One of my favorite things about my business is my blog... and you've followed my business for a while, you're probably completely shocked right now...
To be completely honest, I used to absolutely HATE blogging.
I stared a blog on my website twice before I actually stuck with it.
I didn't think I had anything to post about, and if I did have something I deemed worth blogging about, I didn't think the post itself was well-written or worth sharing. In other words, I didn't tell anyone about my posts.
However, now my attitude towards blogging has completely changed... and I LOVE it!
Here's why...
1) Blogging gives creatives (whether that be photographers - like me - or small business owners, etc.) an outlet to tell a bigger story.
Sure, social media gives us a way to share stories, but Facebook/Instagram/Twitter allow us to share stories on a much smaller level. Most of my blog posts range from 1-3 minutes of reading time, which would never be tolerated in the scroll happy platforms of social media. My followers know to read my blog for the bigger picture, the more in-depth story.
2) Blogging gives you something to post about.
I'm going to be honest, I am not the best at social media... see my outdated personal account for proof. Before I started [consistently] blogging, I was even worse. I'm all about consistency, so keeping a schedule for my social media is important to me. Consistent blogging (for me, this means Tuesdays and Fridays) allows me to schedule my Tuesday and Friday social media posts around the blog. Why is this important? It gives you another thing to post about, therefore keeping your business in the minds of your potential clients.
3) Blogging allows you to share sneak peeks of client galleries before you post the full one.
I honestly do this a little differently than most photographers. I have to edit all or most of my gallery before selecting my favorites for the blog. A lot of photographers use their blog to showcase their favorites before the full gallery release and tease clients into wanting to see more of their gallery.
4) Blogging allows you to have a portfolio... like anywhere.
Do you hate updating your portfolio as much as I do? Well, blogging allows you to showcase your best work in an instant. For example, I was speaking to a musician not too long ago about a potential headshot session. With my blog, I was able to show him my latest musician headshot session (here) that could give him an idea of what his session could look like. It's definitely a powerful marketing tool to be able to pull up you best shots from any session and completely personalize your client (or potential client) meetings.
5) Blogging allows you to inform your clients.
You can use your blog to inform your clients on what to wear, what time to schedule sessions, etc. The list of possibilities is ultimately endless. Plus, this cuts down on the time you have to spend writing client emails. If your client has a question pertaining to something you've already blogged about, send them a link to it. If you haven't blogged about a question, add it to your blog schedule.
As you can see, blogging can help your business tremendously, and I more than encourage you to start one or restart one today!
See you soon,
Caitlin S. Cornett