Facebook is a wonderful way for photographers to connect with the public, whether its customers who are already enthusiastic fans, or whether it is to spread the word to those who may not already know about your photographic services. No matter what your motive is for putting your photography business on the social media site, there are some things that you should be aware of before you start posting your work.
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If your Facebook page is going to be the main way that you advertise your photography service online, it must look as professional as possible. To get an idea of what a professional page should look like, you can always look up your favorite celebrities, companies and brands to see how they can created their pages. That way, you will get an idea of what your customers may like or dislike with your own page.
Even if you have a personal Facebook page and have been promoting your business from there for some time, it is important not to make the pages one and the same. With your professional page, you will want to keep it strictly public information, so it’s best not to share anything personal on it. With your personal page, you will want to point your friends and family to the business page rather than sharing photos here and there that would be a better fit on your public page.
While it may be easy to start with your friends and family, you will eventually want to branch out to find more people to like your Facebook page. To do that, you will want to make sure that everyone you meet knows about your Facebook page. You can include the URL to it on your business cards, advertisements and in your biography if it appears on any photography-related websites.
They can be a great help when you are just getting started, but constantly spamming your friends and family to get them to share your page can get annoying. Be respectful, and if they are not interested in sharing your page with their friends, find someone else who is interested in doing so.
Just like your clients may not want every single shot that you took of them, your Facebook fans will probably not want to see ten pictures of the exact same pose with little variety. For each session that you want to post to your wall or add to your photo album, choose only the best shots to include. On average, this can range from five to ten good photos, depending on how long and how varied the session had been.
While this may seem like an obvious tip, it is not wise to upload any photos in which you do not hold the copyright. So, if you admire a photo by another photographer or are interested in sharing that photo with your fans, it is much easier and will get you in less hot water to include a link to the original photo rather than uploading it onto your own page.
If your customers are already fans of your Facebook page, don’t forget to tell them they can tag themselves in your photos. It benefits you and your customer both, because it gives them a way to share the new photos with friends and family while giving you the word-of-mouth exposure that all business owners want.
It is true that the photos you take belong to you. You hold the copyright. However, it is always good business practice to ask your clients permission to post some of your work from their session on your Facebook page. You may also want to include it in any photo waivers you may have your clients sign. If someone says they don’t want their photos included on your page, it does more for your brand to honor their wishes than to go against them just to show a great photo.
If you are concerned about theft with your photos, it is not in your best interest to just keep them off of your profile page. Instead, you can add a watermark to the photo in a place that cannot be easily cropped out if people want to use your photos without permission. You can also encourage people to acquire your permission by making that information readily available on your Facebook page.
For photographers, Facebook is an essential advertising tool. Your page can serve as your virtual portfolio to show potential clients your range of work and the options that you can provide when they are looking to have their photo taken.
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