However, they’re not all there is to it. On this great, big Internet, which also includes business pages and blogging, there’s also a special niche for portfolio websites. And if you’re at all serious about wedding photography (or any other form of visual media, in fact) you have got to be aware of them. Of course, no one expects you to keep track of them all, since there are literally hundreds, perhaps thousands out there. That’s why, in today’s post, we’ve rallied up the top 6 must-see photography portfolio websites.

Behance

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By far the largest and best known of all the must-see photography portfolio websites, Behance is a free platform with millions of visitors at global level. You can easily customize your portfolio and there’s also no limit on how many creative projects you can upload to the site – be they photos, videos, or text entries. Another boon is just how seamlessly the site integrates social media tools, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and plenty of others.

Viewbook

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It’s been around since 2009 and was founded in the Dutch city of Rotterdam. Its pricing scheme is subscription-based, with plans starting as low as $4 per month. While other sites on our list of must-see photography portfolio websites cater to various types of artists, this one is geared specifically toward graphic designers and photographers. The rendering for mobile devices that this site offers is incredible and it also comes with great social media support for Tumblr, Facebook, and other platforms.

Cargo Collective

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This portfolio website offers pricing schemes in a freemium regime, which essentially means that you can sign-up and use it with limited functionality for free. However, if you want access to all the features, you will have to shell out upward of $9 per month. On the plus side, Cargo Collective has got one of the best integration systems for communities – and its community really is active and vibrant. On the downside, it’s not as easy to customize your portfolio here, as it is on other sites. As such, if you know nothing about code, perhaps you might want to look elsewhere.

Wix

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Like Cargo Collective, on Wix you can sign up for free, but might want to pay for the extra features. A premium subscription will cost you at least $4.08 each month and the site is relatively easy to use. Unlike other must-see photography portfolio platforms on this list, this one is also accessible to artists who don’t have much experience with web development and coding. Also, the kind of website it creates for artists comes with an edge, compared to some of the other platforms: the sites are Google optimized.

Fresh.li

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Easy to use and optimize, as well as loaded with a lot of goodies aimed at optimization, Fresh.li costs EUR5.75 per month. You can alter the fonts, colors, logos, and many other things on Fresh.li and can even use a personalized domain name on this website. Another plus: you don’t have to pay up right from the beginning, as the website offers you a free 30-day trial, albeit with limited functionalities.

Carbonmade

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The “hassle-free online portfolio” experience offered by Carbonmade really requires no knowledge of HTML and the site is massive already. It hosts over 600,000 portfolios, most of which are owned by photographers or graphic designers. It may not be the best choice for videographers, but for a $12 monthly subscription, a wedding photographer could definitely benefit from being on this website.

7 Checks To Make Sure Your Facebook Page Is Up To Date

Do you have a little extra time this week?

Then maybe its time to make sure you are taking advantage of all the latest Facebook features.

Its easy to get caught up in the day to day “stuff” that happens within our businesses. So much so that we forget about going back and making sure we can do all we can with what we have.

And if you’ve been over to Facebook lately, you’ll likely see additional changes all the time – have you noticed the changes Facebook Graph has put into play?

#1 Are you maximizing your cover image?

Facebook has updated its guidelines, creating more space in your cover image and loosening the restrictions on what you can display in the space. This is your prime real estate – the first thing people see when they visit your page. Make sure you display things that instantly say who you are – your award winning photos, calls to action, web address, logo and/or branding, and more.

The key is that text cannot exceed 20 percent of the cover image area.

Facebook Page Check for your Photography Page

#2 What does your profile image say about you?

Your profile image is used every time you post on Facebook and it’s the first thing people see when glancing their posts in their newsfeed. If you become value in their minds, they are more likely to stop and read what you have to say. The key is becoming recognizable.

Also, make sure you upload an image at 180×180 pixels – Facebook will size it down to 160×160, but this ensures you have a clear, recognizable image that looks good wherever it goes. If you load a large, rectangular image, you might not create the impression you are looking for.

#3 Review your tab thumbnails

Your tab thumbnails appear below your cover image and lead to the main tools on your page you want your viewers to spend time with. Make sure they capture attention.

The best way to do this is to think about what course of action you want your visitors to take, and use simple fonts, images and words to direct them there. Why do they visit you? Why do they trust you? Make sure you know why you want them there and what you want them to do once they are.

