How To Grow Your Wedding Photography Instagram Page
Here is the ultimate guide to promote your wedding photography business on Instagram. Your Instagram account holds the secret to attracting more clients and booking more weddings.
Having an online presence in today’s day and age is just another form of ID. People need to know who you are to trust you. It’s the same for your business. Wedding photography is visual, so it makes sense that you rely on visual representation. Think of your Instagram account as an asset to your wedding photography business. A way to show off your work and build rapport with potential clients.
Your account provides the social proof you need to get booked for weddings. That is why it’s important to be active on it and keep it current. Consistency shows you care about being a wedding photographer. This translates into caring about the bride. It is her wedding day after all, so if you win her over, that’s one more wedding to add to your portfolio. So how do you become her best friend? It starts with setting up your profile.
Why Instagram Is Essential for A Wedding Photography Business
Instagram has many features that (when used correctly) can benefit your wedding photography business. Since weddings are about capturing beauty, your account needs to have aesthetic appeal. Most Instagram users are female; therefore, many brides-to-be use it for wedding inspiration. They save posts to separate collections for make-up artists, wedding dresses, venues…and even photographers. If your account is not optimized to be a bride’s best friend, you will lose her to another photographer. A good place to start is the first thing people see.
Profile Pictures for Wedding Photographers
Your profile picture represents your brand, so it must be eye-catching and unique. When people search for wedding photographers, they click on the thumbnails that stand out. It’s not enough to have a random picture of a bride from Google Images.
The little details in these images get lost on Instagram because profile pictures are resized to fit in the feed. A better approach is using your company logo or the initials of your name. Keep it simple and clean. It also helps to use a high-quality, vibrant image with crisp lines. The easier to read and recognize, the more people will visit your profile. You might need to use photo editing software to achieve this result. These are great examples of profile pictures that stand out on Instagram.
From left to right: @sydneyweddingxtraordinary, @weddingphotographer, @samantha.heather
Instagram Bio for Wedding Photographers
This is your opportunity to promote your wedding photography service with 150 characters or less. Once again, the aim is to stand out. People glance at the bio and get the evidence they need to decide if the account is worth exploring further. It must be informative while also showing personality. Here are the details you must mention.
1. Business name – In the case your username is not your business name, place it in the first line of the bio. This shows you are real and genuine. People need to know who they are booking.
2. Contact information – This is the best way for prospective clients to get in touch with you. Make sure you have a website. Including your email address, phone number and/or address of your business is optional.
3. Website – The space to link your website or blog so people can learn more about your business and if you would make a good fit. Alternatively, you can link an online portfolio of your wedding shoots or most recent wedding. Do it only if it’s something special and worth the click, otherwise it’s a waste of space.
4. Setting/Theme – State whether you shoot local, interstate or destination weddings. Also mention if you specialize in weddings with a certain theme/vibe. This filters out people who have different preferences, so neither you nor your client waste time.
5. Tagline/quote/motto – Choose a simple statement that sums up your wedding photography business. Be careful when deciding what to write, because the wrong thing can put people off. Stay away from clichés like “Love conquers all.” Instead, you can use the best line from a testimonial you received, something quirky or something unique that resonates with people.
Use this checklist when editing your profile. It ensures you don’t miss any crucial details necessary to make you look professional and reliable.
Personal vs. Business vs. Creator on Instagram
A personal profile is where you post selfies, pictures of your 5-star food (you wish) and random inspirational quotes. It’s not recommended for anything more complex. The next type of profile is creator – aimed at people who make money outside the textbook business model. Yes, the Instagram models promoting tooth-whitening devices.
Your wedding photography business will benefit most from the extra features of a business profile. You are providing a paid service, so understanding your Instagram audience is crucial for increasing exposure and therefore sales. It is not as simple as posting what you think looks good regardless of what your audience wants. Remember, the bride is the one to impress. She needs to love your content.
Benefits of An Instagram Business Profile
There are many perks to having a business profile. Its key features let you analyze your followers and the quality of your content. This is a critical part of your Instagram growth strategy for wedding photography.
ü Audience insights
§ Age range, gender and location of your followers helps with shaping your content strategy to appeal the most to your current audience or attract a different target market.
§ Time/day your followers are most active allows you to schedule your posts, so they are seen by more people.
ü Post analytics
§ Impressions tells you how many times your post has been seen on people’s feed, so you know whether your post is appealing.
§ Reach informs you about the number of users who have seen your post (at least once), which highlights its viral appeal.
§ Engagement refers to the amount of likes, comments and saves on your post from accounts. It does not count multiple comments from the same user.
§ Saved shows you how many accounts saved your post (what we mentioned about brides and their wedding collections).
§ Profile visits gives you the number of times your account was viewed.
§ Follows is the number of users that started following you.
This data may change unexpectedly, so staying up to date is essential. Algorithm updates can also create a big discrepancy between past growth and future growth. Don’t get complacent with checking your analytics every week.
How to Make Your Instagram Account Look Professional
The growth of your Instagram account can be influenced by the most minute details. Although they may seem pointless, they make your account more appealing and attract new followers.
· Accounts you follow – Following mostly wedding-related profiles makes you look more passionate about your business. You should also aim to keep your following low depending on the number of followers you have. As a general guideline, an account with 10,000 followers should follow under 1,000 accounts. The ‘following to followers’ ratio influences the authority of your account. High account authority establishes you as an expert in your field of wedding photography.
· Hashtags you follow – Don’t step outside the wedding and wedding photography themes when using the following feature for hashtags. The aim is to stay on top of all things wedding related to expand your industry knowledge. Learning new techniques and incorporating trends means you can cater to more clients. Your creativity makes you stand out as a wedding photographer.
