Blog Articles

• May 20, 2022
• Michelle Pijanowski

Boost engagement on your reels

One of the newer features on Instagram, Reels have been taking over the app. Much like the videos you see on TikTok, they consist of small video clips up to 60 seconds long. The move to add this feature was a controversial one. People felt that it. . .

• May 06, 2022
• Michelle Pijanowski

Defining your target audience

Social media strategies perform best when the vision of the brand is clear and the posts can be highly targeted to the target audience. While a lot of businesses may seem like they could be useful for people in all walks of life, there are a lot of. . .

• Apr 26, 2022
• Michelle Pijanowski

How user-generated content can boost your social strategy

If you’re running a social media account for your business, there’s a good chance you’re also looking to grow it! While there are lots of different ways to do this, like increasing engagement and posting stories, today, we love user-generated. . .

• Apr 10, 2022
• Michelle Pijanowski

25 Social Media Prompts to Use for Your Business

Social media can be a lot of fun! But it can also get really tedious at times, especially when you aren’t in a creative flow. We know the feeling, so we want to help. Here are 20 different ideas for how you can start your posts the next time. . .

• Mar 27, 2022
• Michelle Pijanowski

7 types of educational posts for your social accounts

Educational posts on your social media accounts are one of the best tools to nurture and grow your audience! There are a few reasons that they work so well. For one, educational content can really position you and your business as an expert on the. . .

• Mar 13, 2022
• Michelle Pijanowski

Want to start using TikTok for your business? Keep these 5 things in mind!

TikTok continues to gain popularity and companies that want to stay current with their social strategy and target younger demographics should be eager to add it into their repertoire! If you’re just getting started on the platform, here are a few. . .

• Feb 23, 2022
• Michelle Pijanowski

Questions to ask yourself if you want to improve your social media presence

There are lots of different things that can be done to improve how your account performs on social media. But in the end, nothing will stick if you aren’t clear about a few things. These are some of the questions you should answer if you’re. . .

• Feb 10, 2022
• Michelle Pijanowski

Get More out of your Insta Comments Section

We all know how hard and confusing it can be to continuously grow your Insta account. It can be especially tough to get out of a plateau phase! Some days you feel like your account is growing by 20 followers a day for weeks, and all of a sudden,. . .

• Jan 25, 2022
• Michelle Pijanowski

Is Instagram bringing back the chronological feed?

Remember the days when everyone’s feed on Instagram was organized chronologically? If you do, you aren’t alone. In fact, it seems like just about every single user that does remember it has been asking to get it back ever since the day it left. . . .

• Jan 17, 2022
• Michelle Pijanowski

You should post more of these things on Instagram in 2022

It can be easy to get caught up in all the noise on Instagram and want to try everything. But at one point, it can start to feel like you’re just throwing random ideas at the wall to see what sticks! More isn’t always better, and in this case,. . .

• Dec 20, 2021
• Michelle Pijanowski

6 Types of Content that are Perfect for IG Stories

We’ve already talked about the fact that Instagram stories can be a great tool to use for your business and how you can get your stories seen by more people - now it’s time to dive into different types of posts that you can put up on your. . .

• Dec 08, 2021
• Michelle Pijanowski

Using Follower Insights to Improve Your Content Strategy

The success of your Instagram account can really be summed up with one idea: the better you cater to your ideal follower, the more likely it is to succeed. To do this, we need to have a clear understanding of who our ideal follower is.     If. . .

• Nov 20, 2021
• Michelle Pijanowski

15 Easy Posts for Social Media This December

One of the hardest parts of social media is staying consistent! Whether it’s a lack of idea, a lack of time, or just a lack of motivation - posting regularly isn’t always so easy.  And with the holidays around the corner, posting regularly can. . .

• Nov 11, 2021
• Michelle Pijanowski

5 Sources of Inspiration for Educational Instagram Posts

  There are a lot of different types of posts that you can create, but one variety seems to prevail in terms of creating engagement and intriguing followers- the educational post. Posts that teach your followers something can often be really. . .

• Oct 27, 2021
• Michelle Pijanowski

Tracking Success on Social Media... Beyond Follower Count

If you’re putting time and money into marketing your business, it’s important to be able to track how well they are working. That way, you can adjust your strategy as you go and maximize your ROI.   When it comes to platforms like. . .

