Marketing – it’s the subject we all want to avoid. It takes time, it takes effort, and we’re fuzzy on how to go about it. We know we need to do it. Marketing your photography business doesn’t have to be complicated. Take the drudgery out of how to market a photography business by following these tips.
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What Exactly Is Marketing?
In the most simplest terms – marketing is a way to turn your passion into profits. If generating an income from photography isn’t your goal, marketing becomes a non issue. If, however, you want to be more than just a hobbyist, you’ll need to dabble in some kind of marketing strategy. Talent is wonderful but it’s not enough to build a prosperous business.
Strategies That Convert
Ditch the idea that marketing has to be arduous and ineffective. There are dozens and dozens of different strategies. Don’t get into overwhelm trying to implement them all. You’ll drive yourself crazy. Instead choose a few techniques that resonate with you. Here are a few essential strategies to get you started.
1. Identify Your Niche
It’s impossible to be everything to everyone. Narrow your niche if it is too broad. This will simplify your marketing strategies. If you love wedding photography and are good at it, stick with this market. Love baby photography? This is a target audience in itself. Maybe real estate photography is your deal.
If so, market yourself as a real estate photographer. Family portraiture is a great niche if you love photographing families. Don’t be a photographer that does it all. Narrow your focus, and become the expert for that particular audience. Photography encompasses many genres Here’s a sampling:
1. Weddings, engagements, and bridals
2. Families
3. Babies and children
4. Fashion
5. Lifestyle
6. Commercial
7. Real estate
8. Headshots
9. Photojournalism
2. Showcase Your Images
Those you market to will need a place to view your images. Showcase them on your website so your potential clients can get a feel for your individual style. Think of your website as your online portfolio. I build my websites on WordPress, but whatever platform you choose, make sure it has these features for ease of use:
- Choose a theme specifically for photographers – trust me, your life will be simpler
- Galleries and sliders – these are a great way to show off your images
- Ability to customize without complicated coding – this will give you more options
- Full-screen designs – photographers love their images big
- Supports e-commerce – you’ll want the ability to sell your images online at some point
- The ability to share your images via your website – this is a convenient feature you’ll use again and again
- Photo commenting – you’ll want this if you enjoy getting feedback from your clients
- Mobile friendly – at least one third of your traffic will come via smart phones – ensure that your site is mobile friendly
3. Create A Blog And Work It
First focus on creating value for your target audience by posting regularly on your blog. Overtime, people will come to know, like, and trust you. Encourage comments on your blog to start a conversation, and invite engagement with your audience. This builds familiarity and helps people get to know you better. When a potential client visits your site, and sees that you are actively posting, they’ll be more inclined to hire you than if your content is not current. Plus, they’ll see all your beautiful images.
You never know where your blogging will take you. Maybe you’ll form new partnerships or fall into a lucrative opportunity. And who doesn’t want to become a better writer? Blog weekly, and trust me, your writing skills will improve exponentially. As an added benefit, posting engaging content is a form of self-expression we should all foster. Grow your following by providing informative content that meets a need. Content marketing is essential if you want to grow your business.
Lastly, blogging is essential for search engine optimization. Photographers speak in images. The problem is Google doesn’t speak this same language. Google speaks in text so to get on Google’s good side, we need to converse in words. This is where blogging comes in. The more you write, the more potential traffic you’ll get.
4. Go Social
The next logical step is to share your awesome posts on social media to build your brand, extend your reach, and drive traffic to your website. More traffic equals more business and more revenue. Get your name out there by choosing one or two platforms to share to. Don’t try to learn the ins and outs of six platforms at once.
It’s better to be a pro at one or two social media sites than just mediocre on many platforms. Instagram and Pinterest are two of my favorite platforms because they focus on visual content. Let your images speak for you. They’ll do the talking. Don’t be selfish with your photographs – show them off for everyone to enjoy!
5. Identify Your Goals
Any marketing strategy should include short and a long-term goals. Create a spread sheet to record and track your goals so you know where you’re at at any given time. This allows you to see what is and isn’t working, and tweak your strategies accordingly. Goals enable us to believe in ourselves and reach higher than we thought we could. They transform intimidating tasks into achievable ones.
Goals keep us motivated when we feel ourselves faltering. They keep us accountable and in the game. They can keep us from giving up. And when a milestone is reached, we feel contentment. Additionally, goals help us see how far we’ve come, and where we’ve been. You’ll never go wrong with a goal!
Key Points
Don’t overthink or complicate things when marketing. Keep it simple and consistent, and watch your business grow!
What marketing techniques do you use? Let me know in the comments:
I’m not so into this, but a friend of mine is obsessed with photograph. I’m going to show him this post, since I know he wants to make money online, but he doesn’t know how. This will certainly help him, if he uses his brain and your tips. Thanks a lot for sharing it with us.
Thanks so much for sharing my post with your friend. It does have some helpful tips for making money online with photography. I hope it helps him. Thanks for your comment!