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Are you a drone pilot? Get noticed on Instagram with these tricks
Table of contents
How can a drone pilot advertise their business and reach the widest possible audience without spending a fortune on advertising campaigns?
Like all professionals, UAS (SAPR) operators can also find considerable help on social networks.
Today we talk about how you can get known and grow your clientele all over the world by playing the Instagram card, the social network that in 2014 and 2015 grew faster than all the others, Facebook included.
Every small and medium-sized business today needs to get known as much as possible and to showcase its way of working. Social networks are not only a fairly inexpensive way to spread your name, but above all a way to build your web reputation and tell the story of your business (and not just show your product).
All this has the advantage of bringing interested users closer to what you do and how you do it, to the story your company/business has to tell and the values it stands for, beyond the good things you have to sell.
For example, we'll let you in on one of our secrets (but don't tell anyone). A good part of our communication on blogs and social media focuses on complying with ENAC rules, even when they are too restrictive and, let's be honest, annoying for those who work well and seriously. A low-key style that respects the rules helps us
- to reassure customers
- to put our course participants at ease
- to act as a deterrent for the occasional weekend pilots who, with reckless actions that go against the regulations, risk damaging the whole category of people who make efforts and sacrifices to work in the wonderful world of drones.
Now, how can you tell all of this?
Simple: with images and a few words!
On social media, visual storytelling is extremely important and Instagram is becoming more and more central to this practice.
We searched Instagram for you for some examples of companies that have found followers and customers through a smart use of Instagram.
Let's look at them together and discover their tricks.
#realestatedrone and real estate companies
An Instagram profile showing houses from above is a method used by several real estate companies to promote their properties around the world. A drone pilot who can take this type of photograph and sell it to the client (or include it in the package offered) not only provides a good service, but also gets good publicity for themselves.
So, when you shoot and sell aerial photos and services that are then published on a client's social page, it is important to:
- put your own logo on the photos or
- get tagged or tag yourself in the photos
- share them on your other social channels (embed the Instagram post on Facebook, Twitter, G+, etc.)
The use of hashtags is very important. To promote your real estate promotional video, we recommend writing the following hashtags in the comment on your post:
#realestatedrone, #homedrones, #droneporn, #dronelife
Note: not everyone knows this, but to get maximum visibility, it is important to add the comment with these hashtags immediately after publishing the post.
#dronemapping and aerial mapping
Not only those who sell products but also those who offer services need to promote their work. In this case too, Instagram is a great help.
The examples below were published by operators who do mapping work. All three have something to teach us, namely that
- Under every photo it is important to write a message about yourself, your point of view, your opinion about your work; a photo is not enough to tell your story, so feel free to go overboard with words (we only recently discovered this, but apparently images with a good description and accompanying text have a better chance of being noticed)
- is your work complex? Show it! Post photos that look complex and then explain them
- describe the stages of your work through images. Show your hands, your notes, your maps.
More hashtags: #dronestagram, #dronemapping, #droneporn, #uavoperator, #aerialmapper, #dronemap
#droneservices to increase visibility
A UAS (SAPR) operator can offer many services, so to advertise yourself to a wider audience it is important to also focus on beautiful, general-interest aerial images that attract attention even from those who don't and never will need a drone pilot.
The two "virtuous" examples below include a beautiful night panorama, always very popular, and a #travel-style video, which together with #fashion and #lifestyle is among the most followed.
Other things you can and should do to increase the visibility of the story of your work are:
- comment on other photos similar to yours
- follow people who use the same hashtags as you
- if you like a photo, like it!
The world of social media is very special and wonderful because if you follow and support others, you also gain more visibility.
#droneselfie
There's no need to explain at length why #droneselfie posts are a guaranteed success. The selfie was born and raised with social networks, and Instagram is its stronghold!
Taking a selfie with a drone is a great way to have fun and show yourself at work at the same time.
Try these hashtags and tips and let us know if you get positive results!
