In this webinar, I'm joined by photographer Marc Charette. Marc also is a co-host to LinkedIn Local Central Coast and as a result, has developed some best practices for photographers and other creatives wanting to get the most out of Linkedin within the social media marketing mix.

Connect with Marc on LinkedIn.Connect with Marc on his website.

https://youtu.be/zoP-YQj8jI0

LinkedIn Basics & Principles covered:

- Why LinkedIn is becoming so important for all businesses - How does that apply to photographers and photography businesses? - Which kinds of photographers are most likely to benefit from LinkedIn & how - What does it take to turn LinkedIn into a good marketing funnel - How do you speak to this audience (it's not Facebook nor is it Instagram - different language) - How fast can I get results with LinkedIn (why it's not a quick fix but has long term value)

Questions asked during the Q&A segment:

Question: What is the main reason for the amount/regularity for posts?

Answer: Think of it as an opportunity to be heard or recognized or appreciated, or helpful. Unlike a retail environment, where people get 'advertised at' and then you wait and hope that they come into your retail space, you're reaching out to start the conversation. The more you post, the more you learn what works and what doesn't. It's also part of the way in which LinkedIn measures engagement. It's pretty hard to have them figure you out and rank you up if you don't have enough content to stand above the noise. That doesn't mean yelling or just putting out stuff for the sake of it.

This is where most people struggle and fail on the content volume question. They post 'junk' or trolling styled comments. Eventually, that backfires. Have a strategy and an intention in mind. Vary your content across newsworthy (often a reshared content piece) something you're working on (get feedback on it - etc) and maybe saying thank you to a past client by showing a shot from the session and tag them - that makes them feel good and you may even get them to re-share it which could improve your visibility.

Once you really get going, it will be easier to be strategic.

Question: What exactly are "ALT tags"?

Answer: Alt tags are like a meta description for a photo and are generally used on your website. You can only have one alt tag per photo but it can be pretty long and descriptive - about 120 characters if I remember correctly.

Hashtags are a way to increase the visibility of a post or content if someone is 'following' or search for it. I usually recommend approx 3 hashtags based on all the stuff everyone else is saying about them.

It's ok to have more or less of them, just as long as they make sense contextually. One thing I do is try an have 2 hashtags that relate specifically to the audience that may search for that content and then one more that is far more distinct to me. My current hashtag to follow is #herdofelephants - it came about as a result of describing the importance of Google My Business for a local business.

One of the best way to figure out both which hashtags to use and how many is simply to do a bit of research. Look at other people who are getting success with post ranking, views and most importantly engagement. That's where you're likely to learn the most about what will work for you.