From a very, very cold Lapland, #TravelTuesday is here! Right now it’s -13.5c (7f) and my mission to the cold, dark north has faced some setbacks, but overall it’s going well. I was in Norway, but yesterday I drove through to Finland because of the adverse weather and so far, so good here.
This is actually what has inspired what I want to share with you today. I use social media to show the world everywhere I go because it shares a sense of adventure, shows people the world, and also adds to my credibility and ability as a travel photographer, and you should do it, too!
Social media, in the age we live in, is so powerful to us as photographers and creatives, and we should be harnessing that power. There’s a reason the micro-influencer industry has been so well-received. Large, multi-national companies are utilising the influencers of social media to share their brands, dividing their budgets between multiple small campaigns, which exude a sense of trust and following rather than splashing out the entire budget in one big swoop on a TV or billboard campaign. That advertising translates to us, too. We have built or are building a following, and that following trusts us and trusts our opinion. Not only can we use that to promote others, but we must also promote ourselves!
It’s the holiday season and there’s no time like the present, so get started now on promoting yourself on social media, using Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and any other social accounts as a shop window, sharing with the world what your strengths are and where (and how) people can buy your products and book you!
Instagram has perhaps the best tools for this, followed closely by Facebook. We can share stories, showing people who we really are, and providing a sense of interaction for people who want a glimpse of us and our lives.
Here’s a shot I shared in my story yesterday, showing everyone what the conditions are like where I am and forming part of a bigger story about what I’m up to here. Intermittently, we can plug in links to the story to put people’s attention where we want it, which may be a blog or website or an online store.
Put it this way: – there’s a reason my new northern lights book is selling so well with only social media promotion, just as there’s a reason Scott shows you every time there’s a new book or new course, and just as there’s a reason we see sponsored posts and the hashtag #ad on Instagram posts.
Ladies and gents, the power of social media is huge, and it’s real. If you aren’t yet using it to its fullest potential, get started now! It really is your shop window!
Much love
Dave
(And on that note, check my story to see what I’m up to in Lapland)
