Growing your photography business can feel challenging, especially when you are starting from scratch. But it doesn’t have to be that way! You’ve got the amazing photography skills, and you need to share them with the world! Here are four ways you can begin marketing your photography business that worked for me!
1. Networking
Networking doesn’t have to be scary! It’s simply creating professional relationships. Reach out to photographers and others who inspire you. Make a goal to talk to 3 new people each week and keep a record of what you learned from them.
Think of specific questions you have for them. The more sincere your questions are, the more you will learn from these people. Ask them about their experience being a photographer and what they have learned along the way. The questions you choose to ask are completely up to you and are based on what you would like to learn from them.
You may be wondering how this will help you market your business. Well, let me tell you! Creating professional relationships will help you to increase awareness of your business, and help you learn and grow as a photographer.
Those who you have connections with will think of you when they, or someone they know, need your skills. Overall, these connections are mutually beneficial and focus on supporting and learning from each other.
We created an entire blog on networking alone that goes over the what, the why, and the how.
2. Social Media
The question marketers continually ask is, “Where is our target market, and how do we get there?” You can answer that question by analyzing your market. In this day and age, most people are on their phones. Everything you do revolves around one device, and most of the time spent on that device is on social media.
Having a presence on social media is essential to marketing your photography business. It allows you access right to your target market. How great is that? When social media users follow you, they lock into your content, meaning they agree to see your posts on their feed. This is great for your business because you now have an engaged audience; they have added themselves to your target market!
Your posts do not all have to be specific to your photography business. As you post, you are creating your brand. If something fits well with your brand and communicates what you want, post it! Your social media platforms tell the story of your business. You are the author of the story, so make it how you want it!
For more insights, check out Jenna Kutcher, the queen of marketing. She has a phenomenal podcast episode about building a brand. She offers great advice that is worth the listen!
Anna’s favorite social media platform is Pinterest! Not only because it’s a beautiful, inspirational, lifestyle platform, but it sends a lot of people to her website. It is the most reliable source for new customers, too!
3. Free
Free may sound crazy! But, if you are a new business, offering a free shoot will help you build your portfolio and establish relationships. The better your portfolio looks, the more people will want you as their photographer.
When you have free promotions, you are giving people the opportunity to fall in love with your business. If they had a good experience with your business, they are more likely to share it with others!
Did you catch that freebie inserted above? #genius
Here’s another example of one of Anna’s freebies she uses to draw people in!
4. Create Goals and a Business Plan
Knowing all that you have to do to market and run your business may seem daunting. You may be wondering if it is even worth it. It is! One way to feel less overwhelmed and make the tasks more manageable is through creating goals and a plan for how you will achieve them.
You have probably heard the elephant analogy. When you see how big an elephant is, you realize there is no way you can eat the whole thing! But when you break it down into smaller pieces, it becomes manageable. (I have always hated this analogy, but you get it!) The same goes for marketing your photography business.
Write down the tasks at hand, break them down, then plan your days out to reach those goals. Adjust as needed. Not so bad!
Anna uses Honeybook to help me plan out everything with her clients. IT’S A HUGE TIMESAVER. Honeybook is offering you a 50% off coupon or just sign up for a free trial before committing to the full package.
For those goal setters and planners out there, Honeybook is CRUCIAL to any small business!
One Thing to Remember
It is important to remember that everything takes time! Putting in the effort now to promote your business will pay off later. It is like the snowball effect: it starts small but grows bigger and bigger over time. You will thank yourself later for the time and dedication you put into your business.
And, hey, you have already done the hardest part – deciding that you will run your own photography business! Some people miss opportunities due to fear or uncertainty. So, don’t let yourself miss out on this cool opportunity. It is never too late to start your own photography business or to promote it. You can do it! You will be a marketing pro at the end of this!
If you need any help marketing your business, contact me!
