Week 17

     My use of social media has increased over the semester. I used to be consistent with posting but I slacked off, now I am back to posting again. My go to social media was Instagram and sometimes facebook, I had wanted to start a twitter account but didn't think I could do it. With this course I learned to use multiple sites to reach more people and how to use their sites for a business. I am happy I created a twitter account for my business because I got to find other photographers that inspire that I have not known about before.
     I have been putting more work into my posts and try to do update posts on events I am photographing. My posts on instagram have been getting more interaction such as more followers, likes, and comments. Another thing I have been trying to improve on is finding other ways to respond to people who comment on my posts without saying the same thing over and over again.
     My viewpoint on social media has not changed, I always knew it was important to have social media to run a successful business. With the assignments we have been doing it helped me realize how important it is to put effort into each post. It is important to stay active as well. Going in depth with posts can get a connection with your followers because they relate to some of the content and captions posted.
    This course helped me get a better understanding on how to use social media to develop a business. I struggled with having a Facebook page but I learned new tricks to help me manage my page better. Doing the research on my competition/inspiration helped me improve my posts by getting an idea of what pages to tag and what hashtags to put. With the tools provided I can see who is more interested in my content and what they like the most of what  post.
     From this course I did find business services that I want to use for myself. I am motivated to photograph more so I can have more content to post to my social media accounts and get clients.  Doing research on others somewhat similar to my business help me be aware of how to improve, I always see their posts but never paid attention to them as a whole.

Week 16 Post 2

The blogs I commented on are Austin Poynter, Michele Cortes, and Tracey Walz.

Week 16 Post 1

     Before this class I have never had a blog, I enjoyed learning how it works to have one in case I decide to start a blog. The strategies we used throughout the course helped me learn how to be better at managing my social medias. I didn't have a twitter account for my business but I had wanted to make one, the assignment where we had to make one finally got me to do what I have been wanting to do.
    Instagram and Facebook work best for my type of business. I enjoyed learning from looking at how the competition posts regularly and what they posts consist of. I will be using insights more to learn about people who view my posts to see what they like the most from my posts.
     I have to post weekly to show viewers my work, I use the app bettr to schedule my Instagram posts. Once or twice a year I will do ads so people new to social media and others can learn of my work. The ads will also let clients know what photo shoots I will be doing at the time.
     I will schedule posts for the pictures I took this past weekend which include the zoo and rodeo. I will also be taking pictures of my new puppy to post and incorporate my mom's dog into some pictures to show I am going to start doing pet pictures. I have posts scheduled for Monday- Wednesday for 5:30 and when one posts I will schedule for the next week. Next week I am posting black and white pictures of some horses, the next week the zoo, and after that week rodeo pictures.

Week 15 Post 2

       I used the information provided to review the insights. The amount of page followers have gone up at a steady amount. The amount remains constant but gets a few followers every few days, between the 10th and 11th more people followed the page so there was a big increase. The likes were mainly organic likes there were a few times where there were unlikes. Total amount of likes remained constant just raising a small amount. Net followers, there are more organic followers a few unfollows.  How people found the page was by the page, then uncategorized desktop, and last searching for it. Both page previews go up then down and will stay the same before it rises again.
     Page views has two categories one for people that have viewed and the other is top sources. Starting May fifth how many people viewed went up May seventh then down on May eighth then up again. The top sources were Facebook and Google. Facebook started to go down on May seventh then on May 8th went up again on May ninth it went back down. Google went up May seventh and on May eighth went down again.
     Post reach is under 1000 with organic ways, there was once when it went over 1000. Paid post reach went up to almost 3000. Recommendations was up and down a lot but towards the ninth there were twelve recommendations. Reactions were the top thing most used on the page, likes were first then love. Other was the next top thing used, after other came comments and shares.  Men are majority gender for every age group that follows the page and that engage in the posts.

Week 15 Post 1

I think engagements, behavior reports, predictive analysis, and audience demographics should be checked regularly. Engagements and behavior reports are a little similar they both track the audience engagement to my business. They will tell me how many people viewed and interacted with my post, this tells me how many people are and are not interested in my work. Predictive analysis tells you what ads work for your audience, this helpful to know so you can make the right ads for your customers. Audience demographics tell you if your target market is reaching your posts and ads.

Week 14

I did a target area for local within 30 miles, with the age group of 13-65 female. I created an ad for a gender reveal picture, a lot of people are having gender reveals since it is getting warmer. I would have it lead to contact now so it could get people interested to message right away. My call to action says Capture the excitement contact us now.

For this ad I would boost for views and likes, this post could reach people who are fans of the team and football. Companies that need sport photographers could hire me to shoot games.

I have this ad to reach the age group of women 16 to 45 and the location is for 50 miles radius. I added some interests of baby shower and photography, to reach those looking into a photographer for their baby events. This ad would lead to them going to my page to contact me.


