Who likes a fruit metaphor? Because this blog is about the juicy stuff! The little projects and promotions that are worth the squeeze. When you’re smart and consistent with your efforts, photography marketing strategies start to stack up and blossom.
These photography marketing ideas are seeds that you can plant and down the line they can really… bear fruit. Ok enough of that! I think you get the concept that the following strategies are ripe for the picking!
So, how do photographers attract customers? And how do photographers promote themselves? These are the business questions behind the art and are KEY to driving your business. If you’re looking for a marketing strategy for your photography business then you’ve come to the right place.
I’ve seen many photographers make the mistake of letting their marketing slip when they’re busy. Although you may not perceive the benefits of effective marketing immediately, it’s a powerful tool that pays off in the long run. So let’s dive into these marketing ideas for photographers.
1. Spread The Love – Collab With Other Vendors
One of the things I love about being in the wedding photography biz is the camaraderie within the industry. There’s a genuine sense of people wanting to help each other that I suspect you might not find in other industries!
So don’t be afraid to go out there and make the first move when it comes to collaborating! You can find vendors you trust and endorse them on your website. In return, you can ask them to feature you in their recommended photographers list. Go even further and tag them in blog posts and on social media. Not only is it a nice gesture but most will return the favour and gladly share your work with their own clients.
Another tactic is to send the vendors the photos you took of them. Most of them usually lack great quality photos and will happily post yours on their social media and website, with a credit mention and link to your website as a thank you. Remember, this isn’t just a friendly exchange – it’s building backlinks for your website, which is a serious bonus for SEO!
With vendors, it works so well because your target audience is the same but you’re not vying for the same business.
2. Collaborate With Photographers Too!
It doesn’t just have to stop at vendors though! Other photographers can be your friends too and can play an important role in your wedding photography marketing strategy. Although, technically speaking, they might be your competition, they can also be an invaluable channel for finding new clients. So cultivate relationships with other creatives in your area, reach out to your local photography community, and look for networking gigs that can get you more exposure.
You can find other photographers on Facebook groups, Instagram and searching on Google. And it’s not just about finding clients either. By engaging with other photographers, you can tap into their inspiration, ideas, questions, photography tips and important news!
3. Build A Brand Identity
Your brand is more than just your business name and logo – although they’re important! Your brand is what your clients or potential clients think when they see your work, and also how they FEEL! It’s not only about the style of your photography.
Brand identity includes everything from your website design to the copy presented in your marketing materials. So think carefully, plan accordingly, and make your brand alluring and interesting!
It’s important to take the time to develop your image in the marketplace as this will help you to connect to your target market.
4. Stand Out With A Strong Online Presence
In 2023, an online presence is non-negotiable. Start with your website. It can be one of your most powerful and important marketing and sales tools, if used correctly! Make sure it’s updated, is easy to read, works smoothly on all devices, provides a simple customer journey and – most importantly – can actually convert leads into clients.
How can it do this? Good question. The most effective way is through recurring calls to action that encourage them to contact you for a quote. Don’t forget that the main purpose of your website is to promote your work and add value to your brand, so pay attention to the most important page of all: your portfolio! Ultimately, all your marketing efforts should lead to your website. Bring those visitors in, then walk them through the process to book your services.
The next step is to get your blog up and running and focus on relevant, location-specific keywords. A blog helps position you as an expert in your industry, provides powerful content marketing for photographers, and also increases your SEO – allowing you to come up higher in Google rankings.
Are your blogs a collection of images from your favourite shoots? While this is a great way to showcase your photos, the truth is you don’t blog for your website visitors, you blog for Google. So get tapping away, or find someone who can do it for you.
Another important step to take is to set up your Google business profile. This lets you get those awesome reviews in, ensures you show up in location-specific searches, and also bumps up your SEO!
5. Promotional Material – Be Your Own Hype Girl/Guy!
Do you know what my favourite type of fruit is? Low-hanging ones, such as business cards! They’re simple but can make a huge difference to your business. Print a stack of business cards with your details right before a wedding.
Now here’s the trick: include a QR code on your business cards that links to the gallery where you’ll be uploading all the photographs from the wedding. Share those business cards with the guests and let them know that they can view the photos on that link in a couple of weeks or months. Mmmmm tasty!
6. Fire Up Those Video Testimonials
Testimonials (of any kind) are really powerful ways to win over people online as it establishes credibility! Nothing works better at convincing a prospective client to become a paying customer than real stories from people who hired you and loved the experience.
Approach your happiest and most charismatic couples and ask them for a video testimonial. As a thank you, offer them a small gift – such as a free print. But many clients who are really happy are willing to do it for free. The videos add a layer of authenticity because you get a real sense of what their experience was like and is a really clever digital marketing strategy for photographers.
7. Social Media – Work It, Honey!
Instagram is one of the most influential channels for visual imagery – and you don’t have to have thousands of followers to make it work for you!
More and more attention is being paid to engagement, so the number of followers and likes an account receives is becoming less important. If you have the budget, you can pour some lovin’ into your Insta by launching paid campaigns to boost the number of viewers you get by specific target audience strategies.
Remember that when it comes to social media, consistency is key. At the same time, it can be a real time sucker so look into automation tools where you can schedule posts. Putting a block of time aside once a month is a much better approach than trying to do it here and there.
8. Run A Giveaway Or Contest
Giveaways (especially those on Instagram) are a powerful way to get more followers, exposure and potential clients. The prize needs to be relevant.
For example, a free engagement session or freestyled portraits for a bride-to-be. In the rules, ask participants to tag a friend who’s getting married soon and to leave a comment about why they like your work.
This works well because it implies that every participant will actually take some time to check out your work before commenting, and potentially get interested in your style and services. There’s a reason you often see competitions like this, because they work!
9. Optimise SEO On Your Website
SEO is that lemon tree at the bottom of your garden that you sometimes forget about … and it grows wild and thorny and can be a beast to tame. But that SEO lemonade is worth the effort! SEO is a long-term, continuous process. It’s not this thing you do once and then forget about it for the next 10 years. The key elements to it are keywords, site speed, alt tags, and backlinks.
If you give these enough attention, you can increase your chances of being found by clients on Google (and other search engines). Sometimes you have to invest in SEO so that potential customers looking for the services you offer will find your website. For example, would it be relevant for you to appear when someone searches on Google for “professional wedding photographers” in their city? That could be a competitive space to jostle for but ranking there could be a game changer for you.
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I get it. It can seem a bit daunting trying to do all of these photography marketing strategies at once! When first starting out, you can feel a bit like a headless chicken and while you work hard, you can sometimes not work effectively. I hear ya!
That’s where my 1:1 photography coaching can really make a difference in helping you crush your goals! My photography courses and workshops for photographers let you focus on what’s important and see your own photography fruit tree take shape. Pop me a message and we can take it from there!