· Text – Be it the bio or your captions, write in a clear and concise manner. Avoid using big words that make you sound fancy. It will come across as confusing or arrogant. Neither is a positive attribute, so people will lose interest in your account. Also, check your spelling and grammar because errors will detract from your content. While Instagram focuses on pictures more than words, people still need to understand what they read. It can be the difference between losing or gaining a follower.
· Feed – Every post must be an asset to your account. Choose the theme or vibe and be consistent. It doesn’t matter if you choose a colour scheme or highlight a certain emotion. Just remember, if a post does not complement your feed don’t upload it.
Wedding Photography Instagram Content Strategy
This is the essence of your wedding photography Instagram account. The focus should be on your work, while keeping structure in your feed. It is advisable to choose no more than three types of content; each in its own column. You can stick to posting just your photography, or you can mix it up. Here are some ideas for content.
Action Footage
Pre-wedding videos add an interesting twist to your feed through story telling. They will set you apart from other wedding photographers. Alternatively, behind-the-scenes videos of the photography process make for great content. You can post these clips on IGTV and show them on your feed. People love to see what happens before the wedding. Before you capture the perfect moment. Showing the humanity behind your work creates a connection with your audience. Brides-to-be are more likely to book you for their upcoming wedding if they see you as human. Not just a business. After all, people buy from people.
Your Photography
Don’t use your account to showcase every picture taken at your last wedding. Our recommendation is 1-5 photos from each shoot. Upload them as an album and make the best one the album cover. The photography you choose to display on your account should evoke a certain emotion. You decide how you want your audience to feel. It could be a close-up of the bride and groom, the signature kiss, or something different. Just remember each blank space on your feed is precious vacant land. Fill it only with your best work, and make sure the picture is HD. A photo must be a representation of who you are as a photographer. If it doesn’t express what makes you different, it doesn’t belong on your feed. Check out the work of @ericronaldphoto.
Viral Videos
Viral wedding videos can add a fun twist to an otherwise traditional feed. If you decide to include them, they must be high resolution clips to ensure your account still looks professional. When used properly, they can help increase exposure to your business and attract new followers. However, this is dependent on the way you present your account. We would advise you keep viral videos for your Instagram stories if they don’t match the rest of your content.
Writing Captions for Wedding Photography
Beautiful pictures are nothing without beautiful captions. A caption should explain the purpose of the photo in a poetic way. The two must complement each other like the bride and groom. Add a human feel to your captions so people can connect with the post on a deeper level. They imagine they are the couple in the photo. The photo taken by you. Accounts like @popcornphotog show exactly how it’s done.
Instagram Hashtag Strategy for Wedding Photographers
Another vital part of Instagram growth is the way you utilize hashtags. They are not meant to be used haphazardly or as decoration. Each hashtag you choose is an opportunity to increase your exposure. However, there are certain factors that influence the power of your hashtags.
· Your account – The number of followers you have dictates the type of hashtags you should use. An account with 800 followers would not benefit from competing with 29 million other posts using #weddingphotography. Your post will likely get lost in the mix.
· Long-tail hashtags – Hashtags that are too broad make it harder to rank. A better strategy is using long-tail hashtags because they are more specific. In turn they are used by fewer accounts, meaning less competition. An example of a relevant long-tail hashtag is #weddingphotographysociety with 21,400 posts.
· Banned hashtags – Instagram does not accept certain hashtags, so it’s important to check before you post. Banned hashtags can affect your post reach and therefore overall engagement. It can also put your account at risk of being shadowbanned.
It’s important to know which hashtags are suitable for your account. Don’t copy what accounts with millions of followers are doing, because they can get away with using the most popular hashtags. Also, we suggest you create hashtag sets so you don’t reuse the same hashtags. Apps like HishHash let you create sets and shuffle them, so they are ready to use when you upload.
Stories And Highlights for Wedding Photographers
The story feature gives you the freedom to show a lighter side to your account. While the content must be wedding-themed, you don’t need to be as strict as your feed. Choose interesting videos and pictures that capture your audience’s attention. The aim is to keep them watching from start to finish. Some people will follow your account just from your stories. Below are a few ideas for story content.
· Viral couple/wedding pictures and videos
· Viral travel/lifestyle pictures and videos
· Short vlogs of your life
· Interesting moments in your life
· Candid pictures and videos of your clients
Ultimately, it’s up to you how creative you get. You can keep it simple, stick to a colour scheme, or just post lots of viral videos. Check your insights to see how your audience responds and make the necessary adjustments.
Some of the content you post is worth keeping on your profile longer than 24 hours. That is the purpose of a highlight. Each highlight can focus on one category. At the same time, too many highlights can make your account look cluttered and less appealing. Exercise ‘quality over quantity’ to maintain professionalism.
Highlight covers add the necessary finishing touches to your highlights. They must be of high quality to complement your account. Many people skip this step thinking it doesn’t matter, but the opposite is true. It’s very noticeable to whomever looks at your account. Watch this for an easy way to make your own professional highlight covers.
Instagram Ads for Wedding Photographers
Once you implement all the tips and ideas in this article, your account will be optimized for success. The next step is the cherry on top of the cake. Or more appropriately the wedding cake topper. You can advertise your wedding photography business using custom Instagram ads. This method has the potential to bring you more exposure and bookings. When done right. Here is a detailed breakdown of every step:
How to Use Instagram Ads to Attract Wedding Photography Clients
Work With Us
But if you want it done for you, you can work with us. We know how much effort our clients put into their business, so we do right by them. The Insta Hustle was founded on traditional values because we are human. And we provide digital marketing for humans. Contact us to get the best view of the wedding – behind the camera.
