Ready to Wander Season 2 – Episode 16

Welcome back to the Ready to Wander Podcast, friend! Whether you’re an avid reader, listener, or this is your first time stumbling upon my little place on the Internet, I’m so glad you’re here. I’m your host, Sydney Breann, and today I’m joined by an exciting guest. Fellow Montana elopement photographer, Jennifer Vernarsky, is joining me for a business chat. We’re talking about the Pros and Cons of Using Social Media for Your Business. This is a good one, so let’s hop into it.

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Jenn and my friendship began how a lot of friendships do nowadays: Instagram. As a Montana elopement and intimate wedding photographer (originally based in Minnesota), it can be super intimidating and lonely to come to a brand new place. I was literally so happy when Jennifer slid into my DMs! 

When Jenn isn’t documenting love stories in Northwest Montana, she can be found working in the hospital as a registered nurse, or spending time with her hubs (and pups, of course). About 5 years ago, Jenn made the leap from full-time nursing into full-time elopement photography. It’s truly been such a blessing getting to know Jenn not only as a colleague in the wedding industry, but as a dear friend.

Now that you know a little bit about who Jenn is, we can get into the nitty gritty of using social media for your business. While I frequently chat about business tips from an elopement photographer’s perspective, today’s episode is a unique one because it can apply to any business! Whether you’re a wedding professional, freelancer, or are just curious about what role social media can play in a business, you’re in the right place.

Pros of Using Social Media for Business:

Visibility + Reach

I’ll be the first to admit that I have a love-hate relationship with social media, as I’m sure so many folks do. But the amount of people you can reach from one TikTok, Reel, or Carousel is insane. The potential for reaching a global audience and increasing your overall brand visibility is something to desire. There’s always a chance that just one piece of your content could go viral and reach audiences you only could’ve dreamt of.

Over the last decade or so, businesses have really leaned into social media. What once used to be for sharing memes or funny videos is now many company’s primary source of lead generation.

Marketing

Many small businesses utilize Social Media first when establishing a marketing strategy. There are several ways to highlight the entire scope of a business through social media.

• Promoting Products/Services
• Sharing customer testimonials
• Showing a behind-the-scenes of your process, product creation, etc.
• Highlighting a business’ mission statement + values through actions

Most consumers nowadays want to see the heart behind a business, not just the business. Investing in a social media marketing strategy can add an entire new dimension to a business.

Customer Engagement

Social media can play a huge role in building a community and engaging with potential (and current) consumers. When utilizing social media for your business, you’re welcoming communication and engagement from your audience. When you create engaging stories or posts, you are continuing to foster the community and humanness of your business. From replies on posts to answering questions in your DMs, you are building brand loyalty.

Cons of Using Social Media for Business:

Time Consuming

It’s no secret that a successful social media marketing strategy takes time. What many folks don’t see is the behind the scenes work that goes into showing up on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook. From planning posts, writing engaging captions, to curating galleries to find the perfect photos to post, creating short-form content, managing an overall aesthetic feed, and engaging with your audience, it can be a real chore. 

If social media really does feel like a chore in your business, I can’t recommend outsourcing enough. A Virtual Assistant or Social Media Manager can be an incredible investment for your business if you don’t have the capacity (or desire) to be on social media platforms.

Algorithm Changes

Ah yes, the elephant in the room: the algorithm. If you’ve spent anytime on Instagram, odds are that you’ve heard someone mention “the algorithm” or being “shadow-banned”. The thing is, there is always going to be a learning curve with social media. 

For example, Instagram was once just a photo-sharing app. However, we collectively watched the app shift to video content. Suddenly, photos weren’t getting as much attention as they once were. Then we learned that Instagram was prioritizing Reels over static content. Organic reach is frequently tougher and tougher to achieve when ads are prioritized. 

Social Media Strategies:

• Utilize keywords
• Use alt. text for your images
• Utilize trending audio
• Experiment with trends
• Hashtags
• Boost your top performing posts (with a clear call to action)
• Collaborate with others in your field
• Go LIVE to increase visibility + brand loyalty

Dependency

One of the biggest cons I see as a business owner is when folks put all their reliance into social media platforms. Because the algorithm is constantly shifting, and because we don’t “own” any of the content we put onto Instagram, we can’t control what happens. If Meta crashed tomorrow, what would happen to your business? How would clients reach you? How would clients discover your products or service?

