Testing, testing, testing. There’s always some form of experimentation on social media, and March 2024 proved no exception. On LinkedIn’s mobile app, it happened to be a dedicated video feed, increasing the likelihood of users falling into yet another rabbit hole of endless scrolling. On Instagram, there was more beta testing with longer reels and an option to send files via DMs. On our end, we recently started leaning on a relatively new IG feature that has become a staple around the platform. More on that below.
One of the biggest milestones in March was seeing our Instagram account cross the 18,000-follower threshold. It has been a steady march upward over the past year, adding roughly 2,400 followers during that period. This can be attributed to a higher posting frequency since Fall 2023 and our partnerships with other Instagram accounts, aPhotoEditor included.
Back to the topic of monthly metrics, we saw an uptick in visibility over the past month, reaching 10.7k accounts (a 15.4% increase from February) and generating 40.9k impressions (a 7.5% increase from February). The top-performing post of the month comes courtesy of Paris-based Antoine Doyen. He got to spend some time with actor Austin Butler and director Denis Villeneuve as they prepared for the release of Dune: Part Two. The post reached 4,061 accounts.
As we mentioned earlier, Instagram keeps rolling out new features, and over the past couple of months, we started using one of them: collaborative posts. These are posts that appear on more than one IG account’s feed, helping drive engagement even further. A recent example would be our collaboration with Bahamas-based photographer, Robyn Damianos.
Pinterest is a visual discovery platform where users can collect ideas on various trending topics. We use it as a virtual mood board where we organize our members’ photos by specialty, and also collect examples of all the main types of marketing materials photographers use to promote themselves (including logos, bios, email promotions, print promotions, and PDF portfolios).
We periodically select new content from our photographers’ websites (and also consider the work they send directly to us) to keep the platform fresh for our audience. Though Pinterest is not always top of mind for photographers, we’ve found that our Pinterest page gets a significant amount of views.
In March, we reached 113.24k accounts, generated 193.96k impressions, and drew 4.64k engagements.
The top pin created in March belonged to Brooklyn-based Jonathan Meter which had 322 impressions.
An older pin of note that caught many people’s attention featured Food/Drink photography by Palm Bay, Florida-based Suzanne Clements. It generated 7.81k impressions.
The top-performing board was Photographer Specialties, with 66.22k impressions and 1.74k engagements.
LinkedIn is the only major social media platform dedicated specifically to professional networking. This makes it a good place to share the stories of our photographers and their creative problem-solving skills. We post once or twice a week, sharing our Photographer Spotlight articles and photos from our Creative in Place email campaigns — where we pick a very specific creative brief and show clients how our extensive network of photographers can deliver on that particular theme.
In March, our LinkedIn page brought in 198 unique visitors while our posts accumulated 3.5k impressions.
The month’s best-performing post featured an assignment by Poland, Maine-based Chris Bennett for the Trust for Public Land. It received 814 impressions and 133 clicks.
Though Facebook is mostly used to connect users with their friends and family (and their algorithm favors that content), we’ve found that it’s also effective at connecting photographers with clients. Our Facebook account mirrors our Instagram feed, and we also share a selection of Photographer Spotlight articles from our Published Blog.
Our Facebook reach skyrocketed by 87.8% for March, settling at 6.2k accounts. Here as well, the top post featured Antoine’s portraits of Austin Butler and Denis Villeneuve, reaching 206 accounts.
Twitter, or X, is a microblogging platform that enables users to post short messages or posts (formerly known as tweets). It is commonly used for sharing information, expressing opinions, and staying updated on current events.
Currently, we share the photos featured on our homepage via Twitter. In March, the account had 3.0k impressions and the top tweet looked at a photo by Boston-based Adam Glanzman. It had 259 impressions.
Ever wondered what 'just stepped out of an action movie' looks like?
.
📸 Adam Glanzman // @glanzpiece
📌 Medford, Massachusetts
.#FitnessPhotography #PhotoOfTheDay pic.twitter.com/AdAOhjxt9K— Wonderful Machine (@wonderflmachine) March 19, 2024
We use our YouTube channel to host a wide range of content, including behind-the-scenes, photography compilations, motion reels, print portfolios, Member Open House presentations, and much more. Users can subscribe to our channels, comment on videos, and share with others.
We post once or twice per week and use two types of formats — vertical shorts and horizontal motion reels.
In March, our YouTube account had 2.2k views and 12.3 hours of watchtime.
Stay tuned for more content on our Social Media platforms. Keep tagging us, and of course, let us know if you have any tips and ideas for us!
Have questions about how we promote our photographers? Check out our Membership page. Want to know how you can get the most out of your Wonderful Machine membership? Check out our Jumpstart page or just reach out!