Appropriately marketing your photography business is an important part of growing and maintaining your clientele. Having a strong brand, keeping your website up to date, and maintaining a database of potential clients are the foundation for building your business’s marketing approach. Past that, creating an effective marketing plan requires consistency and intelligent usage of the many tools available to create a well-rounded campaign.
Below we’ll explore some of the many channels of marketing that can help you along the way.
Email Campaigns
There is no better tried-and-true marketing tool than email marketing. Not only is it a cost-effective way to reach hundreds of contacts at once, but many campaign management services have helpful features that allow you to see who is reading and engaging with your emails, and assess potential leads.
Direct Mail
While your email promotions can reach a broader section of your database, using physical mail for potential leads who have engaged with your email campaigns and shown interest can be a great way to connect further with them, tell your story and show off your creativity. Using direct mail is a great way to connect with higher priority and dream clients as well in a more personalized and special way, and is worth the extra time and effort.
Existing Clients
An important part of growing your client base is maintaining the relationships you’ve already built with past customers. As these clients already know you and your brand, connecting with them periodically helps to keep you on their radar. Sending an update quarterly is a great way to stay connected without being an overwhelming presence in their inbox.
Social Media
Another great opportunity to show your personality is through your business’s social media accounts. Social media platforms should be given just as much attention as your website and undoubtedly fall in line with your brand. As much as social media is a means of connecting with new or existing clients, it is also a fantastic way to connect with other creatives.
Special Promotions
A great way to cut through the everyday marketing noise is to create special promotions for your business. Feel free to get creative with how you structure your promotion as a way to show your personality, engage with your audience and generate interest. Creating a special event that involves interaction with your prime audience is a great way to start conversations and let your clients see another side of you.
Online Portfolios
One of the best online tools for photographers looking to expand their reach is the online portfolio. There are many websites, such as Found and At Edge, that allow creatives searching for talent to find your business by searching by location or by specialty. Do some research to see which sites would make for the best possible chance to reach your target audience. Finding out which sites other photographers that are doing the type of work you want to be doing are using is a great place to start.
Portfolio Reviews
The portfolio review is an important tool in a photographer’s arsenal. Being able to present who you are and what you do with a presentation of your work when connecting with ad agencies, reps, and potential clients, is a large part of expanding your business. Having your portfolio review presentation down tight is imperative.
Hiring a Professional
Juggling all of the different avenues within a marketing campaign can be overwhelming, and hiring a consultant can be a great way to iron out the finer details and ensure you are on the right path to run an effective campaign. Agency Access is one of many highly regarded companies available that can help you make the best possible decisions for your business.
SEO
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is a way to optimize your content so that it shows up first in search engine results relating to your business. SEO is a major factor for photographers who focus on business-to-business or corporate clients. It is not as critical for photographers who tend to focus on editorial or advertising, but it is still not something to ignore. Hiring an SEO consultant is a great way to ensure your business is getting its optimum results in web searches.
Kudos Emails
A great way to connect with other creatives is to send them a kudos email; This is a short message complimenting another creative on a piece of their work that you enjoy or inspires you. This can be on a project they have done in the past, or one that they are currently working on. Taking the time to write a thoughtful and genuine message can help gain a strong connection with your fellow creative, which is always a potential to lead to other work.
Building a smart marketing campaign for your growing photography business doesn’t have to be hard. Using the above mentioned resources to create an effective marketing strategy with a clear and refined message will make your photography business grow and attract the customers you want.