Learn simple and easy ways to market your photography business to the right audience so you can start shooting more sessions! These tips work no matter what photography niche you are in.
Photography has been a vastly growing business for many years. From the classic wedding photographer to the well structured landscaping photographer, photography has been a way for people to make a decent living.
You may be new or well seasoned to photography, but there may be an area in which is causing you to struggle. The most common struggle someone will have is how to properly market their photography business.
Properly marketing your photography business will not only help you get growth with new customers, but it will also help you to get higher quality customers as well.
There are many ways you can market your photography business. The best way to do it is to start with knowing what your particular “photography niche” is. This is important because it will help you market to the right type of audience for your potential customers.
Some of the most common and successful photography niches are:
- Wedding/Engagement Photography
- Newborn/Family Photography
- Business/Headshot Photography
- Modeling/Advertising Photography
- Landscaping/Architectural Photography
Related: The Importance of Target Market Research
Marketing Your Photography Business on Social Media
Before even marketing on social media, you need to know who your target audience is. This is help you to determine what platform you should spend the most time on.
As a general rule, Linked In is for the professional audience. So if you focus on company photos, headshots, real estate photography, or drone photography this may be a good place to start.
If you are looking to promote family photography, weddings, newborn shoots, and modeling, Facebook or Instagram would be the best place to start.
There’s no way you can master all platforms from the beginning. So choose the platform you like the best and are most familiar with.
Related: Your Business Needs TikTok: Here’s How to Use It
Marketing Photography on Facebook and Instagram
Instagram works really well for photographers, because eye-catching photos is what Instagram is built on. However, it takes more than just a pretty image to actually land sales in your business.
Here are some tips to try to get more eyes on your Instagram account and eventually have posts and are ranked in the top section for certain hashtags.
- Use 30 hashtags, but no more than that. Usually more than 30 are against Instagram’s Terms of Service.
- Use location specific hashtags if you are trying to book sessions locally.
- Do not go after hashtags that have millions of posts, you will never rank and you are just wasting hashtags that you could be using more efficiently.
- Make reels! Reels is Instagram’s newest feature and small accounts are seeing tons of growth, because there are really pushing for people to post these.
- Think of hashtags your potential clients are searching for rather than just describing your photo.
- Be consistent!
- Optimize your bio to entice your audience.
Now, let’s talk about Facebook.
One of the most important things is to be consistent, however, if you are using Instagram as your primary platform starting out, use a scheduler just to have a presence on your page.
Most people of the millennial generation and up use Facebook more than any other social media channel. So if they search your photography business on Facebook, you will want to have something on there.
Going live on a weekly basis and creating stories is a great way to nurture your audience and definitely get more views and likes in the beginning.
Be engaging! When people comment on your posts, don’t just leave them hanging.
Try to get your previous clients to leave reviews on your photography business page. This makes you look more reputable to potential clients.
With these two strategies you will have the best marketing skills to take your photography business to new heights.
Marketing Your Photography Business at Local Events
Depending on what your photography niche is, local events can really drum up the business. Think about wedding expos, trade shows, local festivals, and maybe even becoming a member of your local chamber of commerce.
At these types of events, drawings for free sessions are a great way to start creating a warm audience! Even better is to grab their email and start nurturing through their inbox.
This keeps you fresh in their mind. So while they may not need photography services right now, if you are consistent, most likely they will use you in the future.
Google Ads for Photography Businesses
We recommend Google Ads if you are located in a populated city or metro area. Over time, you will find your phone ringing more often and booking more leads.
This is a little more complicated compared to marketing through social media, so we recommend partnering with an agency to help.
Use Google My Business
Every local business should have a free Google My Business Listing. While this type of marketing and SEO strategy is a long term game, it sure does help! Direct your clients to leave Google reviews and this will help you more up in rankings.
Always make sure your listing shows the correct hours, phone number, and other information so your customers aren’t misled.
Remember, with any business it takes time, dedication and persistence to truly meet your full potential. You may have rejection here and there, but if you continue to show the world you have a quality service to provide them, you will get customers who will see that.