• Oct 14, 2021
• Michelle Pijanowski

Understanding Instagram Insights

When you have a business or a creator account on Instagram, you have the privilege of getting to see your post insights! Post insights give you a look behind the scenes of how your photo or video is being interacted with.     This information. . .

• Sep 22, 2021
• Michelle Pijanowski

Why Do My Posts Perform Differently on Different Platforms?!

Have you ever noticed that your account and your posts can do so well on one platform, but completely bomb on another? You aren’t alone. But what’s the reason for these differences between different social medias? Truth is, there are a few. . .

• Sep 07, 2021
• Michelle Pijanowski

What happened to the Swipe Up Link on Instagram?

  One of the top tools that businesses could use on Instagram was the Swipe Up Link feature for stories. The tool let you link to any URL, which could help users lead to their business or influencers lead to their affiliate accounts. Besides. . .

• Aug 10, 2021
• Michelle Pijanowski

5 Reasons Your Social Account Isn’t Growing

Different types of social media may have different “rules” for success, but many of the tactics to grow an account are overarching and apply to most platforms. If you feel like your growth is plateauing then it may be time to change your. . .

• Aug 05, 2021
• Michelle Pijanowski

What are Instagram guides and why do we love them?

Instagram guides have been around for a while now, but we would consider them one of the apps most underappreciated features. When Insta first released this feature it caused a little uncertainty, as we see with just about every feature release. . . .

• Jul 26, 2021
• Michelle Pijanowski

Should I Be Using Multiple Social Media Platforms?

If you ever feel like you can’t keep up with all the different types of social media that are constantly popping up, don’t worry, you are not alone! From Facebook, to Twitter, to Snapchat, to Instagram, to LinkedIn, to TikTok, to Clubhouse, it. . .

• Jul 10, 2021
• Michelle Pijanowski

New Features are Your Ticket to Social Growth

There is always hesitation when social platforms put out a new feature. Whether it's an accusation of copying another platform, debating whether it's truly a useful feature or just a disinterest in learning a new tool. Because of this, many. . .

• Jun 16, 2021
• Michelle Pijanowski

How to Find New Instagram Hashtags

Hashtags are a key player in the game of Instagram - without them, your posts will get less engagement, your account will get fewer followers, and you miss the chance to make your images and videos searchable. What we’re saying is: you should. . .

• May 28, 2021
• Michelle Pijanowski

Creating YouTube Thumbnails for FREE

One of the most important things if you're looking to get more views on your YouTube videos is having the right thumbnail. This is the first thing that people on YouTube will see. The wrong thumbnail can actually make or break a video. Today. . .

• May 19, 2021
• Michelle Pijanowski

Simple Tricks to Improve your Engagement - Part 2

  Last month we looked over a few simple techniques and easy-to-implement actions that can be used to improve your engagement on Instagram. These are pretty low commitment, and the best part is that they have the power to have nearly immediate. . .

• Apr 20, 2021
• Michelle Pijanowski

Simple Tricks to Improve your Engagement - Part 1

Engagement on Instagram is a hot topic! With all the fake accounts and people buying followers, it’s no surprise that people are looking for a better way to measure success than just number. It’s also no surprise then, that we have written about. . .

• Apr 12, 2021
• Michelle Pijanowski

3 Keys to Success on Instagram

  Every month we come on here to tell you about all our tips and tricks for Instagram and other social platforms. While all these bits of info can be useful, especially if you’re trying to learn new tools and improve your presence, it can feel. . .

• Mar 14, 2021
• Michelle Pijanowski

How to avoid building an unengaged audience on Insta

Last week we talked about the value of having a small, but highly engaged following on Instagram. A high number of followers might feel important or attractive - sadly, it can be a trap! Find out all the details by heading to our post about less. . .

• Mar 14, 2021
• Michelle Pijanowski

Are less followers actually more?

Followers have long been seen as a way to measure how “successful” an account on Instagram is. This can make it so tempting for people to try anything they can to grow that audience number - be it through giant giveaways, scammy follow/unfollow. . .

• Feb 20, 2021
• Michelle Pijanowski

What the new Insta algorithm means for creators

Word on the feed is that Instagram has a new algorithm. Those of you who aren’t brand new to the IG game most likely just shook your heads in despair - maybe you had already noticed a smaller number of likes on your own accounts! For those who. . .

