Operating a successful photography business can be incredibly challenging. Not only do you, as an artist, need to take into consideration all the technical and artistic demands of your shoots and projects, you also have to consider the demands of a business.
Marketing is one area that many professional photographers fail to make the most of, even though there are opportunities in this department for artistic expression and to display your work. In this article, we have put together a list of tips that any professional photographer can use to help them market their photography business.
Work at Local Events for Free, Use Them to Network and Advertise
In any community, there is a near-constant stream of events such as farmer’s markets or parades that need ‘coverage’ for local government promotional materials and websites.
If you offer your services for free and begin to build relationships with local business leaders and members of your local government, this creates an opportunity to market your business and make new contacts.
You can also cover local sporting events, like high school football. For events like these, you should use an action camera, as they provide clear video quality of faced-paced football plays or sprinters on an athletics track.
Use a Website to Show Off Your Talent
People are using the internet as their primary tool for commerce, and if you don’t have a website you will struggle to generate enough business to cover your overheads.
A website for a professional photographer is more than just a place to advertise, it is a gallery of your work and expertise. Here you can display a wide range of work, showing that you have a unique eye for composition in many kinds of situations.
You can display examples of wedding photography in separate galleries to corporate events, helping you target different markets from the same site.
Don’t Be Afraid to be Aggressive with Your Advertising
The visual aspect of advertising is hugely important, and many of your favorite brands and products have images that are stuck in your mind, carefully placed there by clever advertising.
Marketing your photography business involves showcasing your unique skills and specialties. For instance, if you’re a Wedding Photographer Northampton, highlighting your expertise and experience in this specific area can help attract potential clients who are looking for a professional to capture their special day in Northamptonshire.
As a professional photographer, you have an opportunity to blend your artistic talents with your entrepreneurial spirit to generate interest and intrigue with clever advertising. With a coherent campaign spread across many advertising mediums, including social media, any business can generate a lot of local interest quickly.
Don’t limit yourself to the internet, however, as local print media is incredibly important to professional photographers, and can offer incredible value for money.
Put Words to Your Pictures
A picture may speak a thousand words, but if you are going to effectively market your professional photography business, you are going to need to put some words out there about yourself and your business.
Operating and regularly maintaining a blog is a great way to generate online engagement and provide your website with content. You can write about your business and the types of shoots you have been doing; which is marketing by stealth. By writing about your experiences as a professional photographer you are also talking about your experience and skills.
You don’t have to just talk about business either. In a blog, you could cover your artistic interests outside of photography, or offer helpful advice to amateurs with photographer hints and tips and advice on equipment.
An interest in photography can quickly develop into a professional business, but if you fail to market and successfully operate any business it is likely to fail. By taking steps like these, any photographer can market their skills and build a customer base that will help their business to grow.