Tapping into Your Hidden Gold-Mine to Market Your Photography Business



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“Extra, Extra, read all about it! Jane’s got a camera and knows how to make you look thin in a picture! “

I bet you haven’t heard that on the street lately. Long gone are the days where you would find newsboys blasting people with the latest headlines as they walk by. However, as a small business owner there is something that can be learned from the tactics these young boys used to sell papers decades ago. While you may not want to have your kid stand out in front of your house yelling with a poster, you might want to consider how you can use word-of-mouth networking to boost your business for virtually no cost. Why not take advantage of the fact that when people find out you have a nice camera, they suddenly want you to photograph everything for them. Who knows, you may be sitting on a gold-mine of business with your personal network that you can begin to cultivate into dozens of returning clients.

Pre-Plan

Before you start bombarding your friends with online spam, start by determining your target market and branding. Honestly, branding deserves a whole post on its own so I won’t get into much detail here. It’s just important to consider because it’s the first impression someone gets of your business. This is why it’s vital that your image accurately represents the type of photography you do. Have a website and portfolio that clearly show what you take pictures of. If you love to photograph homes but have a website that is more suited to newborn photography, your potential clients will be confused. Make sure everything is consistent and professional in order to turn your potential clients into frequent customers.

Pre Plan

I have found list making to be a crucial part of maintaining organization in my business. If the word “organization” seems scary to you, here is an easy way to get started…

  • Grab your contact list (your phone, Facebook, etc.), a pen and a notebook.
  • At the top of separate pages, write down categories such as families, realtors, business owners, singles, kids, teens, etc. Then start adding the names of your friends to the pages below the categories. You will probably find that many of your contacts fit under more than one category, and that’s okay!

Be Your Own Best Advertisement

How many times have you been in line at the store and the person behind you started making a conversation with you? Or maybe you’re sitting at your son’s soccer game chatting with other moms. If you actively listen, you can almost always find a way to incorporate your business into the conversation. Here are a few rules of thumb I like to follow before I leave the house…

  • Make sure you have a few business cards on you
  • Look presentable (this helps not only with self-confidence, but also in portraying a good image of your business)
  • Have a thirty-second “spiel” ready that describes your photography style

Take Advantage of Social Media

In the age where people connect more and more via the internet, it would be silly to not use this as a means of advertising your business. After all, it is free. I can honestly tell you that I have never paid for an advertisement and have a successful business. It’s because I advertise online. Here are some tips to get you started…

Facebook

Facebook Ad

A Facebook advertisement I posted last May.

  • Create an ad that targets the specific type of client you are looking for and post it. I’ve seen some photographers also tag people so they can make sure their advertisement is seen.
  • Offer a deal for people who book a session with you from the Facebook Ad. Whether it’s 15% off the session or a free print, people LOVE deals.

Twitter

Twitter Ad

An example of client outreach via Twitter

  • Make sure your profile clearly states who you are and what you do. Having a nice picture also helps.
  • Tweet links with special offers specifically for your twitter friends that will track back to your website.
  • Add friends who are in your area and are also in your target market.

Pinterest

  • Pin some of your images with tags in the description in order to generate SEO traffic to your site. This will help you get more specific hits based on what people search for on Pinterest.

Create the post…

Pinterest

Then see it on your wall for “re-pinning”…

Pinterest

Blogging Sites

  • Always try to blog about your recent sessions and post “preview pictures” of your best shots. This is make the client excited and will also display your best work for your entire network to see.
  • Post the link to your recent posts on your other social media sites so people can have a way to see pictures from your previous sessions.

Business to Business Advertising

Other small business owners are also great target clients. I know a photographer that offered to do a portrait for a boutique owner and her daughter for free in exchange for being allowed to hang a life-size print of it as an advertisement in the boutique. It worked out well because both women were able to reciprocate business for the other one as they built a strong professional relationship.

Keep Them Coming Back

The goal for a small business owner is not to do hit-and-run sessions; it’s to generate happy, returning word-of-mouth advertisers, eh hem, I mean clients. If you find that you’re having trouble keeping clients try offering the following…

  • A referral program that gives your current customers an opportunity to earn a free print (or session) based on how many booked sessions you receive from their friends.
  • Set your prices to allow for “friends and family” discounts. People are always after a good deal, especially now with our poor economy. Set your prices so you are able to give a small discount to your friends and still make money from the session.

Overall, as a business owner you directly control the amount of business you receive. By being confident in yourself and your photography services, you have the ability to turn any one (whether friend or stranger) into a returning customer.