• Jan 30, 2021
• Michelle Pijanowski

Instagram Reels 101

One of Instagram's newest and most notable features is IG Reels. On our last blog post, we spoke about how much Instagram continues to add to the platform, check out some of the other features they’ve updated here! Despite having so many,. . .

• Jan 18, 2021
• Michelle Pijanowski

Here's a breakdown of Instagram's 4 newest features

Instagram is constantly rolling out new features, so much so that it can become really hard to keep up with them! But we want to help you stay on the ball!   Today, we’re covering 4 of the most recent features to hit IG and how you may want. . .

• Dec 30, 2020
• Michelle Pijanowski

Annual Holiday Calendar for Social Media Content

A year of holidays for social media content   Social media content is just one of the many things that a business owner has to worry about on a regular basis. It might not be the main thing that makes your business run, but it’s also a. . .

• Dec 17, 2020
• Michelle Pijanowski

What to Post During the Holidays (Even if You Aren't in a Festive Industry)

The holiday spirit is really in the air! This year more than ever, as people look to find the silver lining at the end of a needless to say, long and tough year!   Usually, this is a great time for restaurants and stores to promote holiday. . .

• Nov 29, 2020
• Michelle Pijanowski

How to Market Your Airbnb for More Bookings

There’s more to being successful on Airbnb than just posting it online and hoping for the best, make sure you’re marketing it properly to get real results!   Times are getting a bit weird, and a lot of people are turning to new sources of. . .

• Nov 14, 2020
• Michelle Pijanowski

Follow these tips to run a successful Instagram Giveaway!

Running a giveaway on Instagram seems relatively simple, right? You get a great prize, write some simple step to enter, make sure people follow you and pick a person at the end of it all.     The reality is that there’s actually more to. . .

• Oct 24, 2020
• Michelle Pijanowski

Inbox Features to Help Your Business Succeed on Instagram

When promoting a business through social media, one of the keys for success is keeping up with customer interactions. It’s important to engage directly whenever you can to help show that the are real people behind your company and how much you. . .

• Oct 12, 2020
• Michelle Pijanowski

Get Your Instagram Stories Seen by More People

You work hard to put up content, and you spend time to make sure it looks nice, and you’re trying your best to make it valuable for your followers… so no one can blame you for actually wanting people to SEE it,. . .

• Sep 21, 2020
• Michelle Pijanowski

Why You Should Be Including Amenities Beyond the Home in your Listings

What makes a house a home is really how it’s used and loved. That means that the surrounding area plays a gigantic role in a home buyer’s search. Make sure you use that to your advantage as a realtor or home seller!   What Should You. . .

• Sep 06, 2020
• Michelle Pijanowski

Ideas for personal posts on your business feed

Personal posts on a business Instagram may sound crazy, but they do actually have their place. On our last blog, we spoke about finding the right balance of business to personal posts - you can check it out right here.     The truth is, that. . .

• Aug 23, 2020
• Michelle Pijanowski

Personal VS Professional on your business social media

Using social media as a marketing tool for your business is a no brainer, but things get a bit trickier when trying to understand exactly what to be posting.   Do you want to keep your pages strictly business and only show off your products? . . .

• Aug 09, 2020
• Michelle Pijanowski

Get to know your audience with an Instagram story survey

We already know Instagram as an amazing place for sharing information, building a community and connecting with your customers. Now is the time to start thinking about it as a place to collect data!   The beauty of Instagram is that you are. . .

• Jul 23, 2020
• Michelle Pijanowski

Apps to Take Your Insta Feed to the Next Level

On the last blog (which you can check out right here) we spoke about some of our favourite apps to improve your captions on Instagram, but there’s no doubt that photos are a very important aspect of the Insta success formula. It IS a photo app. . .

• Jul 08, 2020
• Michelle Pijanowski

Perfect your Instagram Captions with these apps

  We all know Instagram as a photo-based social media platform. There is so much talk about grabbing the best photo or perfecting your grid, but that isn't the only thing that matters to succeed on the app.   Captions hold just as much. . .

• Jun 24, 2020
• Michelle Pijanowski

How to take full advantage of videos on Instagram

Video content has quickly become one of the most popular types of posts on social media. Apps like Tik Tok, Youtube and Snapchat have helped popularized video media. So, on a platform mainly targeted at photos, like Instagram, how can you make. . .

