Having a beautiful eye for photography is awesome and also helpful in your future success in the gigantic photography industry of today. Whether your photography business focuses on weddings, family portraits, newborns, or even landscape and really amazing animals, you have to know how to do the best advertisement for your company. Photography business advertising is so important and now-a-days, there are so many different ways to advertise yourself and your work. And some of those options are even free... what is better than that?!?
We all know that advertising is important. The way your company or brand is seen to the public and your potential customers makes a huge difference. Who doesn't love waiting for the amazing commercials that Budweiser and other huge corporations are going to showcase during the Superbowl each year? And then we are all talking about our favorites for days after we see them. That is exactly what they are trying to accomplish. They want their brand to be the most talked about out there.
Even though most photographers are not able to spend a crazy amount of money on a commercial, you still want to get out to your customers in some way and make an impact. So we wanted to talk today about 4 ways that you can do great photography business advertising...and not the advertising that is going to cost five years of your marketing budget. This way, you can be sure you are making an impact on all of those potential customers that you come across on a daily basis.
Have A Website That Showcases Your Work
People are online 24/7, and the majority of the research that a customer is going to do is through the internet. In today's internet savvy world, having a well put together website is very important. If someone is looking for a local photographer and wants to find out more about your business through your website, before actually picking up the phone and calling you, it could sway their opinion if you do not have an online presence at all - or even a website that is not appealing.
On your website, you can showcase some of your best work as well as a bio about yourself so the customer can get your background easily. You can also provide information including products you offer, different packages and pricing. If you have a blog, using good SEO practices is helpful and it could be good to include some informational posts for brides rather than just post after post on the photos you have taken.
Just remember that having a website or blog that you only update once a year is just about as beneficial as not having one at all. You must be sure you information is up-to-date and if you have a blog, customers like to see that your last post was not from last summer.
If you need to build a website, there are so many platforms out there you can use including WordPress and Squarespace.
Join Listing Services
Depending on the type of photography you do, there are many listing services out there that you can pay to have a listing on. If you are a wedding photographer, SnapKnot is a great example of this. These listings are important because when a bride and groom first gets engaged, these listings are where many couples first go to start their research for their perfect wedding vendors. For example, if you are a SnapKnot member, couples that sign up on the site are looking for their perfect wedding photographer and they will be matched in the Lead-Match System to photographers that meet their wedding photography needs (including location and budget).
If you are a wedding photographer and not yet a member of SnapKnot, they do offer photographers a FREE one-month trial so you can create a profile, and start being matched with couples, while you try out the service and see if it is right for you.
Make Sure You Are On Social Media
If your business is not on social media, you are missing out on so many FREE avenues to get the word out about the product that you offer. Social media is perfect for interacting with potential and current clients, or is even great to keep in touch with past clients who may refer you to people they know who are in need of a photographer. It is a great way to do your photography business advertising and the only thing you are spending is your time.
There are so many social media sites out there. Here are a few we think are worth taking the time to update regularly for a photography business:
- Instagram - Instagram is such a visual social media platform and perfect for photographers...and is one of the fastest social media sites out there! It is a great place to show off your photos and use hashtags that people who may be looking for your type of photos can search for. Here is a great article that offers Instagram tips for photographers that you need to read! Another thing to think about: 93% of prestigious brands are on Instagram and there is a 350% growth of brand engagement year over year. That is HUGE and just shows that you should be on it.
- Facebook - We all know that Facebook is a huge platform that is very popular. It is a great place to interact with people and keep your clients (or potential ones) up to date on things you have going on. Do you have a great discount you are offering this month or did you shoot the most amazing wedding? By continuing to post regularly about your work and your business, you are keeping yourself in the front of your followers mind. That is perfect because that means they may just think of you when the time comes for them (or even someone they know) needs to hire a photographer. Follow Camera Giveaways on Facebook!
- Pinterest - Pinterest is another great way to showcase your beautiful photos! Pinterest is huge.... it is a great place for a bride to search for wedding ideas, beautiful photos and more. It is a great place for a landscape photographer to post their most recent photos. As the pins you post of your work get re-pinned, more and more potential customers will see your work! Follow Camera Giveaways on Pinterest!
- Twitter - Twitter is a great place to communicate updates, products and new things your company is offering. It is also a great place to see what people are saying about your company easily. Follow Camera Giveaways on Twitter!
There is also Google+, StumbleUpon and Tumblr, and tons of other new social media sites popping up all the time. LinkedIn is also a great place for you to connect with others in your industry. It is hard to keep up with them all, but making sure you are on the main ones is a great thing for your company.
Attend Industry Shows and Events
Depending on the type of photographer you are, and the type of business you are trying to get, attending industry shows (such as bridal shows) and other local events is a great way to advertise yourself. Seriously, what better way to market yourself than to meet with your potential customers face-to-face?
If you are a wedding photographer and attend all of your local bridal shows, you can potentially talk to and provide information about your service to thousands of brides that are currently looking for their photographer. Let them see some of the work you have done, provide them information on your pricing and show them that you have the type of personality and love of what you do that they will want to have you with them on their wedding day.
We hope you are already doing all of these great photography business advertisement methods to help promote yourself and your business already. If not, no worries, you can start planning ahead for your business and try to focus on incorporating all of these methods so you can be sure to get your name out there in the best and easiest ways possible!
Here are some great tips on setting up a photography business. Also, be sure to read this post on photography business mistakes and how to avoid them.
