Somewhere between a hobby turning into a career, you got serious about your photography business. The thing about taking up Photography and setting up a business is that you end up facing a lot of competition and promoting yourself doesn't get easier.
As a beginner who has just started with the profession or even if you have a business but are struggling with promotions, here are a few efficient ways you can promote your photography business and expect a positive response.
Build a Personal Photography Website
I can't stress enough when I say you need to have a photography website. This website acts as your online portfolio, where you can showcase your photography skills limitlessly and in a creative manner. Unlike older times, when everything was brick and mortar and portfolios were physically shown, everything now is online.
Your potential client has access to hundreds of photographers in just a matter of a click. Having your own Photography website with the right SEO can ensure they find you in the search. Getting your website is an easy task now. You can even build a free photography website where you showcase your work and leave a link to this website on all your socials!
Capitalize on your Socials!
Social Media Marketing is all the rage right now. In this digital age, it is mandatory to promote your business on social media. But how efficiently you promote your business, depends on how well you're able to capture the viewer's attention. Having a dedicated Instagram Page is not enough. You need to have a social media strategy that will optimize your business promotions.
Since your socials allow two-way conversations, it is also a great place to test how well your viewers are engaging with your content and generate leads. Another way to promote your business is to get featured on the stories of popular influencers. Influencer marketing is a great way to grow your business exponentially. Try to reach out to a few influencers, and maybe get a few stories in exchange for a photoshoot!
Write a Personal Blog or start a Vlog
If you are into Landscape, wildlife or some other relevant form of photography where you can engage in storytelling, you can start a personal blog or even a Youtube Channel where you can share the behind-the-scenes of all the pictures you take.
This adds a very personal touch to your service as your potential client also has access to what your style of photography is like and how passionate you are about your work. It is also a place to generate lots of leads for your Photography Business whilst promoting your skills.
Conduct free Online Workshops
You can create small beginner courses related to the basics of photography and conduct free workshops online. This will not only show your skills and knowledge about photography but will also encourage people to sign up for your newsletter or subscribe or follow your page, which will generate good leads. You can even go for something as basic as "How to Take Professional Looking Pictures Using Your Phone."
Start Selling Stock Images
A great way to get recognized for your photography is by creating stock images and selling them on stock photography websites. It allows you to get credit for work and can also be a great source of passive income.
Such images are often used by designers and website creators. This will create a dynamic set of portfolios and also allows you to be recognized professionally.
SEO Friendly Content
The very first thing someone does when they are looking for photographers is to search for them. Being very specific about their needs, like 'wedding photographers' or 'pet photography' they raise their query on the search engine, you most likely know as Google.
To be able to make it to the first page of the search and appear in the first few search results, you need to optimize your website using various factors like keywords, relevant images, well-targeted content, etc. It is a great idea to target local search results and create a niche for yourself.
Offer Referral Benefits
The good old word-of-mouth advertising is still in trend but has taken a technological turn. The reasoning is simple: People still believe in their trustworthy friends. And someone's more likely to hire you if you have a reference from one of their known ones.
Offering referral benefits to your clients like small discount codes or a contest that makes people share your post to participate is a great way to reach out to more people that are more likely to convert.
The above pointers are just a few ways to boost your business promotions online. There is never one sure way and the process of marketing is always experimental involving trial and error!