• Jun 11, 2020
• Michelle Pijanowski

Instagram Highlights: How to get started

Instagram highlights are one of the platform’s most valuable features. You may have noticed the colour coded or graphic embellished circles underneath the bio of some of the accounts you follow, and even though they’ve become more popular over. . .

• May 27, 2020
• Michelle Pijanowski

Understanding Engagement on Instagram

If you’ve ever spent some time perusing the internet for some help with Instagram, you have almost definitely come across the term “Engagement”. Whether you’re a business looking to grow your page or you’re an influencer wanting to work. . .

• May 13, 2020
• Michelle Pijanowski

A Guide to Instagram's New Business Promotion Features

With everything happening during this pandemic, businesses, particularly small businesses, are amongst the groups that are hurting the most. Many local companies have been forced to shut down in an effort to keep the virus at bay. While it’s clear. . .

• Apr 22, 2020
• Michelle Pijanowski

Using Facebook Groups to Build Community

Facebook groups and pages have been around for many years, but is it possible that they have become more popular recently? On today’s blog, we’re discussing the reasons for the increase and how a Facebook group could benefit your. . .

• Apr 08, 2020
• Michelle Pijanowski

Do's and don'ts of posting during a pandemic

The world has seemingly been flipped right on its head over the past two months. What is even happening? We know about all the facts and figures, but every day we’re still surprised that Covid-19 is actually happening. This is a global crisis, and. . .

• Mar 18, 2020
• Michelle Pijanowski

Choosing the right hashtags for Instagram

One of the key tools for getting found on Instagram is hashtags, but how do you find the best hashtags? Follow these easy steps to get a great collection of hashtags to choose from every time you post!   Start with the. . .

• Mar 06, 2020
• Michelle Pijanowski

Which social media should you use for your business?

It can feel like a new social media pops up every day, making it a tough game to figure out when you’re trying to market your business in the virtual world. Get an idea of which platforms are best for your company with this handy. . .

• Feb 19, 2020
• Michelle Pijanowski

Get your Instagram posts seen by more people - Basic Techniques

As complicated as Instagram can get, there are loads of little tips and tricks to help get your content in front of more eyes. Many of these tricks might seem obvious, but the more you use, the more Instagram will favour your content! Try to use all. . .

• Feb 07, 2020
• Michelle Pijanowski

Why you should be using Insta stories for your business

Why you should be using Insta stories for your business Instagram stories aren’t the newest feature on the platform, but it’s one of the most underrated! A lot of businesses are missing a great opportunity to add personality to their. . .

• Jan 25, 2020
• Rob Moroto

Virtual Renovations

Renovations take time, money but more importantly vision and trust.  A great renovator will know how to accomplish all the work needed to take a project from start to finish, but unless the client has a firm grasp of what the final end product will. . .

• Sep 03, 2019
• Rob Moroto

5 Genius Ideas To Make Your Home Look Bigger

5 Genius Ideas To Make Your Home Look Bigger Whether you are a condo dweller in an urban setting, or own a small house in a farming community, the illusion of space can help you sell your home faster and for a more desirable price. Regardless of. . .

• Jan 02, 2019
• Rob Moroto

Spec Home Special!

Builder Spec Home Special You've spent years developing and honing your BRAND.   And in today's media intense market, imagery can make or break your brand recognition and brand confidence. To help maintain the same quality and imagery. . .

• Nov 13, 2018
• Rob Moroto

Instagram Slide Brochure

  Instagram Slide Brochure Ever wanted to do something different with your social media posts?  How about doing an instagram slide brocure. Its simple.   Click here to see sample! Each Instagram slide brochure consists of 10 slides. . .

• Aug 19, 2018
• Rob Moroto

Using Price, Projection, Probability Model

When talking with sellers, it is sometimes difficult to talk about how much to list their home for.   As a professional real estate advisor, it is your duty to ensure that they make the right decisions along the sales process including picking the. . .

• Jul 31, 2018
• Rob Moroto

Could Your Listing be 8% Smaller than it Really Is?

Could Your Listing be 8% Smaller than it Really Is? If you’re getting your floorplans from a provider that is using a Matterport to measure a home just be warned - they may not be accurate - even if they are insured. Here is what we found in. . .

