Do you ever wonder how to best market your photography business? When I first started my own business over 20 years ago, I had NO idea where to start. It took a LOT of trial and error to figure out where I should be investing my time and my money when it comes to marketing! Marketing is one of those big – and sometimes vague – concepts that can seem really overwhelming, but that’s why I’m here to break it down into simple steps you can take today.
But one thing to note: no two business are alike.
Deciding how to market your photography business will depend on your clients, location, style, etc. So, while you’re considering my advice, make sure you adjust these tips for your specific needs and get a good grasp on who your clients are and where you can find them. If you’re a wedding photographer, for example, some of the groups I mention below won’t be where your target market hangs out. With that being said, my most valuable marketing tip is this: your dream clients are already part of various audiences; find out what those are and get your business in front of their eyes!
1. Free Ways To Market Your Photography Business
Let’s start with the free stuff: Instagram and Facebook are great FREE ways to get in front of your potential customers when marketing your photography business. Using Instagram and Facebook can help potential clients see your beautiful work, get to know you a bit, and understand your style all with a couple swipes and scrolls! My best advice here is to choose a sharing schedule and stick with it. Though you don’t have to post every single day, remember that social media engines LOVE consistency, so it helps to find a schedule you’re comfortable with. If you’re new to the game, try posting twice a week. Another pro tip? Always make sure your website is linked somewhere on your social media pages. You want to make it BEYOND easy for new clients to contact you and see what you’re all about!
2. Leverage Your Community To Market Your Photography Business
Local community websites, magazines, and blogs are other GREAT resources for marketing your business. If you’re a fellow portrait/baby/family photographer, search for local Mom groups and blogs, or even client hotspots like yoga studios that share information online. You can pay for ad space in these areas, and some will let you guest post on their pages if you’d like to write a piece for them. I recommend reaching out via email to chat about ways you can support their customer base (ie provide value WHILE getting your business in front of new eyes). Any popular local resources for families and kids are a great investment!
3. Market Your Photography Business using search engines
Lastly, search engines are SO important for your photography business! You want to make sure you are showing up on sites like Google and Bing to maximize your marketing. To make this process work for you, make sure you use keywords on your website (words that your customers might use to search your business in a google search, like: newborn photography Minnesota), and make sure you begin to collect a solid base of GOOD reviews. These will help your rankings in search results and can result in more organic traffic to your business (and organic traffic means FREE traffic, so we LOVE that!). -If you like this tip, you might also like this article about connecting clients to your website!
See? I promised these steps would be easy! And, better than that, they really do work – my own thriving photography business is proof! I do have one more piece of advice for you today, though, and it’s a biggie:
don’t be afraid to talk about your business.
Small businesses thrive by supporting each other, so let others know about what you do and don’t be afraid to hand out business cards, send postcards to past clients, or suggest mutually beneficial collaborations to other business owners! Chat with people when you’re out and about and set that local word-of-mouth recognition into motion; referrals can be the most powerful marketing tool, so always invite your clients to tell their friends about you after each session.
And there you have it! A multitude of ways you can start marketing your photo business like the pros. I can’t wait to hear all about how these tips have helped you fill up those schedules – so drop me a message and let me know how this blog has helped you!
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