I think contact us and getting more likes are ads that are for my business. They would get me more customers and the possibility of being seen by top companies that need photographers for certain games or events. Both ads would promote my business and reach my target audiences.

Week 13 Post 2

I think an Instagram or Facebook ad would be good for my business. From the ads on Instagram I have seen I liked when they had a single image instead of multiple and had the caption that left me wondering. I think I could do ads for summer and certain holidays, such as Easter, St. Patricks, and Valentine's Day. Driving traffic and lead would be a good Facebook ad for my business, it will bring me more clients to schedule photo shoots with. Post likes and engagement ads are another ad that would be good for my business, the more likes I get on my posts the more clients I could have, people would share my posts and reach more people that like my work.

Week 13 Post 1

Clara Bella Seniors did an ad on Facebook and instagram. They had used one photo and the caption included a quote about the upcoming seniors, then they go to a discount they are offering for anyone that shows them the post. Fawn Leach Photography put an instagram ad and had one photo with a caption mentioning the images that she edited and now she could post them and the colors in the photos. Courtney Lively photography posted a picture of a bride with the caption telling us that the bride was going to tell her family she is expecting. Mackenzie Grace Photo did an ad on a couple dancing with the caption saying happy Cinco de Mayo and a bunch of hashtags. Jagat Studio USA did an instagram ad on a photo of a couple and put a caption that stated it was the color version of another photo. These companies had either book now or view instagram profile, they picked the right option for their ad. The photo and caption made me want to click on their profile to see what they were talking about. Their ads are effective because it is going to show up in someones feed that they are interested in their type of work. They do one ad and don't post it multiple times on to the social media they are doing the ad on.

I think social media advertising is more affective for a business than traditional advertising. With social media advertising I can select the area I want, what age group to target, and the gender. With these refinements it is more beneficial to get the target customers you want. Using traditional advertising anyone can see it and it might not reach your target customers.

Week 12 Post 2

I created a meetup account and joined three groups. I joined two photography groups and a business group for networking and financial strategy. A lot of photography groups charge for workshops or to do meetups with models. Meetups with models go by a certain theme and the model comes dressed ready for the photoshoot and have their hair and makeup done. There are some free photo walks where a bunch of photographers meet up at a location, they walk around and take pictures of the location.
I have a Flickr account that I can post photos too. Flickr is a good way to meet other photographers that have the same style/interest. Others can comment on the photos posted and give constructed criticism. Flickr can help photographers improve their work by all the details and comments the photographer gets and sees.                    

Week 12 Post 1

I think meetup could be important to my business growth. Meetup groups with photographers is getting more popular. They help photographers make connections and get advice on any questions they have. These events also help photographers meet models that they could use for future projects they have.
To fit a meetup into my strategy I can do one every month. Doing a meetup every month will help me do something different from what I normally do. They could possibly get my creative juices flowing for new projects.

Week 11 Post 1

Some content I can include for email marketing are sales, mini sessions, tips on editing, tips on getting clients, and reminders on photoshoot seasons coming up such as prom and graduation. I would do a newsletter every month. I think my clients would like these newsletters because they want to know when I will be doing certain photoshoots and the times I have available. People getting into photography or that are wanting to change their style can benefit from the tips I give them.
I commented on the blogs of Michelle Jordan, Adriana Macias, Austin Poynter, and Susan Sullivan.

Week 10 Post 2

Some categories I would use to stay organized are behind the scenes, what to wear, and how to's. I can post details/stories from behind the scenes of photoshoots. For how to's I can show tutorials how to do some editing, how to work camera settings, and put film in for certain cameras. Posts on what to wear to photoshoots will reach a lot of people because a lot of people do not know what they should wear I see a lot of searches for this. These categories will reach my target audience so they can see how a photoshoot goes and get an idea of what to expect if they decide to chose me for their photoshoot.

Blogs I commented on are Michele Cortes, Michelle Jordan, and Austin Poynter.

Week 10 Post 1

Adding human interest can get peoples attention with information provided in the post. They could be looking for an answer and come across your post. Even if the information might not be related to what they are looking for they could lie what they read and keep coming back for more. Adding a personal touch can help subscribers relate to you or et to know you better. When blogging personal it should only be for your business not anyone else. When you are blogging for your business and add a personal touch you are letting viewers know what you feel.

Here is a screenshot of the analytics added to my blog.

Week 9

     I first started searching photographers and then favorite photographers to see if anyone had posted any photographers I could follow but had no luck. After having no luck with those searches I searched for certain types of photography and went to one of my favorite photographers and looked at the photographers he was following, I found a few that he was following. I did some more searching but and found a post that a photographer started a thread so I found some people to follow.
      The lists I created are portraits which include Brandon Woelfel, Tortilla and Kelsey Maggart, and Seniors which includes Amy Kim and Holly Ireland. I created these two lists because I do these type of photoshoots. The list organize who I follow and what I see in categories.
     More customers would see my posts during the day around noon and before five. In the mornings and evenings customers will be commuting to work and will not be able to see my posts.

