Some of the most common questions I see amongst photographers are how to get new clients, where to advertise, and how to stretch their advertising dollars. Although I’m certainly not a marketing guru, I have learned a few lessons recently upon relocating to a new state and market, and lucky for you – I’m willing to share!
1. Network, Network, Network
Just like job hunting, when it comes to drumming up business, it’s all about making connections (aka who you know). To do this, you'll need to put on your extrovert hat and spend some time pro-actively talking to people. Many of us photographers love to hide behind the lens, and are super shy when it comes to running a business and actually (gasp!) talking to people. But, if you want to grow your business, you need to grow your network.
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Have something tangible, such as a marketing
piece, to hand to other vendors that show
how you are willing to provide incentive
to them for referrals. |
One thing you can do to get the networking process started is you can call up some of the local businesses in your area that pair well with your photography style, and offer them an incentive to help get your name out. For example, wedding photographers should call popular venues and wedding planners, baby photographers might call baby boutiques, flower shops and hospitals, sports photographers should talk to high school athletic supervisors and retail athletic/sports stores, corporate event photographers should talk with the local chamber of commerce, large convention centers, etc. When you call these places, tell them you are looking to get your name out there and that you would like to discuss what you can do for them. Have a few ideas in mind for them already when you call. If you can show that they can mutually benefit from an arrangement with you, they are much more likely to help you out. Offer them incentives for referrals, such as prints, tagging them online, or any other agreeable items.
After reaching out via phone, I highly recommend going out and shaking some hands. Face-to-face contact goes much further in networking than a simple call or email. It also gives you an opportunity to drop off some business cards or other marketing materials.
2. Know Other Photographers
This technically goes with bullet #1 above, but I wanted to pull it out separately to show how important it is to network with other photographers. It is not betraying your business or sleeping with the enemy. In addition to the advice you can get from them, you can also use each other to bounce ideas off of, and you can get some really great referrals as well! In my prior area, I was a part of a group of photographers that met and communicated with each other on a regular basis. Not only were we all really great mentors for one another, but we also let each other occasionally tag along as second shooters so we could practice and build up our portfolios. There are virtually no downsides to getting to know other photographers in your area, and when you're busy and need to refer someone to another photographer it’s awesome to have someone that you know and trust that you can refer your clients to (and vice versa from them to you!).
3. Online Presence
The first place most people go when looking to hire a photographer is Google (or Bing, Yahoo!, etc.). Search engines such as these can be either your best friend, or your worst enemy. If your potential clients are searching for your services and see your competitors' names popping up everywhere instead of your own, it will be difficult to convince them that they should choose you over your competitors. So what should you do? Get your business name on the web! Everything linked to your business name online will help with search engine optimization (SEO) and online credibility. Even if you are not an SEO expert, you can boost your rankings by actively being present online through business and personal websites, an online photography gallery, posting to social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, and by actively updating your blog. Each of these items will help get your name out there, and they can be used to help others find you! So many people turn to search engines like Google to find everything these days that if you're not easily found online, you are likely missing out on a large portion of your potential customer base. One added bonus to this is that the internet works 24/7, including while you are sleeping and while you’re out shooting other jobs. The more you grow your online presence, the more you will grow your business.
4. Sharing is Caring
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Providing watermarked images to other
vendors helps spread the word about you. |
As a photographer, your photos are your calling card. If someone sees your photography and falls in love with it, chances are high that they will reach out to you the next time they have a need for a photographer. So how can you get your photos in front of a larger audience of people? By openly sharing your images! And don't just share the images yourself, but allow and encourage your clients to share your images as well! Help others spread the word about your photography by allowing and encouraging them to share watermarked copies of your images with others. Local venues and others in your network would welcome free images, and your clients will love having the ability to openly tag and share pictures of themselves with others. Be sure to watermark these images though since that is the primary way people will find their way back to you when the time is right and they need a photographer for themselves.
For your clients, a good way for them to share is through an online photo gallery and storefront, such as Instaproofs. I like to give my clients a link to their Instaproofs gallery to share with all their friends and family, and I encourage them to use the social media buttons found in the gallery to post links to their images on various sites, such as Facebook and Twitter. If you give a small incentive to your clients for sharing the gallery, they are even more apt to spread their images around. For instance, if you have a wedding gallery you could give your bride and groom X% in print credit for every order their friends and family purchase.
Adam Ellis, the President of Instaproofs, recently shared a wonderful marketing strategy that I have incorporated into my own business model (Thanks, Adam!). Proofing cards/discount cards at an event or wedding are a wonderful way of getting more visitors to your site and to book more clients. My card incorporates a link to my Instaproofs page on the front, and a discount for their own session on the back.
There are quite a few gallery sharing apps out there as well. Most of these will allow you to create a gallery that your client can download to their mobile device as a customized app. The apps link the images to your website and contact info. As your client shares the app link with all of their friends and family, those people then have your gorgeous images and contact info all in one convenient place. How handy!
5. ASK
We’ve already established that you need to get brave and talk to people. But don’t neglect the people who already trust you. Do you have a new client that is super excited about their images? Perhaps you have a client who continues coming back to you year after year. These are people who would love to brag about the great work that you do. Sometimes, all you have to do is ask. Try to make it a habit to ask for a testimonial/review and a referral from each of your satisfied clients. You might even throw in a referral incentive (such as “refer a friend and get $X print credit) to give an extra reason to refer others to you.
So what are you waiting for? Building your business from your couch in your pjs won't get you very far, so get out there and start spreading the word about your business and your photography!
Jennifer Galles is the owner/photographer for Galles Photography, located in the "Sweetheart City": Loveland, Colorado. She specializes in weddings, seniors, and family sessions. You can find more of her work at her website or Like her on Facebook.