Focusing on Success in 2026: Social Media or Your Blog

by Skip Cohen

January rolls around, and many of you hit the brakes. You seem to think you can kick back and chill for a few weeks. I'm not questioning whether business owners need a break, just the impact of stopping work. It might be the slow season, but "slow" is only about revenue and clients coming through the front door! Right now, things can be as busy as you want them to be when it comes to building a stronger business for 2026.

I'm continuing my quest to give you ideas to build a more substantial business and, at the very least, give a few of you a jump start.

Next topic: I want to focus on your social media activity and blogging.

"Your website is about what you sell. Your blog is about what's in your heart." And for those of you who no longer blog, then consider what I'm sharing as applicable to posts wherever you're sharing content on social media platforms.

While I'd love to take credit for all of the tips below, many of them are thanks to my good buddy Scott Bourne. They apply to any place you're trying to build readership and followers.

• Consistency: one key to success. If you're posting every full moon, then give it up. I suggest posting at least twice a week.
• Build a stash: Everything you share doesn't have to be written in real time! Take the slow time now and put together a couple of dozen posts. Then, use one a week from your stash. On the other day of posting, tie in something you're doing that's recent and maybe even community-related.
• Content is King - Pay attention to who your readers are. You've got to be relevant to their needs. If you don't know your demographics, how can you be sure what you're sharing is appropriate for your readership?
• Timing is essential: Post on the same days each week and at the same time.
• Don't write term papers! Keep your posts relatively short - ideally, 200-500 words is the max for a blog; you can go over that if the topic is relevant, but if that's the case, then use bullet points. For posts on social media platforms like Facebook, keep it much shorter.
• Be careful with your topics! I learned this the hard way just yesterday. I shared something political that I thought people from "both sides" would find helpful. Instead, it turned my Facebook page into a venue of arguments pulling in a lot of troll-like behavior. I finally pulled it down, but learned an old lesson I shouldn't have disregarded.
• Cut too many English classes when you were a kid?  Now you've got AI to give you a hand, although personally I still appreciate writing all my own shared material. I use Spellcheck and Grammarly. However, with Grammarly, read every suggestion out loud. Grammarly doesn't always know exactly what you're talking about, and it often gives recommendations that don't accurately convey the meaning you intend.
• Hate to write, but have a blog? Find yourself an English teacher from the local high school or an "A" student who loves to write. There's nothing wrong with having a ghostwriter who listens to what you want to say and puts it together into a post format. Finding a teacher or student who'd like to moonlight a little is an inexpensive way to get additional support to supplement your weak spots.
• Guest post on other blogs and share on Facebook: Use your network and swap posts with other photographers/businesses targeting a similar audience. Everything you post doesn't have to be written directly by you. For example, a wedding photographer might exchange posts with a maternity or newborn artist, and vice versa.
• Adding photographs: Include at least one relevant photograph with each post.
• Links: Don't go wild with too many links in a post, either to other locations within your website or to external sources.
• Share what's in your heart! Your posts give your products/services credibility, like publicity, supporting advertising. You don't need to get overly personal, but for most of you, your target audience is "Mom." Share some of your challenges she can identify with.

And there they are: 12 tips to help you build a social media presence that draws readers. But social media alone isn't enough. You need to weave a web around your readers so they're finding you in multiple locations. It's all about building a more recognized brand, starting with being helpful to your followers.

More ideas coming in the weeks ahead.