Do you love or hate social media?

[CarolineJensen]

I have to say I was daydreaming about the early days of social media. Way back when, it was easier to get seen and heard. Anyone else mention 'link in bio' on Instagram and find their post tanks? Do any of you find success with social media? If so how?? Otherwise, I would love to hear your opinion on all of this! 

[tonygale]

I find it much harder to rise above the noise now. My engagement is way down!

[faysal9]

I completely agree with you. No matter how hardworking or talented someone is, they can't control how a social media platform will promote their content. I've been working hard for years and I've seen people with average talent and content blow up while my own content is barely appreciated.

[ImagesLA]

Are you referring to instagram? cause they are a mess. 

[CarolineJensen]

I find it much harder to rise above the noise now. My engagement is way down!

Mine too. It is really hard to be seen or heard, especially if you are trying to use it for business! Then it seems to tank miserably. It is annoying to have to pay to be seen by people who already chose to follow you. 

[CarolineJensen]

I completely agree with you. No matter how hardworking or talented someone is, they can't control how a social media platform will promote their content. I've been working hard for years and I've seen people with average talent and content blow up while my own content is barely appreciated.

Yep! Same! It is so hard!

[CarolineJensen]

Are you referring to instagram? cause they are a mess. 

Pretty much! I am on others, but IG has been my main platform since it started. I started with it as a place to share my iPhone kid pics, but then switched to a business account in 2014. Sigh. It is a mess! 

[ccrafford]

Love 'em or hate 'em it is where many of your potential customers are especially if you do events, portraits etc.  I just read a 2022 Professional Photographers survey that was published this week. Over 96% of photographers use Instagram to share their work, and 87% consume there. I would say it is a necessary part of being a pro today. You need to find how to best make it work for you!

[CarolineJensen]

Love 'em or hate 'em it is where many of your potential customers are especially if you do events, portraits etc.  I just read a 2022 Professional Photographers survey that was published this week. Over 96% of photographers use Instagram to share their work, and 87% consume there. I would say it is a necessary part of being a pro today. You need to find how to best make it work for you!

I wonder if running ads is better if you are genuinely trying to get seen there. I find that any post that even whiffs of business gets dunked by the algorithm. Have you found that to be the case? I am genuinely looking for a way to make it work. 

[MattK]

I had a love/hate relationship with it. Having a business that sells courses and presets, having a presence and running ads on social is a must. Facebook and IG ads account for a large part of my income and they do work. 

Things have gotten better and worse at the same time. 10 years ago, you had to have a following to succeed in social media. So if you didn’t have the numbers, your posts didn’t get seen. Now, you can pay to play. It doesn’t matter how many FB or IG followers I have. If I pay, my posts will get seen and organic reach is way down. Is that better or worse? Not sure, but probably a little bit of both because people who may not have something great to share, get seen because they pay. 

However, personally I can’t stand what it’s turned in to. For me, seeing the same photo over and over again on IG has caused me to not want to go to places that I used to want to go to. They no longer have the allure they used to. Twitter is just people politically fighting with each other and complaining about things. I feel for my kids because all they see on social media is the highlight reel of everyone’s life and we all know it’s not like that. 

Anyway, so there’s a little bit of professional and personal mixing in. For me, I’ll continue to run ads for the business and post the bare minimum of content I have to personally. If certain aspects of my business didn’t require me to post something, I’d probably just delete the apps 🙂

[davidmclain]

Great question!

As a person, It really comes down to how you want to spend your time on earth. As a photographer, it really comes down to how important social is to your business. My particular business does not depend on social. In part, because I am not a channel, I create content for companies and organizations that have their own channels. IG works for a lot of people, no doubt, but I think a lot of people overrate how important it is for their business. Especially nowadays. Ya, you might get a job here or there from IG but what if you took the 10,000 hours you spent on social media and created some really amazing work or developed relationships with potential clients, or took a Masterclass with Annie Lebowitz or Werner Hertzog, or wrote a thoughtful proposal to a dream clients? It might yield a lot more.

It's hard to overestimate how much time social media consumes and the opportunity costs of not using that time elsewhere. 

[CarolineJensen]

I had a love/hate relationship with it. Having a business that sells courses and presets, having a presence and running ads on social is a must. Facebook and IG ads account for a large part of my income and they do work. 

Things have gotten better and worse at the same time. 10 years ago, you had to have a following to succeed in social media. So if you didn’t have the numbers, your posts didn’t get seen. Now, you can pay to play. It doesn’t matter how many FB or IG followers I have. If I pay, my posts will get seen and organic reach is way down. Is that better or worse? Not sure, but probably a little bit of both because people who may not have something great to share, get seen because they pay. 

However, personally I can’t stand what it’s turned in to. For me, seeing the same photo over and over again on IG has caused me to not want to go to places that I used to want to go to. They no longer have the allure they used to. Twitter is just people politically fighting with each other and complaining about things. I feel for my kids because all they see on social media is the highlight reel of everyone’s life and we all know it’s not like that. 

Anyway, so there’s a little bit of professional and personal mixing in. For me, I’ll continue to run ads for the business and post the bare minimum of content I have to personally. If certain aspects of my business didn’t require me to post something, I’d probably just delete the apps 🙂

Ok, so this covers a few things that I hadn't put together in my mind. I guess pay-to-play does level the playing field and makes working so hard for a huge following less important. That is kind of a relief, actually. The popularity component and having to 'dance for the camera' is just hard for me. A life of highlight reels isn't real life. I feel for me kids too! 

[CarolineJensen]

Great question!

As a person, It really comes down to how you want to spend your time on earth. As a photographer, it really comes down to how important social is to your business. My particular business does not depend on social. In part, because I am not a channel, I create content for companies and organizations that have their own channels. IG works for a lot of people, no doubt, but I think a lot of people overrate how important it is for their business. Especially nowadays. Ya, you might get a job here or there from IG but what if you took the 10,000 hours you spent on social media and created some really amazing work or developed relationships with potential clients, or took a Masterclass with Annie Lebowitz or Werner Hertzog, or wrote a thoughtful proposal to a dream clients? It might yield a lot more.

It's hard to overestimate how much time social media consumes and the opportunity costs of not using that time elsewhere. 

These are all thoughts I have not heard before. Thank you! It is all really thought provoking and helpful!