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If you just started following along, check out THIS or THIS post for questions and answers of my journey to entrepreneurship (and how they can help yours!) Today is a big one–so big in fact that I could probably do a whole months worth of blogging on it! Here we go! Social media!

Q: How has social media helped your business? Which channels do you use most and why? 

A: There’s no denying the power of social media. It introduces and connects and is essential to the growth of the small business owner (or really, ANY business owner!) Social media is most commonly the first touch to anyone into our business. It shows them who we are, what we do and how we do it. I would say for my business, social media has done two things. Not only has it allowed me to reach my potential clients, but it has also allowed me to see inside other small business owners systems, processes and wisdom. I read blogs, follow more experienced business owners than myself & learn from them! Social media has been absolutely crucial to my business growth!

There are so many channels of social media, it’s hard to know which one to lean into and devote time to. For me personally, I knew that I couldn’t stretch myself too thin, so ultimately decided on dedicating myself to three main channels.

1. Facebook: I know that there is a large discussion about whether or not to continue to press into Facebook as a means of growing your business, but I still get the majority of my referrals through it. I use Facebook to post links to galleries, educational posts and blogs. Most of my consistent sneak peeks are through Facebook as well. When clients click “share to timeline” and tag themselves in the photo, Facebook will then show all of their followers the image! (Hello easy referral reach!) I make sure to have links back to my Facebook page, web & Instagram as well as a call to action for their friends to be sure to “like” my page and follow along so that they will be sure not to miss the rest of their session! 
2. Instagram: I would dare to bet that in about 10 years Instagram will carry the majority of weight for small business presence. The younger generation is found on Instagram (read: will be using Instagram instead of Facebook in years to come). Because of that, I knew that I needed this to be another main vein of my social media effort. I obviously use it to share sessions, but I’m very intentional to use Instagram to be authentic and include more of my personal life as well. We want to know each other. I share my face often on my feed and post Insta stories of behind the scenes happenings–and not just work related! I share about mine and Michael’s adventures & travels, our crazy dog Moose and our home. People who often become “clients” have been my friends and followed along with my Instagram for years. 
3. Web/Blog: The last place I pour time into is my website and blog. (Hey hey! That’s why your here!!) Making a statement on my web page has become so important to me. What they see, the style of my site, the consistency of my work will play a major factor into why people will book me. If someone is serious about paying money for a session, they will do their homework and click over to my site. If they just see beautiful things on my Facebook and Instagram–then I’m not doing my job well. Showing up often in my blog lets others know that I’m here & thriving. For me, all three of these elements are major in the growth of my business through social media!