An Open Letter to All Professional Photographers

Last Updated: 07/04/2023

A Manifesto

Instagram is hurting your photography business.

I know that was blunt, but I hope I have your attention. I'll repeat it. Instagram is hurting your photography business.

It's not because the platform is terrible or that social media is ruining the world. I'll let others more qualified to speak on those things do so.

It’s actually an excellent platform. Instagram makes it exceptionally easy to post your images, connect with people, and gain followers from around the world.

The problem is that it distracted you from something more important.

Instagram is so easy to use, and it provides immediate feedback. But it has taken your eye off what is important from a marketing standpoint and it is hurting your business. You're ignoring the most critical marketing asset you have and the most crucial marketing partner available to you.

Photographers need to give their website the first priority. You need to put all of your content on your own properties first and build your relationship with search engines. Stop giving away your content to promote other platforms at the expense of your own photography business.

You Are Ignoring Your Most Important Marketing Asset

There is only one digital marketing channel that deserves your full attention. It is the only one you maintain complete control over and will continue to maintain full control around for as long as you want— your website.

Social networks are essential places to be as a photographer. There is no denying this. It's where your potential customers go to see great images and where your competition goes to show off their work. It is a crucial part of your marketing mix, and you need to be there.

Question. What if Instagram disappeared in 5 years? What if all of your hard work building the perfect IG feed was gone? You have no more followers. No daily engagement with people. How would you feel?

OK, Instagram will likely be here in 5 years in some form. Still, the point is that you should feel very uncomfortable that a primary marketing asset you've invested so much time and effort into is under another business' control and could be gone.

These platforms are owned by companies with their own agenda. They are publicly traded, and to be blunt, their board rooms care nothing about you beyond what you can do for them. They give you free space on their platform because you draw new users to their platform. They are using you.

To be fair, it can be a mutually beneficial relationship for sure. And Instagram is a fantastic platform — let's not kid ourselves.

However, we've seen Facebook change their algorithm to reduce the visibility that businesses get for free. It's now at the point where organic reach is so small that the only way to profit is through paid ads. Instagram is a Facebook property, and Instagram's monetization has been increasing from year to year. Logic tells us that things may continue the same way on Instagram over the coming few years.

Would you build your dream house on land someone else owned & controlled?

The point here isn't to anticipate what Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or the next platform does. They will always look out for themselves first. My point is that you should be doing the same thing!

Your website is your private domain, under your full control. No one can change the algorithm on you. No one can change your terms of service. No one can block you or ban you from your website. It is the one place where you have 100% creative control and 100% editorial control — forever.

Stop giving Instagram all of your best images and posting a few as an afterthought on your website a few times per year.

Why doesn’t your website have every single one of your best images?

You Are Ignoring The Best Marketplace

When you ignore your own website, you miss the most significant potential lead source for your business.

Search engines are designed to connect people that have a problem with a potential source that has a solution to their problems. They are a matchmaker. They connect people looking for a service with a service provider.

I won't bore you with the details, but essentially search engines understand your business based on your website. If it is on your website, they will see it, understand it, and adjust their assessment of your business. If you rarely update your website and don’t regularly add valuable content, they cannot change their view of your business. They need to see your content to match you up to someone looking for your business.

Why should a search engine emphasize your website when YOU don’t emphasize your website?

When you only add your newest, best photographs to Instagram, that only helps to change a search engine's view of Instagram’s business.

Businesses cannot survive on likes and comments. Businesses need income from customers.

Ignoring your website and the power that search engines provide is ignoring a vital lifeline for your business.

You Are Ignoring the Benefits of Time

There is another reason why ignoring your website is hurting you. You are losing the benefit of time.

If you invest money in something that has compounding interest, the earlier you start, the bigger your investment will grow because it has time to develop. Your website works the same way.

I have optimized enough sites to see well-developed content rank well after 12 months. That exact same article will rank exceptionally well after 24 months. And after 3 to 5 years, I've seen articles ranking at the top for searches that they have no business ranking for quite frankly.

The lesson here is that when you publish content on your site, it grows slowly and grows more year after year. It compounds in value as you add more and more content. The longer you ignore your website, you are losing the benefits of compound growth. You are remaining stagnant, and you've forever lost years of value.

Conclusion

If your investment advisor told you that you were not adequately diversified and your retirement was at risk, would you listen to them? Would you make adjustments?

As an SEO who works full-time in the photographer market, I can see the imbalance. I see new images and content posted every single day on Instagram that never makes it onto your website.

I am calling on all photographers to stop making Instagram your priority.

Add content to your website first, connect with search engines second, and then reach out to your social community third.

About The Author

I am Eli Remington, and I've been doing full-time SEO work for 14 years. I have been working almost exclusively with photographers for the past 4 years. I provide photographers with guidance on the best content to have on their websites, and I optimize that content so that search engines and people understand it better.