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Social Media

What’s Your Opinion of IG?

Q:

What’s your opinion of IG? Do you think the pros outweigh the cons? And do you think only posting BTS/announcements as opposed to actual photos would be career suicide?

A:

My overriding opinion about choosing any type of marketing is all about IG. We can’t dance around this; telling half the story is like saying we want to show clients we can handle providing images for their marketing needs, but we can’t do it ourselves. We have to be doing at least the basics, or it’s equal to not having a website (oy!). Only posting BTS/Announcements would be using it as a temporary, occasional publicity outlet which would send out the message that you don’t feel confident in your completed work. 

Personal Work

Personal work should be boosting the process of getting clients to know who you are.

Ask yourself, does this image emphasize how I think or what I offer clients when they hire me?

All in all, this is about sharing what runs your creative engine.

Personal Work on Instagram

Q:

Here’s one for you! Sometimes I wonder how much personal work I should share on Instagram. I feel it occasionally adds a pop of color or style to my feed, mixed in with my client work. But I don’t want to overdo it. Hmmm.

A:

Your apprehensive response is correct. At the moment, your Instagram feed may feel like a daily update, but you have to approach this as your long-term business referral selling point. You don’t want to overdo the personal work in your feed, as the timely or obscure twist could work against the quick, powerful read of what you will bring to a project.

Testing With Brands on Social Media

Q:

I photographed some products at home (self assigned). I tagged the brand, they saw my work via DM. A few months later they came out with a campaign that is almost identical to what I shot. This has happened to me 3 times with 3 different companies, so I don’t think I’ll be shooting sample things and posting them on Instagram, maybe on my portfolio but that’s it…not sure. What are your thoughts on this?

A:

It is hard to prove when a company uses your copyrighted images for their concepts, but that is one way to approach this. Before posting the images, make sure you register your copyright if you foresee going down the legal path.

My REP thought is this guidepost of encouragement showing you are right on the money with your direction instead of using this as a reason to lower viewings of your images. You have something hot happening here that may need a slight fine-tuning to strengthen the unique magic you offer. 

How to Set Up Your Instagram to Bring in Jobs

When done right, Instagram is a free marketing platform that can consistently get your work in front of the right clients and help you grow your business. This Webinar will not be about turning you into an Influencer. We highlight practical strategies that every commercial photographer can deploy to shape their creative presence and optimize Instagram to build an audience that can help create a sustainable business. Originally aired as part of APA Chicago’s workshop, “Industry Experts Talk Photography Growth Strategies for 2022”.

Co-host: Photographer + SternRep/AskSternRep/ASRsocial Creative Director Ranee Vespi https://www.raneevespi.com

Apply now to ASRsocial→ https://www.bit.ly/ASRSOCIAL

ASRsocial is Open for Business

We are currently accepting applications for photographers who could use a revamp on their Instagram + will be taking on a limited number of clients. Price options will vary depending on individual needs. 

ASRsocial is an out-of-the-ordinary social media management service working exclusively with commercial advertising photographers’ looking for new ways to jumpstart their Instagram account. 

Photographer agent Andrea Stern is behind-the-scenes, with creative director Ranee Vespi of @sternrep and @asksternrep being the lead contact as we give to you what we have discovered together.

Andrea Stern of @asksternrep/@sternrep: “Have your IG work for you instead of against you. We all know that Instagram is the way to be seen and discovered right now. It’s the new portfolio show and the new email promo. We have to stick to the times and lead the way if we want to be getting the jobs.” 

ASRsocial offers:

  • Critique of Instagram + Website by SternRep/AskSternRep’s Social Media team, including rep Andrea Stern
  • 1-on-1 Coaching with Ranee Vespi, SternRep/AskSternRep’s Creative Director
  • Individualized Instagram Strategy
  • Personalized Packages
  • Branding You as a PERSON, not just as a Photographer // Show your authentic self on Instagram
  • Engagement System Plan
  • Design + Scheduling Feed
  • Content Creation

Apply now→ https://www.bit.ly/ASRSOCIAL

Where Do Creative Directors Look for New Talent?

Q:

Where do creative directors, art buyers etc. look for new talent? I would appreciate any advice I can get.

A:

The business of photography depends on who sees our images; we have to find every potential method to put ourselves out there. Depending on the type of photographer you are, we have some really good options these days like Komyoon, Workbook, At-Edge, Blvd, Behance, PhotoPolitic, LeBook, Production Paradise, Found and Wonderful Machine. They all have a different vibe, go through them and see where you fit best. I suggest asking clients you want to work with where they look for new talent. After you give one of these a try, you can SEO your website and use Google Analytics to see where the traffic is coming in. It’s a timely process with no easy answer, but if you pay attention to your analytics, you can see what works for you.

Social Media Usage

Be specific about which SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE you are licensing to the client.

  1. PAID is for their ads.
  2. OWNED is on their social media.
  3. You posting it on YOUR FEED (Influencer Posts) which is a separate fee.

Cover Yourself

Make sure you are clear and cover yourself with all crew and talent on a photoshoot that you own the images, and no one is allowed to grant usage to anyone on Instagram without your permission. 

Don’t assume they know the copyright laws; that is your job.

Social Media Analytics

Q:

Background to my Question: I have a client, they just won best social media in their industry in Canada, and they recently started using my images across their social media platforms coming into this new year. I want to reach out to more clients in this industry and I’d like to use this client as a case study in my deck… specifically I want to strengthen the case with their social media analytics (assuming the analytics are favourable).

Question: Is it couth to ask a client for their social media analytics in relation to the posts using my imagery in order to beef up my marketing decks?

A:

The analytic results of your images proving the compelling quality of your photo skills are a respectable request. As much as it’s OK to ask, I don’t know many companies that would have that information handy or be allowed to give it out. The way to combat this dependence on the client is to research their social media followers, amount of engagement, and the success of their business before and after. You can include this data in your treatments as you’d be speaking your potential new client’s language.