If you are one of the many that turned your passion for capturing beautiful images into a business – and you are looking for ways to improve what you do and sell more packages – this guide is for you.
There are two main sources of expenses for photographers of all sizes – the first is equipment, and the second is marketing. Because photography is competitive and all about visuals – getting visibility is a must.
Photo by Reinhart Julian on Unsplash
One of the most competitive areas of photography are weddings and events, and with such a huge market and lots of people ready to spend thousands on getting good photos – there are some tips, tricks, and more that you can use to get your photography business flying in terms of bookings.
Stock
Marketing is a 24/7/365 thing. You’re never going to market just once because that won’t give you any results. Instead, look at places where you can share your work.
The idea of sharing your images on different platforms is that it will increase your visibility. Each of the platforms you use should have a profile – that you can add to your own website.
Increase your visibility by using some of the following:
- TikTok
- Unsplash
- iStock
- Getty
Not only will these increase your profile and push traffic to your website, but you can also sell your more commercial shots through the latter 3 of the list.
Give and Get
While the photography world is incredibly competitive – and you will run into many that aren’t going to be supportive. In general, you will find that many are, they want to lift up other creators.
Not only can getting into the right networks of photographers give you the confidence to grow your business, but you might get offers of collaborations, contracts, invitations to meetings, and plenty of advice.
Making friends in the industry is also one of the best ways that you can see how your work is progressing and give back to the community too.
Build a strong network of photographers both in your market and outside – you never know when different industries will intersect.
Photo by Ian Baldwin on Unsplash
Inquiries
You’ll need to have a firm idea about how you want to handle inquiries – but as your social media starts to grow, you’ll find you get more through comments and DMs. While not all of the inquiries will turn into work – these people might want to be added to your mailing lists.
If you take the time to respond to everyone, you will be increasing your visibility, and other people who might not be so forthcoming with comments might see one of your responses and decide to hire you.
Make sure that you deal with them in a timely and polite manner.
Learn from others
Who better to learn from than the photographers that have successfully done the same thing? You can look at how often you see them on your feeds, the type of content they post, how they reply to comments and more.
Although you might be tempted to stick to looking at photographers that are in the same market as you – you can learn a lot from those who aren’t too.
Over time you will find your own methods of marketing, but in the meantime, you can replicate the efforts of others.
Always remember, though, that copying won’t work for you, but the methodologies might.
Gear
You might have a soft spot for your current gear – and it has gotten you this far. The quality of your work will drastically improve as you upgrade your gear. But it’s not usually enough just to offer some photos. For big events and weddings, there is a level of expectation for videos and unique offerings. If you want to be a sports photographer, you will need end zone camera products.
It is more common than ever to see incredible aerial images, swooping shots from the floor to the sky, and so much more. For any drone technology, you’re going to want to invest your cash into ones that are highly rated but easy to use, like the Inspire 3.
And, a big tip from many professional photographers is to make sure that you have a checklist you tick off when packing for every job – because you won’t be the first or last photographer to forget extra batteries or a camera lens cleaning kit.
Website
One of the most important parts of showing off your images and getting your message across to your clients is your website. There are a lot of things that you will need to do when it comes to making sure that your website gets seen by the people that it is going to make a difference.
Your website should be search engine optimized. What that means is you need to think about what you want people to find you for. Is it ‘wedding photographer Ealing’ or ‘unique wedding photographer’? You can use Google Keyword Finder to help you narrow down what you should include in your content.
To make sure that your website is doing its job, you will be looking at the following things:
- How fast does the image load
- Are they all optimized?
- Have you included ALT text?
- How quickly do your pages load?
- Does your content tell people what you do?
One of the biggest players when it comes to website traffic is having a blog. A blog can be filled with tips, tricks, and how to book and share some of your favorite photographs. Your business blog is somewhere that you can share who you are and what you do and lean heavily into your branding.
If you don’t have the time to update your blog regularly, then one of the things you can do is hire a professional blogger to write them for you. You can use hashtags on social media, check out Fiverr or Upwork, or a copywriting company.
Photo by Jeff Hopper on Unsplash
Branding
The more photographers you know, the more likely it is that you are going to start really drilling down into what makes you different. Branding is who you are put into what you do. For example, if you specialize in Rockabilly style weddings, or perhaps you are outstanding and journalism-style event capture – lean into it.
Position yourself as an expert by constantly updating your social media, giving quotes, your website content, and more. Your brand can and should be influenced by the niche you are in, your previous work, what you want to do in the future, and you.
You will be the heart and soul of the company – and people will expect to see that.
Your branding will be in the tone of voice of your website, the colors, the style, and more. Focus your energies on making sure that you and your brand make sense so people know what they are getting.
Local
While you are building your portfolio, what is most important is that you are looking locally. Typically once you have a heavyweight portfolio, you will start getting people and companies prepared to pay for your travel. Building a local client base can be one of the most beneficial ways to start.
Once your name starts becoming the one that people come to in the local area, you can work on extending the range.
To engage local companies, you can begin by looking at what they need and creating a pitch for them. Think about the services they use often (headshots, events, conferences, hiring etc) and how you can make a difference.
Consider skipping doing digital outreach only – sometimes, the most impactful images are the ones that we have in our hands.
There is something enticing and enchanting about photography that is printed on high-quality glossy paper. So when you are thinking about promotion, consider having some of your most impressive photos printed.
BTS
Behind-the-scenes content is some of the most popular content on social media – everyone wants to see what goes into making stunning images. They want to join you on the day – and BTS serves two purposes too.
Potential clients can get an idea of how you work and if you would be suited to their projects and needs. While budding photographers are likely to engage and increase visibility for you.
Both of these are very valuable to you.
Newsletter
If you lost all of your social media, the one thing you have that you own would be your mailing list. Even ahead of launching your website, you can start collecting email addresses for newsletters, but if you do, make sure that you are giving the people who sign up something in return.
A discount is usually one of the most sought-after things and a sure-fire way to increase your sign-up rate.
Awards
As soon as you think your work is up to standard (or even if you don’t), then you should start submitting your photographs to awards. Consider local, nationwide large global awards. The worst that happens is you don’t make the winner’s circle – but you might get a runner-up, an honorable mention, and your work might be shared.
Awards are a great opportunity to get massive exposure – and if you already have a photo that fits the criteria- why not use it?
Perhaps you are just starting to move from hobby photographer into professional mode, and you need tips that are going to help with launching the business: The First For Creating A Great Business Plan: Develop A Strong Strategy For Your Business – Sippy Cup Mom.
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