Social media can be an essential (and free) marketing tool every photographer should use.

Of the platforms available, Flickr is the most photography friendly, but Instagram is worth a try as well!

1. Hashtag Organised

Use hashtags or categories on Flickr to organise your images on their site. This works better on Flickr than Instagram. Hashtags can also generate more views.

2. Publish More Often

Seeing other photographers' work can push you to publish your images more often. (A little competitive spirit in action!)

Get into the routine of checking the sites regularly, even as much as once a day. That will compel you to publish your images more often.

3. Broaden your Horizons

As you get better at using Flickr and other social media, browse to learn. There are countless genres available, including ones you'd probably never considered.

For example, by searching for a broad topic or genre like "weddings," you'll also find other sub-topics like wedding portraits, brides, venues.

4. Create a Gallery

Use Flikr and Instagram to create a public gallery to showcase your work. When you're showcasing your work, you'll be challenging yourself to do better!

Just as you can learn from other photographers' images, let others learn from you! Create a gallery of some of your best work. And, who knows, could end up attracting new clients!

5. Curate What You Love

See something you love? Bookmark it and curate a collection of similar images. Instagram allows you to do this, helping you to organize images you like by categories.

6. Join a Group!

Flickr has more than 2 million groups from which you can choose! Joining a group means having access to a community of like-minded photographers.

Groups can be a great place to learn, ask questions, and showcase your work. Following accounts and join a group to help you learn.

7. Heaven for Photographers

Flickr (and even Instagram) isn't your everyday social media platform. It's drive-by imagery and passion for photography. It's a great place to bury yourself within the millions of genuinely extraordinary, high-quality images. It's like nirvana for photographers.

Regularly perusing other photographs will make you a connoisseur of beautiful pictures and the talent behind them. You'll start recognising the style and work of other photographers.

8. Thinking More

Uploading an image and writing a caption for it, make you think more about the picture - even if you don't write that into the caption. Think about why you took that particular shot, what attracted you to it, how did you shoot it, what would you improve? There are so many things you could reflect on!

9. Challenge Yourself

No matter how good you are, there's always someone better. Flickr and other social media platforms where you can browse other images can teach you a lot of humility. As perfect as your extraordinary image might be, there's likely another one even better. Don't let that discourage you. Let it challenge you to grow and improve as a photographer.

If we haven't convinced you by now to try Flickr, Instagram, or other social media platform, convince yourself! Try it out - at least by spending some time to browse them thoughtfully and with an open mind! There's a lot to be gained by having an account. Learning new things aside, there is the opportunity to meet like-minded professionals.