Imagine this: you hear a podcast that talks about Instagram. And if you want to get more followers you have to SHOW UP. So then, you think to yourself…”Yeah…I can do that. That’s why I don’t have customers right now. I need to be more top of mind.” So you’ve posted consistently for a week now and are like… “Hazah! I am a business god on TOP of the world! Nothing can stop me from posting and showing up.”
Until…you run out of photos.
And about the same time you run out of photos, you also run out of things to say. 🤐
Has this ever happened to you? Earlier this year, I committed to posting waaaaay more frequently than I have in the past. I was posting everyday for like a month, and then…I hit a wall. Because with posting more often, you use a lot more photos than the random one or two that I posted from my latest session. Not to mention, I just moved to Denver and my client base is a lot smaller than it was in Memphis.
So maybe the question isn’t “has this ever happened to you?” but more “how do you not run out?”
How do you keep the photo train going?
I would ask myself this question all of the time, yet I’m supposed to be the one with all of the photography answers.
Here’s the thing. No matter what, you’re going to run out. It’s natural. Unless you’re Gary V with a film and photo crew following you around everywhere you go…there will be some times when you’re like: “WTF do I do? It’s already the afternoon. I haven’t posted anything. And my bank of images are completely dry.”
BUT as soon as I started thinking about photos (and content for that matter) in terms of categories instead of “what nice photo do I have that I can post today,” I stopped struggling to find a photo to post. Because sometimes, it’s easier to just take a NEW photo instead of searching through a bajillion images that might fit the bill.
And then once I have a photo to post, the caption comes THAT much easier!
So here’s how my process goes.
1. Make a calender of what I want to talk about over the week. Divide it into categories of my business. Like morning routines, something personal, why I love my business, photography tips, branding, etc.
2. Match existing photos OR take new photos to match categories. (Morning routines: me with a cup of coffee. Something personal: maybe me and Rich, or the dog, or a snack, or whatever I want to talk about that day. Why I love my business: I can post photos from past or recent gigs. Photography tips: before and afters. Or professional photos of something using a technique I’m talking about. Branding: branding session photos or me with a camera, etc. Just to name a few.)
3. Write my captions. For me, captions come last. I find it much easier to talk about photos than to write a caption and then find a photo to match after the fact. This is a personal preference, so whatever works for you!
When you break photos up into the categories that they fit in, it makes it easier to plan out your days, take quick photos relevant to the topics, and stay ahead of the social game.
And that has been the engine I needed to keep this train a choo choo-in. 😉
Side note: If you have no idea what photo/categories you should be posting for your business, check out my free guide on the 9-types of photos you NEED to promote your business! It’s a game changer and will get you thinking about your photos totally different!
Till next time.
xoxo
