Having the most memorable moment of your life captured to cherish forever is a beautiful feeling.
Memories are made timeless with photographs that you can revisit at any time. Creating those memories for couples can be a rewarding job.
That said, the wedding photography business is an incredibly competitive platform. This era is brimming with photographers, readily available to the common masses.
If you want your photography business to boom, you have to stand out and develop your skills.
Show people why you would be the perfect choice for their special day. And what better way to do it than marketing it online?
The internet is a powerful marketing tool that you can use to your advantage to attract clients.
Marketing Your Wedding Photography Business – Why The Internet?
Print media is becoming a thing of the past in the marketing industry. The costs involved with promoting businesses in newspapers and magazines are also high.
A study shows that there are 4.95 billion users on the internet as of 2022. That is more than half the population of the world.
Building a robust online presence is the best way to connect with people worldwide. It helps you target the right audience, in a short period, in the comfort of your home.
You can set up yourself as a skilled photography professional by establishing an internet presence.
Having a beautiful online portfolio will significantly increase the quantity of business you get.
Social media allows people from all over the world to connect instantly, which may be beneficial to artists and viewers.
Of course, for professional photographers and filmmakers, social media may be one of the most powerful tools if used correctly and with the platforms’ algorithms.
However, it may also be a very valuable option for beginners.
The following is a detailed list of how you can start marketing your photography business online.
1. Choose Your Audience
To attract the clients you want, you have to know your audience. Analyze the needs of your potential clients and personalize your business accordingly.
Some factors you can consider are the price range you offer, your ability to travel, and the types of events you can shoot.
Study their habits, the city they live in, their income level, and even their age group.
Have a strong niche that can help market you as a brand. This will help your clients find you when they are surfing the internet.
Every photographer has a unique client type.
Choosing the right ones will help you connect with them and feel appreciated. Your job becomes enjoyable and fulfilling.
Following the selection of an audience, it is critical to create content that will be appealing to that audience.
Because it’s a noisy market, the content should be direct and immediately engaged with your target audience.
The best way to do this is to start thinking solely about your consumer or through their perspective.
Add emotions to your content to express your empathy. Customers are more likely to react if they have an emotional connection to the content.
2. Create A Client Guide
A client guide can help you save time in answering tons of queries via emails or social media.
It educates your clients on the type of work you do. It can also attract potential clients who want to invest in your business.
You can easily create a client guide in the form of a pdf.
To educate your existing clients, add all the information, recommendations, and details they need to know.
To attract potential clients, include FAQs and examples of your work. You can also incorporate discounts to motivate them to book you.
Stick to a color palette and a theme for your client guide to be more effective. The guide can include suggested schedules for:
- best lighting,
- venue recommendations,
- florists,
- event planners,
- make-up artists,
- wedding photography posing ideas,
- wardrobe color guidance, and
- so on, all accompanied by beautiful photographic examples from your collection.
Make sure you capture their email address in exchange for the free guide so you may contact them by newsletter or personal message.
When emailing, include some further tips, a blog post recommendation, a special discount, or an invitation to a conference call to discuss.
3. Connect With Local Vendors
Networking is essential to creating a strong base. Simply interacting with the other vendors in the event like the DJ, the catering team, and the event managers can create many opportunities.
They will recommend you to their prospects. You can also make them a part of your team by including them in your client guide.
Since your target audience is the same, tag them in your social media posts, and you will receive recognition from their side.
This gives you free advertising in a relevant community. You can also mail images of the venue and decor to the vendors.
Most of them lack good quality images, so they will post yours on their social media and credit you by linking your website.
This also creates backlinks for your website and boosts your SEO. Collaborating with other photographers can also help you build your clients.
There are many communities on Facebook where photographers share their inspiration, ideas, and tips. Many job opportunities are also posted, which you can apply for.
4. Use Instagram To Your Advantage
Posting on Instagram can increase your following and help you reach a wider audience.
They allow you to interact with the clients even before signing a project.
Don’t post all at once, flooding your feed.
Post once daily, giving a glimpse to your followers without overwhelming them. Make the most out of hashtags.
Think of what hashtags the potential clients and vendors might be looking for. These are great marketing tools.
If you are posting a reel, it is best to use trending music.
The reels with trending music reach out to more people, according to the new Instagram algorithm. Tagging your clients in posts can also increase your reach.
Your clients will, in turn, share your post, and their friends and family will get introduced to your platform.
You can now post a reel in collaboration with the new feature. Such reels are placed in your feed as well as the feed of a collaborator, resulting in a large number of views.
However, consistently posting is key to establishing your presence when it comes to social media.
This can pose a problem when you are busy with shoots and preparations. Pausing your work to keep up with your posts can be inefficient.
Lucky for you, you can automate your posts.
Automation tools like Upleap and Kicksta for Instagram can schedule posts and likes and generate comments. All you have to do is plan the content ahead of time and schedule its posting.
5. Do Styled Shoots
Styled shoots require a lot of detail and are fun to execute. These shoots tell a story and allow you to explore different skill sets.
The exciting part is selecting the site, which could be art galleries for artists, a barn, the beach, or a garden.
These different concepts add weight to your portfolio and attract new types of clients that you haven’t already worked with.
A strong team with the same aesthetic can help you deliver the concept you visualized.
Putting together a mood board is crucial to getting everyone on the crew on board with your idea. You can get the images from Pinterest.
You can add pictures of the color scheme, lighting, location, and theme. Models also play an essential role in enhancing the whole shoot.
Hire models comfortable with your theme and who know their way around a shoot.
Additionally, preparing a short list in advance can save you time and keep you organized. Think of poses and the type of image you want to take well in advance.
6. Feature In Wedding Blogs
Many photographers start their careers by featuring in blogs. Getting featured in high-profile blogs requires much work, but it is worth it. You have to grab the blogger’s attention.
This requires reading their blogs and familiarizing yourself with their niche before you submit your work. It is also essential to check the guidelines for submission for each blogger.
Every blogger will have a different set of standards that has to be met.
Mentioning your previous work experience with a blog can also help you stand out.
You can start with local blogs and then branch out to international ones. Some blogs conduct different contests for photographers.
To participate, you have to submit your work. If selected, you can win prestigious awards, which generate a lot of traffic for your website from potential clients.
Marketing Your Wedding Photography Business – Final Thoughts
Once you establish your strengths as a photographer, you will gain the recognition you deserve.
Remember that clients are everything in this business, and catering to them should be your priority.
Creating a trusted clientele might take some time, but it is beneficial. With patience and perseverance, you can go to great heights in your career.
