FAQ: Facebook Likes

I know Facebook likes aren't the most important thing in the world and please don't let yourself be defined by them because there was a time in my life that I totally was and it's really not going to make you a better photographer and that's what's important. There's definitely more to life than having people tell you you're "good enough" by the likes you receive on a photo. 

But as a photographer, I totally get how disappointing it is when a photo you post gets three likes.... And now that Facebook isn't showing photos to many people, it's so important that you do receive likes because the more likes you get, the more people see, and the more people see, the more people hear about you, which is what we want as business owners. 

So I've been thinking lately about how I can hopefully help you receive more likes!! Most of this is basic so if it's something you already know, sorry! Haha.

1. Post one photo. I used to post albums and I wondered why people never saw. I don't know if that's just me but I always get more likes on a photo I post to my wall than a photo I post in an album. Once I've posted a couple solo photos and then blogged, then I'll create the album and move those wall photos into the album.

2. Post your BEST and MOST CREATIVE work first. This is so obvious but seriously, post your absolute favorite photo that was well composed, well lit, well posed, and just awesome. If you're not sure between a few photos, ask opinions!! Ask a random stranger. Haha. You'd be surprised by how differently you and your neighbor see things. And I've noticed that when I post my best work first, people want to come back and see more.

3. Tag, tag, tag. I tag my clients, tag myself, and I'll even tag parents if I'm friends with them (this is rare, though). The more you tag, the more people see. I've recently started explaining to my clients that if they have their account set to accept tags, they will want to do that if they want anyone to see the pictures. I've had a lot of clients lately that either don't know how to approve tags or just have their profiles set to private so they can't be tagged. It's frustrating but if you explain it, at least you have a better chance.

4. Check your insights for when people are most active on your page. I think my page is most active at 9 PM and though I sometimes post earlier than that, I should probably start waiting until after dinner, when people have settled down and are just scanning Facebook.

5. Post less on Facebook and more on the blog. I'm not saying it's good to deceive your clients but when people are always seeing the best photos from your shoots (which they often see first on Facebook), they're more likely to hire you. For FB albums, I try to post 6 photos for portraits, 12 for engagements, and 30 for weddings. That way people are seeing my best work on Facebook and then are hopefully intrigued to go to the blog. If you're posting everything on Facebook and not carefully choosing what goes in an album, people might get bored. When it comes to weddings, try to display the whole day in order, with a few getting ready shots, a few bridal party shots, a few portraits, and a few reception shots. No one wants to see an excess of one part of the day. 

6. Although it might be annoying to some people, invite people who have liked your photos to like your page!! The worst that can happen is someone won't like it. Haha. And that happens!! But sometimes people will like a photo and they forget to like your page, so just invite them. :)

7. Tag locations and vendors. Tag where you took the photo. Not only will it show people where you were but who knows, someone you don't know may be looking at photos tagged in that city and see your photo because of it and hire you!! And of course, tag vendors' business pages! This goes along with #3 and I've been bad about this but tagging businesses only connects you with more people and I usually have people share my albums if I remember to tag them! 

8. Keep your page active!! Post something at least once a day. I prefer to see photos but writing about your day or life also helps people connect with you and if people aren't in love with photography in general, maybe you can win them over with your words. Hopefully you're better with words than I am.....

9. COMMENT!!! This is big! I try to comment back when I get a comment because it increases the interaction and Facebook then shows it to more people. Maybe I've thought too hard about this but a lot of times I won't comment right away. I'll wait until the next day so that once the photo has died down, my comments will hopefully bring it back and start showing it again. 

10. Share to your personal page. I will again do this a day or two later to bring the photo back so that people who didn't see it the first time will hopefully see it again. 

Thanks for reading and I hope this was helpful in some way!! I'm looking forward to sharing these images of Rachel in the next week or two!