Top tips

One of the biggest challenges I hear from the photographers and small businesses that I work with is managing  their social media. Finding time to create new ideas, ensuring they are on brand and really engaging takes time and focus. I asked a number of social media experts for their top tips on how to improve social media presence and here is what they recommend 

 1. Use Canva For Professional-Looking Content

2. Speak Your Clients’ Language

3. Focus On One Platform

4. Hone Your Brand’s Tone

5. Engage With Your Audience

6. Review And Adjust Content

7. Share Community-Driven Value Content

8. Choose The Right Platform

9. Be Consistent And Authentic

10. Use Social Media Analytics

11. Leverage User-Generated Content

1. Use Canva For Professional-Looking Content

I myself am a huge fan of Canva and I run a Social media course for photographers to show you how easy it is to create  beautifully branded content including reels, posts and stories. I also use it to help photographers create their own branding kits including the example below. 

“I’d suggest you take Canva’s template library and use it to make a beautiful, on-brand post that makes your feed stand out without hiring an experienced designer. Canva is really nice because they have templates for everything from Instagram Stories to carousels that you can customize with your brand colours, fonts, and imagery. For instance, if you’re selling a seasonal product, you might have a bold, attention-grabbing layout, upload your products, and use Canva’s animation tool to add movement that catches eyes. It is the best tool for smaller businesses who lack budget because you can have professional-looking content created in minutes. It’s perfect for small businesses because you won’t need high-level graphic design expertise to operate Canva. It’s your most basic design tool that works for social media!” Patrick Beltran, Marketing Director, Ardoz Digital

2. Speak Your Clients’ Language

” Want to make your visuals on social media really speak to your ideal client? Then make sure you’re speaking your clients’ language – literally! It’s not just about what you say, but how you say it. For example, if your ideal clients use selfies, emojis, speak UK or US English, or industry jargon, incorporate these into your content. Remember, it’s about connecting with them, so they feel seen and understood. When you adapt to their communication style, you’re not only making your content easier for them to consume but also building trust and positioning yourself as the expert they’re seeking. This approach helps conversations flow easier in the comments, DMs, or even on a call, without feeling pushy. The result? You stop the scroll and turn more connections into paying clients – the ultimate goal, right?!

Heidi Medina, Social Media Marketing Strategist and Business Coach, Talk to Heidi

3. Focus On One Platform

” When you first start out on social media it’s best to focus on one platform where your target audience is most active rather than trying to manage multiple platforms at once. This way you can engage with your audience and build a presence without feeling overwhelmed. For example if your business is B2B then LinkedIn might be your best starting point. If your brand is more visual then Instagram might be the way to go. Each platform has its own style and audience so knowing where your customers spend their time is important. Once you have a solid foundation on one platform-consistently posting, engaging with followers and growing your audience-you can then branch out to others. “

Jase Rodley, SEO Consultant, Jase Rodley

4. Hone Your Brand’s Tone

The one tip I always give small business owners for socials is that they don’t have to do it all. They don’t have to be on all the platforms, follow all the latest trends and hashtags, or do all the trending reel formats. It will use up all their resources and create a muddled brand vision. Instead, I advise small business owners to hone in on what tone they want to strike with their business and focus all content around that. Dan Brown, CEO & Founder, Textun

5. Engage With Your Audience

” Reciprocity! As a social media marketing expert, my top tip for small business owners is to consistently engage with your audience. Respond to comments, messages, and reviews promptly. This builds trust and fosters a loyal community. Repost content from your followers when it makes sense to show your support of their endeavors, journey or business. Like others posts and leave replies when applicable. Consider using a social media management tool to streamline your interactions and track your performance. Reciprocity is an overlooked key to social media success!

Joey Keating, Marketing Strategist, 74 Social Media & Marketing

6. Review And Adjust Your Social Media Content

Create content consistently. Once, you have those that in place if you’re not getting traction, review the content, see what has been working and what hasn’t, and you’ll have your recipe for success.

Modestas Mankus, Founder, Talks Grow

7. Share Community-Driven Value Content

” Share community-driven value content. It has worked for us, and it can work for you too. Instead of wasting hundreds a week or thousands paying for ads, try sharing community-driven value content.  It goes beyond selling and creates a lifestyle your audience will want to be a part of. As a result, it shifts your brand from transactional to relational. Share enticing and engaging educational content, respond to comments, encourage user-generated content, and host Q&A sessions. Besides making your socials successful, community-driven value content creates a feedback loop where the audience shares what they need. You can use this information to develop new products, change them, or upgrade them.” 

Oleksiy Torokhtiy, Founder, Torokhtiy Weightlifting

8. Choose the right social media platform for your photography business

” Here is the secret to social media success: choose the right platform for your audience-LinkedIn for B2B or Instagram for B2C-and start with one platform before expanding. Follow the 80/20 rule: 80% engaging content (behind-the-scenes, customer testimonials, tutorials) and 20% promotional. Consistency is key so post regularly and use tools like Buffer or Canva to schedule and design. Engage actively-reply to comments, use hashtags and host live Q&A’s to build a community. If you’re going to do ads, start small ($100/month) and let organic engagement lead the way.” 

Jorge Argota, Digital Marketing, Jorge Argota

9. Be Consistent And Authentic

” My top tip for photographers and other small business owners is to focus on consistency and authenticity. Use a tool like Canva for easy-to-create professional visuals, and schedule posts ahead of time with Buffer or Hootsuite to stay organised.

When it comes to generating post ideas, lean into storytelling. Share behind-the-scenes moments, highlight customer success stories, or give a glimpse into your business’s personality-it’s what connects with people. For paid ads, start small with a clear goal in mind. Target a niche audience rather than trying to appeal to everyone. And always test-ad visuals, copy, audiences-until you find what works best. Social media success isn’t about going viral; it’s about building meaningful connections over time.”

Tom Jauncey, Head Nerd, Nautilus Marketing

10. Use Social Media Analytics

” Use your social media analytics to see which types of posts perform best and create more of those. For example, if carousel posts on Instagram get more engagement than static images, make them a regular feature. Also, experiment with questions or polls in captions-they’re an easy way to encourage comments and make your audience feel involved. ” Shane McEvoy, MD, Flycast Media

11. Leverage User-Generated Content

“One tip for photographers and small business owners to make their socials a success is to leverage user-generated content (UGC). Encourage your customers to share their experiences with your product or service and feature their posts on your social media. This not only builds trust and authenticity but also engages your audience by making them feel valued. UGC helps generate fresh content without extra effort, increases brand credibility, and fosters a community around your business. Additionally, pairing this with a branded hashtag can help you track and curate posts more easily.” 

Shreya Jha, Social Media Expert, Appy Pie