If you don’t know how to answer those questions, I highly recommend making a shift in your business. Take your audience off social media and bring it to a place that you control. Whether that be an email list or your website, you need a backup plan. Invest time and resources into SEO, organic reach, paid ads, word-of-mouth, etc. Don’t put all your eggs into one basket. 

Negative Influence

Look, I don’t hate social media. But I can tell you one thing: I don’t like how great of an effect it can have on our minds as individuals and business owners. When we are constantly surrounded with the “highlight reel” of someone else’s life, we can start to compare ourselves. We let the number of followers, likes, and comments dictate how our business is doing. We begin to place all of our value into those vanity metrics. 

But friend, you and your business are more than those numbers. If you find yourself focusing on those numbers, hide the like count. Unfollow folks who don’t serve you, or mute accounts that you just need a mental health break from. You are more than some arbitrary numbers. Trust me.

Creativity Limitations

The final “con” I see in using social media for your business is tailored towards those in the creative community. Because we are all guilty of playing the “comparison game”, social media can be a really deflating environment to be in. You might find yourself feeling pressured to deliver galleries that are blurry, grainy, or just plain not your style. Or maybe you’re seeing a photographer who is constantly posting fresh content from Italy, Thailand, Tulum, Hawaii, Switzerland, etc. Suddenly, the incredible work you’re producing doesn’t feel as “incredible” as it once did.

The comparison game is an exhausting, unfair fight. It’s one thing to be “inspired”, but it’s another thing to be unwillingly influenced. Lean into what makes you and your business unique. Read reviews from past clients and remember that folks love you for you.

Does Your Business Have to Be on Social Media?

Like most parts in a business, there is no black or white answer. There’s no right or wrong; what works for one business might not work for another. Is social media great? Yes. But does it also suck? YES! The good news is: there are still ways to succeed without an active social media presence. Rather than using social media as a primary marketing strategy, you can look at it as a tool. 

Alternative Marketing and Strategies for Businesses

• Google Ads
• Pinterest
• Search Engine Optimization
  • Blogging
  • Keywords
  • Alternative Text
• Facebook Ads
  • Set your goals/audience group yourself. Don’t let Meta try to control what audience it’s reaching.
  • Be specific! Target the state, age group, profession, etc.
• Word-of-mouth
• Magazines 
• Online Publications (Wedding Wire, Wandering Weddings, The Knot)

When posting on Instagram or Facebook, your content may live for a few days. But when utilizing search engines like Google or Pinterest, content can live for years. I have a Pin from several years ago that is still gaining traction (and it still confuses me as to “why” to this day). 

Evergreen Pins are also a great way to keep content relevant, engaging, and fresh on Pinterest. Here’s an example of an Evergreen Pin:

This kind of content takes time to work for you. Odds are, you won’t see growth overnight, and you won’t have your first Pin go viral. But by constantly putting out fresh content (that is search engine optimized), the content will continue to work for you over time. Every page or new addition to your website will take time for Google to index it. There’s literally these little data crawlers that search through 400,000+ pages per day. So don’t get too frustrated if a new page you publish takes time to get some traffic. The world outside of Social Media is one that requires patience. 

Tips for Using Social Media in Your Business

Before we wrap up this episode of the Ready to Wander Podcast, I wanted to leave you with some tips for effectively using social media for your business. 

1. Have a solid social media strategy + content calendar
   1. Figure out how many times a week you want to post per week
   2. Plan out posts and captions in a planning app (like Later or Planoly).
   3. Research hashtags + keywords
   4. Set time limits and a schedule to avoid “doom scrolling”.
2. Hire a Virtual Assistant or Social Media Manager
3. Pick different marketing avenues to focus on. Whether it be attending bridal shows (if you’re a wedding vendor), research Google Ads, pour into your email list, spend time on Pinterest.
4. Ghost. Yep, you heard me! If you’re drained after posting and interacting on social media, take a break. Either outsource it or give yourself space to explore other areas in your business.

In the future, you’ll find Jenn and I taking care of our mental health while doing our best to manage the world of Social Media. I truly hope today’s episode of the Ready to Wander Podcast was helpful for you as you learned about the pros and cons of using social media in your business. 

Elopement Photographer Education | Sydney Breann Photography

Make sure to tune in next Thursday for another business chat where I’m joined by my Virtual Assistant (CP Productivity) to chat about the importance of blogging in your photography business. Don’t want to miss it!? Be sure to follow the Podcast’s Instagram page (@readytowanderpodcast) on Insta. You can also find Jenn there too (@jennifervernarskyphotography)! Let her know I sent ya 🙂 

And until next time, are you ready to wander?