The photography business is booming in the US. Almost 300,000 photography businesses are registered in the US, but many more individuals are working on a freelance, client-focused basis and aren’t included in that statistic.
With the barrier to entry so low these days, anyone and everyone can get into photography. Luckily, there’s plenty of work to go around. But it’s still very competitive.
To make it as a photographer, you need to know how to market your photography business online to get steady work. So how is it done in the modern age? Read on below to find out now.
Your Website Is Your Portfolio
This first step is the most important. You need a personal website if you want potential clients to take you seriously
Your website is your portfolio, showing off all your best work and any high-profile clients that you’ve worked with in the past. It’s also how potential clients can contact you.
You need a clean and professional website that is optimized for mobile devices. Luckily, there are countless drag-and-drop platforms that make it super easy. Pixie Set is geared towards photographers, so consider that platform first. Otherwise, Squarespace and Wix are easy for beginners to use.
Make sure to create a page for each separate service that you offer. If you do portraits, and you also offer product photography, create a separate page with separate images and descriptions for each.
And don’t forget an “About Me” page. This is arguably the most important page on your website and will be one of the most visited. Photographers are a dime a dozen these days. And most can take great photos. What separates you from others is your personality. People want to hire people they like.
Create an About page that showcases your personality and values. Ideally, it repels certain types of clients and attracts others. You can’t appeal to everyone, so focus on appealing to your ideal client only.
The Right Social Media Platforms
Aside from having a website, social media is your best friend as a growing photographer. Your website is your home base. But your social media profiles and content act as your portfolio out in the wild. This is where potential clients will first see your work, and eventually come back to your website to take it a step further.
The best social media platforms for photographers are Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. You should also have a LinkedIn profile that is optimized. This is especially important if you want to attract corporate clients, but less important if you focus on family portraits or weddings.
When it comes to Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, each platform requires different content. TikTok is currently the hottest platform and allows for the most growth. Focus on creating native content for TikTok that can push people either to your Instagram account or website.
You can repurpose TikTok videos on Instagram reels. Aside from reels, you’ll want to post Instagram stories. And your static posts, which are the least important part of Instagram these days, can be your actual photography.
With all of your content, keep your ideal client in mind. If you’re an elopement photographer, you must post content that will attract engaged couples looking for a simple and adventurous wedding solution. This might mean visiting nearby locations that would be perfect for elopements, such as a beach, a mountaintop, a meadow, and so forth.
When it comes to Facebook these days, the best part is Groups. By being active in relevant Facebook Groups, you can connect with tons of potential clients and even land some paying gigs. The key is finding the right groups to spend time in.
Family photographers will find the most benefit from Mom-focused Facebook groups, for example.
Using Pinterest
Pinterest is less of a social media platform and more of a search engine. Because it’s focused on visuals, it’s perfect for photographers.
Create a business profile and link it to your website. Every pin that you create should link directly to a page on your website. The key is creating and posting pins on a regular basis. Eventually, they will get seen, shared, and saved by users, leading to a stream of traffic back to your website.
Paid Ads
Paid ads are definitely an option for photographers. Many new photographers rely on them to get their first clients and build up experience, reviews, and word of mouth. Over time, as they build their reputation, they can often move away from paid ads.
But if you’re new, you can try running cheap campaigns of $5 or $10 per day. The key is testing. You need to test and tweak your ads constantly to find out what works and what doesn’t.
Changing the wording slightly in your ads can have a big impact on your click-through rates. If you’re already making some money, this might be a good thing to outsource to an expert.
SEO
SEO is a worthwhile investment for photographers, but it requires a lot of work and time. To rank on the first page of Google for specific search results, you need to optimize your website for those keywords, and then get a ton of backlinks to your website.
This either requires a lot of time or money (and probably both). But once you achieve high rankings, they generally stay like that, resulting in consistent web traffic every month, potentially for years.
It’s not the best place to start marketing your business. But if you’re looking to take your business to the next level, it’s a good strategy.
Always Provide a First-Class Experience
There are countless ways to market your photography business these days. The most effective is word of mouth. If you have happy customers, they will inevitably tell their friends, family, and others in their network.
So the most important thing you can do is provide a first-class experience to all of your customers. Even if you are doing free or underpaid work, give it everything you’ve got. The returns on the other end will be worth it.
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