Starting a photography business entails that photographers have upfront costs that include their camera, lighting, and accessories to handle. As a neophyte photographer, building a reputation among your target audience should be your priority. However, considering the high cost to get started, most photographers may not have enough money to spend on a full-on marketing campaign.
Most times, they have a limited budget that should be spent only on strategies that are guaranteed to generate leads for them. There are many ways to market your photography business, but these are by far the most effective ways to do so. If you’re stuck with a limited budget, these are some strategies that you might want to focus your efforts on:
Create a “Google My Business” Listing and Leverage Local SEO
A Google My Business listing essentially gets your business listed on Google’s index of businesses. Since most search inquiries are performed on mobile devices, this is a great way to get your business noticed, especially if you’re able to optimize your website for local SEO.
It’s free and effective so long as you put the correct details on your listing. A small error can significantly hurt your lead generation. GMB listings also position your brand in the Local Map which also sits along with paid ads. Some things you need to add to your GMB listing are photo samples and customer reviews. The fact that you’re able to advertise your business on the most powerful search engine is reason enough to set your GMB listing up.
Build a Photography Website
Every business owner knows that websites are essential for providing information on your services and for establishing credibility among your target audience. A photography website is also a great way to funnel your sales.
This is also a potent platform where you can highlight your photography expertise and to share your contact details to prospective clients. Keep in mind that it’s important to have a website that has a consistent theme and relevant content in order to capture the attention of website visitors. If you do not have the time to devote to your website, you can consider having professionals like the ones from Maze to build you a proper website. Building a website does not take much time though, consider using a Platform like Pixpa and have your website ready in few mins.
Optimize Your Website For Speed
The reason why it’s important to optimize your website for speed is because photography websites are expected to have high-quality photos. If your website loads too slow, it’s likely going to fail the blink test (a test that suggests that it takes only five seconds for web visitors to determine if the website is worth reading through).
Make sure to compress your images so that your website site loads fast enough to pass the blink test. This is especially important for mobile-friendly websites, since most mobile viewers are usually on the go at the time they’re accessing your website.
Start a Blog
Blogging on your website is a great way to differentiate yourself from your competitors and while also giving you a way to showcase your skills and knowledge. This can also serve as a portfolio of sorts. You can post about anything related to your niche, but generally, content that provides photography tips and tips on how to pose for a shoot should be among your first few posts.
Share Your Content On Niche Sites
Photo-sharing websites like Pinterest, Photobucket, and Pixabay are great platforms to share your samples due to the sheer number of users. Sharing your work on these sites helps generate leads for your photography business, and serves as a way to get constructive feedback from users which you can use to improve your skills.
Leverage Social Media Platforms
Social media platforms are a potent marketing platform because of the fact that almost everyone has at least one social media account and that leveraging these platforms is free.
This is especially useful because new photographers need to save as much as they can. Social media platforms can also be used to generate traffic for your website, blogs, and even other social media platforms. Never underestimate the potency of these platforms.
Use Instagram Properly
Instagram is regarded as a special tool because it gives you an avenue to tell a story. Posting your work on Instagram allows you to build personal connections with your audience by building a narrative around your work.
However to properly understand how your posts are performing on Instagram as a marketer or influencer you might want to track your metrics.
Use Paid Ads
Once you’ve mastered the use of social media platforms, you may want to use Facebook ads as a way to rake in more leads. Facebook Ads are unique because they allow advertisers to show ads that contain specific messages to their target audience. These ads can be tailored to appeal to your target demographic. They can also be used to target potential clients who visited your website but did not convert into sales.
Growing a photography business hangs on your ability to market your skills. You don’t have to do crazy stunts to gain the attention of your target audience. You’d be far better off by sticking to these proven marketing strategies.