• Jul 16, 2018
• Rob Moroto

SPECIAL!! Matterport and Photos

• May 11, 2018
• Rob Moroto

PSA: MEASUREMENTS - BUYER BEWARE!

PSA - Buyer Beware Relying on an All in One Machine can be Risky Business. We all have heard the adage - “If it's too good to be true. . . "  This statement definitely holds true for an all-in-one machine such as Matterport, Leica BLK360,. . .

• Feb 27, 2018
• Rob Moroto

Is all HDR the same?

Is all HDR the same? Nah. . . . Basically, there are three different types of HDR, tonal mapping, enfuse and enblend.   Each of them use different algorhythms to acheive the same idea which is to take two or more images shot at different exposures. . .

• Jun 25, 2017
• Rob Moroto

Celebrating Canada

Canada 150! Celebrating Canada's 150th birthday with some amazing deals!   2D FLOORPLANS Starting at just $150! Book any 2D floorplan appointment between July 1st and July 15th and get these amazing floorplans for just 8 Cents per. . .

• Mar 06, 2017
• Rob Moroto

Measurements and Floorplans

Calgary Photos has teamed up with Excelsior Measuring Inc to provide its fabulous clients an affordable, accurate measurement and floorplan solution. Using the latest in technology and equipment Excelsior is able to provide reliable, guaranteed RECA. . .

• Mar 06, 2017
• Rob Moroto

Virtual Staging

Virtual Staging Now available through Calgary Photos! Virtual Staging is a new solution to the old problem of how to  make a vacant space look better.   Where staging with actual furniture may cost thousands of dollars, virtual staging costs. . .

• Mar 05, 2017
• Rob Moroto

3D Floorplans and Measurements

3D Floorplans and Measurements Calgary Photos has teamed up with Excelsior Measuring Inc to provide its fabulous clients an affordable, accurate measurement and floorplan solution. Using the latest in technology and equipment Excelsior is able to. . .

• Mar 05, 2017
• Rob Moroto

2D Floorplans and Measurements

2D Floorplans and Measurements Calgary Photos has teamed up with Excelsior Measuring Inc to provide its fabulous clients an affordable, accurate measurement and floorplan solution. Using the latest in technology and equipment Excelsior is able to. . .

• Jan 27, 2016
• Rob Moroto

PRESS RELEASE: Calgary Photos Awarded Best of Houzz 2016!

Calgary Photos of Calgary, Alberta Awarded Best Of Houzz 2016   Over 35 Million Monthly Unique Users Nominated Best Home Building, Remodeling and Design Professionals in North America and Around the World   [Calgary, Canada],. . .

• Jan 16, 2016
• Rob Moroto

Matterport 3D Imaging

Matterport 3D Virtual Tours As searching for homes and making purchasing decisions online becomes more and more common, it's more important than ever to find ways that help you stand out from the competition. Matterport 3D is the next wave. . .

• Jan 08, 2016
• Rob Moroto

The Secret Ingredient Behind Airbnb's Massive Success

We love the concept of Airbnb. According to Wikipedia, Airbnb is: …a website for people to list, find, and rent lodging. It has over 1,500,000 listings in 34,000 cities and 190 countries. It’s also valuated at 20 Billion. . .

• Jan 01, 2016
• Rob Moroto

Love at First Site with our Real Estate Photography

20 seconds. The amount of time you have to engage a buyer into further investigating your listing and your information. According to a Wall Street Journal article called 20 Seconds for Love at First Site researchers used eye-tracking measurements to. . .

• May 17, 2014
• Rob Moroto

Fixing the Fire

One thing that happens when shooting at twilight is that your white balance turns from daylight to tungsten.   Which means that the camera sees everything as being more yellow than blue.    When this happens you’ll notice that the color of the. . .

• Jan 26, 2012
• Rob Moroto

Shooting Exteriors

When I look at all the listings on MLS and see the exterior photos the one thing that stands out right away is when none of the lines are straight and when they have “keystone” distortion. That is where all the lines converge to the center top. . .

• Oct 10, 2011
• Rob Moroto

Colour Fusion!

We’ve all heard of exposure fusion and HDR – we’ve also seen focus fusion which can be really interesting if done right.   Here is an example of running a fusion using different color temperatures at different exposures to get a better image. . .