To Blog or not to blog…that is the question.  Do you have a blog that is collecting dust?  You are so busy with the other aspects of your business…getting clients, photographing them, editing, order sessions, etc. that your blog doesn’t get as much attention as it deserves.  Is there a constant voice in the back of your head telling you to blog but you just can’t find the time?  I can honestly say that I have felt the same way about my blog.

And then you wonder, “is it important to blog?”  It is a question I hear all the time.  And my answer is yes, it is important to blog.  While seniors spend a lot of time on Instagram and Facebook, there are ways to use those social media outlets to steer your target market to your blog.  So why is it important for a Senior Portrait Photographer to blog?  Well let me tell you…

I heard somewhere one time that blogging is like your personality.  It is your chance to put a personality with your web presence, tell people who you are and what you do.  Your website gets their attention and shows your style but your blog allows you to “talk” to your potential clients.  And your potential clients are both seniors and their parents.  So you want to make sure you are blogging about things that interest both.

Seniors love Instagram and Facebook but you can use that to your advantage when it comes to blogging.  Make sure to post on these social media sites a link to your latest blog post.  Make it known that you just posted something really awesome to get their attention.  Let them know they have “made the blog” and make it sound as special as it is.  Get them excited to share with their friends and even run comment contests to get them to try and get comments on their blog post.  Have them tell their friends that by commenting, they could win a free print or timeline cover for Facebook.

Want more tips on blogging…check them out below!

Stay Consistent – When I first started Seniorologie, I blogged every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  I was just starting and I didn’t want to bite off more than I could chew.  But I wanted to be consistent.  I knew I could blog three days a week and if people read it, great!  I tried not to get too hung up on if anyone was reading it and just blogged.  I featured other photographers and interviewed them.  As the blog grew, I realized more and more people were reading it so I blogged more.  I went to five days a week.  Then I grew to everyday per week.  But all the while, I stayed consistent with the content and committed to the number of days I would blog.  Of course, over time, I grew the number of days a week I would blog but I never just randomly blogged some days and not others.

If you are beginning to get serious about your blog, pick certain days that you know you can blog.  Don’t over do it at first.  Be realistic with your time and stick to it.  Gradually grow the number of days you blog as you see that you can do it and that people are enjoying it.

Get a Calendar – An editorial calendar is a great way to keep up with blog content.  Get a dry erase board that you can make a calendar on for each month.  Write on the days of the week that you are going to post, the subject or title or session you want to blog.  Plan a month in advance and that way you aren’t stuck on the day of with nothing to write about!  Blog content calendar templates can be found all over the internet but the dry erase board works great for me!

Content Notebook – Get a notebook to keep ideas flowing.  Write down anytime you get an idea of something to blog about and write it down.  Refer to that notebook when you are planning that months blog posts.  Sessions are a must if you are a senior photographer because you really want to show off your work and do it often.  That gives you automatic content at least a few times a week.  But for the rest of the time, come up with subjects that attract the client you are trying to appeal to.  Moms would love to see posts about why they should hire a professional photographer for senior photos or behind the scenes of a shoot so they know what to expect for their son or daughters shoot.  Teens would like to see the hair and makeup process or tips on how to arrive to their session.  Fashion posts are also always something teens will love as they need inspiration for their sessions.  Even get teens involved by having them write something for you about their session experience.

Drive Traffic to Your Blog – Like I said earlier, post on Facebook or Instagram that you just blogged a senior’s session.  Tag them in the post and make sure to include photos and the link to the post.  People, both moms and seniors, want to read things that are easy.  So help them by just putting it out there and all they have to do is click on a link.  They don’t have to remember a blog address or remember to go and check a certain blog because you are letting them know by putting it out on social media sites.  Make it sound exclusive and special that a senior session was blogged.  Really hype it up and make sure to let the senior and mom know that their session is up on the blog.  They will get excited and share it with their friends.  And of course, that gets more readers to your blog.

Also, drive traffic to your blog by making sure to comment on other blogs.  Doing the work and following blogs will help others know about you and your blog.  Share the love and they will too!!  Our primary concern should be our clients but it is nice to know others in the industry are looking and reading our blogs too.  And commenting on others’ blogs will help them want to comment on yours.  And let’s be honest, who doesn’t love to see a sweet comment on your blog? 🙂

Blog in Advance – Pick a day that you aren’t busy with clients and blog.  Do several blog posts in a row and pre-schedule them.  It is really nice to just get a week’s worth of posts done on a Sunday, schedule them and then let them post automatically.  That way you can spend the rest of the week working on other important things with your business.

Keep Up the Good Work – Even if you hear crickets, which trust me, I have heard many, keep doing what you are doing!  It takes time to build a following and get readers to your blog.  And just because you don’t hear anything doesn’t mean no one is looking.  Make sure to get a google analytics plugin for your blog.  This way you can see your progress and see how many people are clicking on your site.

I guess it is like the saying…”blog and they will come!”  🙂  Happy Blogging!!

P.S.  If you need some love on your blog, link your blog in the comment section below.  Let all the readers and us know who you are and we can all visit each others, share the love and make comments!! 🙂