Love it or hate it, social media is an essential part of a business in this digital day and age. Having an active presence reinforces your brand and encourages engagement with your audience. Think about your ideal clients when creating content, and remember the goal behind every post: converting followers to clients. A high number of followers doesn't mean anything if you're not reaching potential clients.

When someone scrolls through your feed, they're trying to get a sense of who you are while determining if they like your work and can imagine working with you. Put yourself in a potential follower's shoes and see what you can discern about your profile in a minute or less. Can they clearly see what your photography niche is? Would they find your captions valuable and engaging? Are they compelled to watch your story because you left them wanting more?

We know social media plays a vital role in a business, though it's an area where many photographers struggle, so here's our best advice for building your social media presence!

Post often. You don't necessarily have to post every day, but if you haven't posted in months, someone who comes across your account is likely to wonder if you're still in business. Even if you posted on your story yesterday, it could've expired by the time someone checks out your profile.

Pro tip: Your stories are for your faithful followers, and posts are for growing your audience.

Choose what you want to be associated with your account. In addition to photography, what else do you want to be known for sharing? Travel, food, fashion, personal life, etc.? Let your followers know the type of content to expect by selecting a few primary themes.

Study your favorite accounts. Ask yourself what you love about them and what makes you a faithful follower. Even if it has nothing to do with photography, examine what aspects you can incorporate into your account model and content calendar.

Remember quality over quantity. Avoid posting for the sake of posting. Sharing work that isn't your best or off-brand could end up hurting you in the long run. Always ask yourself these questions before clicking "Post."

• Does this photo attract my ideal client?

• Does this post create a connection or encourage engagement?

• Does this post serve my audience?

Share your heart and who you are. You may find it difficult to share personal things, but your followers want to connect with you. Determine how much or little you're comfortable with sharing and decide how you can go from there. Your audience wants to know the person behind the business. Share beyond what you do to establish the know, like, trust factor.

We hope this advice helps you create a new social media strategy and builds your online presence!