So, I'm late on the Instagram bandwagon. I tend to be a "jack of all trades" in photography, which I know isn't ideal. But for Instagram I try to keep it to landscape/travel/fineart photos and then wedding photography. But I'm thinking that mixing those two things may be hurting, not helping. Do any of you run different accounts for different types of photography? I've narrowed down social media to facebook and instagram as the two main focuses (twitter is just not doing it for me).
Also, any current resources for how to build an audience and proper use of hashtags? I know a lot has changed recently.
TIA!
Hash tags on instagram Are easy! Just hashtag anything relative after the post, not within it.
"I got out to take photos in my woods today.
#photography #nature" instead of "got out in #nature today to take #photos"
I use the one account for everything wedding/creative/personal because I want it to show off my work but at the same time to show my personality in the "immediate" kind of way that my website can't easily.
As for hashtags I usually only post a very select few in the initial post but then post a larger batch in the first comment, that way after a few comments my hashtags disappear from peoples feeds but still do their job.
I also keep a couple of notes on my phone with batches of hashtags so i can just copy/paste instead of typing them all every time.
Awesome! Thanks for the info. I do not want to manage two accounts, and I've been trying to keep it limited to one or two posts a day, one wedding/portrait and one landscape/fine art. Thanks so much for the input!
I think just using 1 account is better, i have been using the same account for the last 4 years and I have had every possible genre on there. at one point I managed to come up with a theme and its really helped. I think, no matter what genre you shoot, as long as you have a personal look for all of the photos, where someone can look at it and know its yours, it will definitely help you grow.
I definitley recommend using one account to build your presence. Two causes confusion and splits your audience. In the past my partner (@sabrinasmelko) and myself (@shawnlovering) each had a personal account and a branded account, but we both made the switch to simplify and promote under our own names. We have noticed more steady growth in our single accounts now, and more engagement overall.
Building an audience can be as simple as using the right hashtags, but I believe that engaging with other users is way more important. Comment, compliment, tag and share other individual's content and they will be sure to do the same.
Be careful with some hashtags as there are a list of "invisible" or "banned" hashtags that will render your post unsearchable on the app.
Tags such as:
#underwear
#shower
#popular (yep, I don't get this one)
#photography (I don't understand this one either.. scratching my head here.. it's a photo website after all ???)
#sexy
#iphone
#instagram (really ???)
#loseweight
#popularpage
#ilovemyinstagram
and of course anything pertaining to sex is banned as well.
Source: https://www.quora.com/Why-arent-hashtags-working-on-Instagram
I hadn't heard of this... but a quick check shows that you are correct...
Thanks everyone! Great insight and I am very relieved to not have to make another account. I am not wanting to manage yet another social media account.
As of now my general strategy is two posts a day. I put up something portrait or wedding related and then a landscape or local flavor/scene shots. Today I did some bartender shots I got that feature a label from a popular local distillery. I have somewhat of a following in Montana for landscapes and Montana related stuff, so I tag Montana and any national/international curated sites that may repost and hashtags related to the subject. I've done away with watermarks for Instagram because I feel it really effects reposts and likes. Just personal observation on tracking things that get regrammed.
As for content, I do some full photos and am starting to do quite a few collages (all done on super easy phone apps). They seem to be received well. I'm in my starting stage and have under 200 followers, but I'm seeing new likes everyday and getting some nice comments and a few regrams.
I really appreciate the tips I've heard here. My style, I think, is fairly consistent. My subject matter is all over the place! I do a wide range of photography. But I find quite a few cross likes. Somebody will find me through a wedding post and also like my landscapes or fine art. I think I'm on the right track. I hope... I don't want to buy likes with "get me likes" software or use gimmicks. If it doesn't happen naturally, I just don't want to bother.
But I do make an effort to like, comment and be a supportive community member!
Hey hey Scott, FYI the instagram link on your profile page is broken :-)
Damn! You are correct, but I don't know how to fix it. When I put a link into my account it says the account name is not correct, and when I put in the account name the link is broken. Any idea how to fix this? (And thanks for bringing it to my attention! I really appreciate it.)
Here's the direct link to my Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scottwilsonphotography/