#4 Use a short description that tells people about you

Right below your profile picture is a section that can show a brief description of approximately 155 characters. This space is a great way to communicate your key ideas to your visitor.

While its important to define what you do in as short of space as possible, also consider putting your URL there as well – it’s a great way to connect people back to your site where they can get more information.

It’s easy to edit – use go to Edit Setting in your admin panel, then look for Short Description under Basic Information.

Facebook Page Descriptions

#5 Optimize your about section for search results

Many people head to their About section and type up a short description of their business without thinking much about it. This about section not only tells your viewers who you are and what you do, its also open and available to search results and can produce rankings for you as well. Focus in on your keywords and make sure you maximize them throughout the content areas. When it comes to the online world, whether its your blog, your Facebook account, or any other social site, remember to maximize information as much as possible. Your goal online is to be found, and it won’t happen unless you add as much information as possible.

#6 Choose a Facebook URL

Depending on how long you’ve had your account and how you originally set it up, you may still have a URL with “pages” and a set of numbers in it. You can update it to a custom name – and you should as soon as possible.

A customized page web address looks more professional and makes it easier for people to find your business on Facebook. If they know the name of your business and type it in to the Facebook search bar, do you come up? It also makes it easier to connect on all other online sites – and adds to your professional branding as well.

#7 Review your category

How did you originally sign up for your Facebook Page? Facebook offers a variety of category options, many of which are similar. As a new business owner, they may be a bit confusing, especially if you haven’t fully defined your business yet. Will you travel for business? Or do you primarily have clients come into your studio?

If you do have a brick and mortar studio, consider changing to a Local Business, which allows users to check into your location. Checking in raises awareness about your business to their circle of influence, and it also boosts up your search results as a part of Graph Search.

3 Things You Should Be Trying On Facebook Now

Have a Facebook account? Not sure how to use it to gain more traffic and network with more people?

The great thing about Facebook is everything you need (and then some) is built right into the system. Most of its for free, you just have to know what’s out there and how to use it.

If you have an account, you probably understand how to friend new people, build a page, and post content to your newsfeed. But do you know about these:

Using Survey To Get Your Followers Involved

Are you Nikon or Canon? Do you prefer indoor portraits or on-location?

With both of those questions, you had an instant thought run through your head. That’s an automatic process – everybody loves giving his or her opinion.

And while you can ask questions in your newsfeed, with Facebook Survey, you can do more with it. Post it to your timeline or build it into your page. Even add images or YouTube videos to make it more in depth.

Facebook Survey

Then make it a regular part of your marketing and post surveys all the time. Your follower base will become more active – and you can learn more about who’s following you and what they want from your business.

Inject Your Personality Into Your Page

Too many photographers think people follow them to see their images. While that may be a big reason – they want to “test drive” you before booking you – they also want to learn more about who you are. What do you like? What do you do every day?

In no way should your Page be the common chatter you share with friends – your religious beliefs, your political beliefs, what you had for dinner last night – you can share your personality without going over the top.

Have a fantastic view of New York City sitting in your favorite restaurant? Post a picture. So much better than a daily picture of the food you’re about to consume (unless you’re a foodie photographer that is).

Photographing an engagement image? While sharing an image or two is great, take a quick image with you hugging your clients. Have your assistant take a picture of you at work with the couple. Those images are just as important because it allows potential clients to see you in action. It puts a “realness” to who you are.

Then get creative with your cover photo. Don’t make it one large image – instead use a panel with multiple images. Spend some time in Photoshop building something that makes you stand out from other photographers. And really says who you are and what you do.

Use Your Facebook Insights To Make Decisions

When was the last time you viewed your Insights? Or maybe I should ask, Did you know Facebook has Insights?

Facebook Insights

With each of your pages, you can access Insights to find out more about how well you’re leveraging your content. You can use the overview to find out how well your page is doing at a quick glance. Or dive in further and look at the details. Insights will show every post you create, how many people it reached out to, what your engagement rate is, how many are talking about it and sharing your content. You can use these numbers to help you evaluate what is successful – and what is not – and help give you direction for future posts.

Whenever you are stuck on what to write about next, your Insights can be a valuable tool to help you out.