7 Essential Marketing Tips for Photographers

While the demand for photographers has increased lately because of the nature of new media, photographers now have a lot of competition to deal with if they want to stand out nowadays. That’s why they need to use all the tools at their disposal to get their name out there and get noticed. In this article, we’re going to give you a few tried and tested tools and techniques that will allow you to get more visibility for your work.

Google Business Pages

While a lot of photography is used for online purposes nowadays, you cannot ignore local clients who may need to use a photographer for regular jobs as well. Local marketing is going to help you get a name and start getting reviews, which will help you as a new photographer.

But in order to get listed in local results, you have to make sure that you have your Google business page set up. It only takes a few minutes and it’s completely free. Furthermore, they have priority over regular listings when people look for company names, so it’s important that you do not neglect them.

Also, make sure that your contact information is consistent across all platforms if you want it to show up in results. Any discrepancies might confuse Google’s bots and they might not know which address is your official one, so that could end up negatively affecting your rankings.

You also have to make sure that you have a professional site as well and that it is optimized for local SEO. Having a site done by a professional can get costly if you’re just getting started, but there are tools that you can use to create a photography portfolio online in no time. Some are made especially for photographers and artists and have very intuitive interfaces that allow you to create stunning sites fast and with minimal coding experience. This is a great place to start if you have limited means but still want to make your business look professional.

Automate Social Media

Social media will be one of your most powerful tools when advertising your work online. But between Facebook, Snapchat, Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram, having to post by hand on every site can be time consuming and tiresome. That’s why you should use a tool that will allow you to automate your posts and post them all in one place so you won’t have to waste time posting them manually on every site. A tool like Agorapulse, for instance, will allow you to automatically send posts to various platforms on a set schedule along with a variety of analytics tools that will allow you to fine tune your campaigns. It also allows you to interact with your followers from the platform as well.

Get to Blogging

Blogging is also a great way to not only increase your visibility with your audience, but to also establish yourself as an expert. Constantly having fresh content on your site will work wonders when it comes to SEO and will also show your visitors that you are active. A unkept site that hasn’t had an update in a while might give the impression that you’re either not in business or not in demand, which is the last thing you want.

You don’t have to write about your shoots only. You could give advice on how to use pictures better in web design to web designers for instance, or give advice aimed at business owners. Or you could give advice on people looking for a wedding photographer on how to get better pictures. This way, you get to show your expertise and advertise your services indirectly. This also allows you to build trust by presenting yourself as an actual authority in your niche instead of just another photographer.

Build an Email List

Email marketing is one of the easiest and cost-effective ways to contact a wide audience. If you manage to build trust with your list, it can be one of the most powerful tools in your arsenal.

But when I’m talking email marketing, I’m not talking about buying followers from a random seller. I’m talking about building a list of people who might be actually interested in your services and decided to opt in.

What’s great about an email list that has been built organically is that you already know that these people are receptive and might be interested in using your services later. They might even want to get notified when you update your site with new pictures. Or you may contact them if you’re running a contest for instance.

For example, you could give away a few mini sessions to some of your clients so they can get a taste of your work. Use your email list to notify them in advance and give them instructions on how to enter. Your email list is also a great place if you’re trying to get attention for a new product or service you may be offering.

Give Out Referral Bonuses

Word of mouth is still an incredibly powerful tool when it comes to photography, and getting someone to vouch for your services will go a very long way. So, you have to find a way to reward your existing clients for preaching the gospel about your services. One of the ways you can incentivize this is by offering them bonuses for referring you. You could give your clients free prints or a limited amount of print credits for every person they bring in. While the bonus will cost you, the amount of money you’ll get from new clients will be worth it.

Network

Networking with other professionals and business owners is another great way to advertise yourself as a photographer. You’d be surprised at how loyal people are to their service providers, and if you manage to give great service to a certain business owner, you might have a client for life. Not only that, but they may end up referring you to some of their other business owner friends, and you could end up with a steady stream of very lucrative clients. Never underestimate the power of good networking.

And try to network with people closely related to your field as well. If you specialize in weddings for instance, try to work with other professionals in the industry you won’t have to directly compete with. This way, you’ll both be able to refer each other’s services and increase both of your clientele.

Find a Way to Give Back

Offering your services pro bono to a charity or a cause that means something to you could also be a great way to get credentials and visibility. I don’t know too many organizations that would turn down free photo coverage. You could even run a silent auction and give away a free session to the winner. There are tons of ways that you can spin this, so don’t be afraid to be creative.

Getting your name known as a photographer is possible when you know how to go about it. If you manage to use some or all of our tips, you should be able to increase visibility for your work in no time.