Week 8 Post 2

     Some companies work better when they have visuals, this helps customers see what they are purchasing. I think majority of businesses need visuals, customers need visuals to see the product or service they are selling. My business is photography so visuals are must. Customers want to see what they are potentially going to pay for and what is included in their purchase, such as how their final images will end up looking.
      Example businesses I found are Skylar Jo photography, Stephanie Saias, Tachi Tanya Seniors, and Rockin a photo. Rockin a photo has the same filter for each photo so her theme is consistent with her style of western pictures. She posts twice a week to instagram and has 4,284 followers, her last post was a day ago. She has about 1,000 likes on each photo and 120 comments on her last post which she is asking a question for a giveaway. On her posts she uses one to two hashtags and they are fro a company and location. She does have a facebook page, it is not on the same schedule as her instagram posts, she has 268 followers on her page. How she is consistent with her posts and theme is what I can improve on for my posts. Skylar Jo photography does not have set amount of times she posts a week I ranges from two to four posts. She has 8,199 followers and on average 500 to 700 likes on each post. Her last post was a day ago and it got 11 comments on it and she does not use hashtags on her posts. She posts videos that people tend to love, I could start posting videos from the photo shoots I do. Stephanie Saias has 9,604 followers on instagram, her last post was today she got about 20 comments on her post which is her average amount. She usually gets between 100 and 300 likes on a photo. The hashtags she uses are the type of photography she is using  and the location. She uses albums for her posts, I can use them so I don't blow up my feed with the same photoshoot. Tachi Tanya Seniors has 2,236 followers on instagram, their last post was 3 days ago. They post a few times a month and get an average of about 100 to 300 likes and an average of 6 to 30 comments on their photos. They use hashtags for the type of pictures they do, the school, and magazines. They make their pictures mainly focus on the senior, I could do this more for my photos.

Week 8 post 1

Instagram and snapchat are the social media I use the most for my business. I have 504 followers on instagram and follow 193 businesses. The hashtags I use for my instagram pictures are the type of photoshoot, the location, the school, team , or animal, colors, and objects. Instagram is very effective for my business, people from my city and surrounding cities near me can learn of my work and see what I do. When I post I post 3 pictures from the photoshoot.
I started a business snapchat(afphotog) so people who are interested can see behind the scenes of photoshoots. I also post sneak peaks of what I am currently working on or how I edit some of my pictures. Sometimes I post what I am doing so people who see my snaps can get to know me. On my snapchat I follow 5 other photographers that have a business. I do have a Pinterest(ariannafelizpho) but I only use it to get inspiration for future photoshoots.

Week 7 Post 2

I chose some pictures from different photoshoots I have done. I think these pictures will engage my audience because they get to see what I do and the final result of my edited pictures. They get to see some of the photoshoots I do and the locations I like to pick for the photoshoot.

Week 7 Post 1

I chose these pages as my featured likes: Senior style guide, Seniorologie, Cowgirl magazine, Stockyards championship rodeo, RFD- TV's the American, Women in Rodeo. I chose these pages because when you tag them they sometimes post the pictures. Senior style guide and Seniorologie are for senior photographers because they post senior photographers. Seniorologie has a contest every year and anyone can enter their photos into the contest to be featured. Senior style guide has a magazine that you can enter your pictures to be in or could be a featured photographer that they do a blog post on. RFD- TV's the American is a rodeo that comes once a year and it is a good opportunity to get noticed if you photograph the event they will post the pictures. Cowgirl magazine is a magazine that adds western theme photos to their magazine. This could help people know about my business and see the work I do and see the style of photographs.

Week 6

Post Reach is the number of people a post is seen to a person. For example, how many times it goes across a person's timeline as they are going  through their feed. Post reach also applies to how many times a person has gone to your page. Post engagement is the number of times a person clicks on your photo or post. If you have a photo on your post they might click on it to see the full picture or zoom in on an object in the picture. If there is a lot of text they might click on see more to read the rest of it. It is important to know the difference so you can understand how to work your business and get more clients.

A business can use insights to help them see what viewers are seeming to be more interested
in. They can see how many people their post is reaching through post reach. When a person is clicking on the post they can see that people are interested in knowing more. It is important to use these features to see what gets peoples attention. When you know what potential clients want you can start getting their attention more and get more likes. You can also see what age group and gender is more of a target market for your business. An example is if you are doing senior pictures and you post a picture you can see the insights and see if it's the high school senior age group or if its their mom's age group that is getting the most engagement of the post.

Week 5 Post 2

Target Market

My target market is High School and College seniors. I photograph seniors pictures and cap and gown pictures. I have different products that are offered for them to receive their prints, such as different sized prints, customized flash drives, magazines, books, and lay flat books. I am currently trying to get into rodeo photography, I have gone to my friends bull riding practice and I am currently finding other events practices I can go to, so I can start building a portfolio.