Social media has become a valuable tool for photographers looking to showcase their work, connect with other creatives, and build a strong, engaged community.
However, building an engaged community on these platforms isn’t just about posting pretty pictures. It requires a strategic, consistent approach with a genuine desire to connect with your audience. In this article, I will explore practical tips and strategies to try and help you create a community on social media.
Post Consistently
It’s impossible to build an audience if you’re not posting your work to social media on a consistent basis. While we can debate the pros and cons of social media platforms such as Instagram forcing creators to post regularly, it is the only way your audience can see your work online and engage with it.
One of the most crucial aspects of building a strong and engaged community is consistency. Regular posts will help keep your audience interested and remind them of your profile. But it’s not just about quantity; quality matters, too.
Now, I’m not suggesting that you post every single day, but try and maintain a consistent posting schedule which will allow your audience to increase and a community to grow around your work.
Fortunately, with most social media platforms, you can also post stories. These can be raw and often require less work than dedicated posts. This can be a good way of maintaining contact with your audience without having to post creative works every day.
However, when it comes to your posts, remember quality over quantity. It’s better to post fewer high-quality images than a lot of mediocre ones.
Share what makes you unique
In the modern social media age, your audience will often want to follow the process of you creating your art, as well as the art itself.
While sharing your best work is essential, it’s equally important to share the behind-the-scenes, the challenges, and the personal stories that make you unique.
When it comes to what you share on social media, it doesn’t always have to be your perfectly crafted works of art. Often, your audience will want to see what you get up to on a day-to-day basis. Indeed, this can often be a better idea than posting work on a daily basis.
Now, it’s worth noting that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to what you share on social media and how personal your posts are. Consider setting boundaries you are comfortable with and operating within those boundaries. Don’t feel pressured to share every aspect of your life.
An approach I like to take is to share behind-the-scenes photos and stories from days when I go out to take photos. This way, I’m sharing stories that should interest my audience as they already follow me for my work, so the behind-the-scenes footage should also offer insight to them.
I’d also recommend discussing your inspirations. Additionally, share your failures as well as personal stories about how photography has impacted your life.
Try to share more of what makes you unique rather than only sharing your highlights; the more human and open you are on social media, the closer your audience will feel, and in turn, this will help you build a community and audience around your work.
Engage with your Audience
Something creators often neglect is remembering to engage with their audience. You are far more likely to continually engage with a creator who takes the time to respond to what you write. This is why I recommend that you set time aside in your day to respond to comments.
Building an audience and community around your work takes time and consistency. Spending time every day to engage with comments as well as other creators on the platform will result in your work developing a loyal and engaged following.
While people obsess over follower and subscriber counts, the quality of follower/subscriber is equally, if not more important than the overall number. By actively engaging with your audience, you’ll create a sense of community and build stronger relationships.
Conclusion
Building a strong engaged community on social media doesn’t happen overnight however, maintaining a consistent approach with genuine connections, and a willingness to share your unique perspective can help you build one.
Remember, the most important thing is to be yourself and to genuinely connect with your audience on a regular basis.
