Hi! Let’s talk about Instagram! 😉
Some of you may have noticed that I’ve never had an Instagram account solely for my photography business. If you’ve struggled with deciding whether or not to separate your biz+personal accounts (and yes, for biz owners, this can be a real struggle), I hope this post will help you out.
So why don’t I separate my photo biz and personal Instagrams?
Reason #1: Because my business is personal! I make every wedding and family photo with my heart and I love sharing my very favorites with the world. Some people do find and follow my account specifically for my photography work, but I also share lots of pictures of my real life. Basically, every ‘business’ photo I share on Instagram is as personal to me as all those ‘personal’ photos you see. Which makes sense: they are photos of my clients, my people & my art!
Reason #2: My personal photos only help clarify my business brand. I keep everything mixed because my personality (and my marriage, travels & coffee mug collection) are just as part of my photography brand as the actual wedding and family photos I make. They help tell more of my whole story as a business owner, wife, music lover & adventurer. How would someone know that I experienced an amazing trip to Italy or saw my favorite band (that might also be their favorite band!) if I only shared my professional photos? Sure, if I had one, they could follow my personal account. BUT! Mixed accounts are the type of accounts I personally like to follow. If a business owner I’m inspired by has both a personal and a business account (which totally works for a lot of people!), I one hundred percent always (and usually only) follow their personal one. If they have a mixed account, even better! I LIKE to see other photogs/biz owners real lives & I LIKE to get to know them beyond the perfectly polished photos of their work. So, that’s the account I want to keep as well.
I know this way of ‘doing Instagram’ isn’t for some people and I also know some of you Insta-gurus are looking at me with your jaw dropped because you know there is a more scientific + profitable way to do it. But to me, Instagram has always been about sharing what I love, not about the science of likes and followers, so that’s just what I’ll keep doing for now! 😉
-s
Love this! I’ve struggled with the same.