How to get more business inquiries from instagram
Does it feel like you’re drowning in a sea of competition? Social media makes it easier than ever to share your services, but that means there’s a wave of other people trying to do the same thing. As a wedding and portrait photographer myself, I hear this phrase a lot in the photography industry: “it’s so saturated here!”
Well I have news for you. I’ve moved by business to 6 different places and found out that actually, it’s normal to have a lot of competition and other choices for consumers. Instead of stressing about everyone around you, the best thing to do is to level up your own business so that you don’t have to be struggling trying to get the attention of people to book you!
How!? You ask!
Well let’s just jump right into it! And today we’ll be diving into the power of SOCIAL MEDIA for businesses.
NOTE: I am a professional photographer so I’ve learned these tips from my industry, but they DO apply to any small business when trying to advertise on social media.
1. Show up in your social media! Your work is not all that matters.
There’s this common misconception among artists that no one wants to see them and they just want to see their work.
That is SO wrong. People care A LOT about who they will be working with.
You’re a stranger to them right now, which isn’t super comforting if you’re going to be working with them in an intimate setting. Instead it can go a long way to show your face, and share a little about yourself. After all, social media is supposed to be social. We like to know more about the people we are following!
What if I sell products, not services?
If you’re a PRODUCT based industry, YES it still matters who you are. Have you ever been to a small local restaurant and read the story of how they got started on the wall?
The idea of how a brand starts, who the people are behind it, and the story itself can give you tons of content to work with that will engage people much more than just photo after photo of your work.
HERE ARE SOME IDEAS:
- Share more photos of yourself! Get a professional photoshoot done, or even some nice snaps of you that match your feed aesthetic.
- BEHIND THE SCENES photos or videos are such a cool way to share more about what you do and what skills you need to do it.
2. Level up your captions and descriptions – no more vague quotes!
Okay I’m not gonna lie, even I struggle with this one sometimes. How can I be constantly coming up with something amazing to say?
There’s many ways to break this down so that it doesn’t seem so massively overwhelming. Let’s jump straight into ideas to come up with better captions and blog descriptions!
- Telling stories – share a story about your clients that you’re sharing work of
- Telling stories 2 – share a story about your past, how you got started with your passions
- write about a book you just read, or movie you just saw
- What are some things you LOVE that other people may relate to you on? Talk about your obsessions!
- Ask questions – that you genuinely may want to know the answer to. Don’t be afraid to talk about deeper topics
- Ask questions 2- what’s something fun and easy to answer that people could talk about? Their favorite ________
I write notes down when I think of something I think would be a great topic later.
** The truth is I have decided I don’t want to make every single caption every single day the most amazing thing ever. I’ve released myself of some of that pressure, and share as often as I can come up with something that I really actually want to share.
There’s no need to make social media miserable for yourself! But practice does make it a lot easier over time.
3. Make sure you have a quality website to send them to
If you are doing amazing on instagram, but are sending them to a crappy website to contact you and back you up, you’re really dropping the ball.
This step is something a lot of small businesses are slacking on. WHY? Because website creation and design is a whole separate skill that many of us didn’t sign up for when we decided to sell (whatever).
But a great website could take you a lot further with your business by actually converting inquiries into paying customers.
A great website makes customers trust you
People are going to associate a confusing, minimal or limited website with cheap services or products, or unreliability.
On the contrast, a clear website with a strong aesthetic will make people much more likely to believe that you’re offering something of value.
Quick website setup tips:
- Get your own domain name! I recommend Bluehost for website hosting, because it’s cheap to start with, has great customer service and is easy to set up.
- Set up a wordpress site, and buy a TEMPLATE. It makes things SOO much easier and prettier, and often comes with instructions on set up. I HIGHLY recommend 17th avenue (amazing setup instructions and price) or Davey & Krista templates.
- have your location AND email address in your footer!
4. Start posting reels and videos
I know, I know, you do not want to do this. I get it haha. Instagram has now decided that reels will be the thing they are focusing on and pushing, and it’s the best way to grow and get a larger following on social media right now.
5. use local hashtags
6. engage on other posts
That’s all for now friends, thanks for following along and stay tuned for more free tips from Rae!
