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How to Get Photography Clients – Content Marketing, In-Person & Social


You’ve gathered your photos that showcase your best work, you’ve registered your domain for free and created a portfolio using HostPapa’s WordPress hosting plans. Congratulations. Now, how do you get photography clients?

There are a number of ways, but we are going to focus on three of them: in-person marketing, social media marketing – both organic and paid – and content marketing.

Before diving into the world of social media, it’s important to remember that while having an online presence is important, so, too, is making connections in the real world.

Check out our Full Guide to Making Money with Photography Online

Photography is personal. Anyone can pick up a smartphone and take a picture. But people looking to hire a photographer value the importance of finding the right person who has the mix of technical knowledge and the personality to capture moments in time.

How to get photography clients is about showing people who you are and what you are about. It’s also known as building your brand.

Before you market yourself, you need to know who you are marketing to or your ideal client. What is your ideal client’s age, working identity, gender, wealth, and hobbies? By understanding the type of client you want to serve, the easier it will be to market your business to them.

So how do you get photography clients?

You get out there.

Collaborate with local businesses by offering to take photos of their pets or frame your photo so they can hang on the walls of local businesses. Volunteer to take photos at events. Donate your work to silent auctions or host a booth at a community event. This helps get your brand out there and show people you’re an active member of their community.

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This is important because when it comes to photography, it’s personal.

People are hiring you because they like your work, but also because they like you. This is also why referrals are important. Encourage your friends and family to recommend you. Offer a referral promotion. Word-of-mouth is a powerful marketing tool.

Business cards – but better

When you do meet someone, make sure you have something to give them. As a photographer, your business card should be as creative as you are. Create something that pops and showcases your images in a unique way.

Another way to showcase your work is by building a portfolio on your website.

Many people use Google to find prospective photographers. Ensure your website is search engine optimized (SEO) and offers potential clients what they need.

Pages to include are:

Portfolio.

Don’t include every photo you have ever taken. People don’t want go through dozens of photographs showing different brides in the same pose. Instead, pick pieces that showcase the variety of your work so clients can figure out quickly what you do and whether your style matches their own.

Contact me.

Make it easy to connect with you. Include your phone number and email address. Link your social media to your website.

About Me.

Make your about me page robust and creative. Include volunteer work and other community involvement.

Blog.

Use your blog as an opportunity to showcase yourself as an expert by providing tips and tricks to help potential clients become better photographers. This is called content marketing.

Content marketing

Content marketing helps you create an interest in your products without blatantly promoting your brand. By sharing content online, you are showing potential clients the person behind the brand.

Once you have written your blog post, ensure it’s search engine optimized. With HostPapa’s WordPress hosting plans, Jetpack for WordPress is automatically included, which helps you optimize your website and blog. We are currently giving photographers an additional 15% off on WordPress Hosting to help them build their portfolios right away!

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Share your content marketing pieces on social media.

Social media

Social media should be more than promoting your business. In fact, there’s a Rule of Thirds that says a third of your time should be interacting with others on social media; a third should be sharing industry news or tips your readers may want to know (content marketing); while the final third offers you a chance to promote your product.

Before signing up for all social media platforms, you should remember there is actually no rule to suggest that doing so is how to find photography clients. In fact, it’s better to pick one or two platforms where you know your ideal client will be and use those platforms well.

So if moms are your target audience, how you find photography clients may be by joining mom or neighbourhood Facebook groups and participating in the conversation, which helps grow your social media numbers and increase the number of people who know you organically.

In addition to being on social media sites where your ideal clients are, you should also follow people who are important to your industry – fellow photographers, businesses and brands, and influencers who target your ideal client.

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This is particularly important if you would like to be an influencer: a person who uses their power to encourage potential buyers to purchase a product or service by showcasing it on their platforms.

In order to show you are interested in becoming an influencer, you need to find a niche, something you are considered an expert in, and by posting relevant content consistently. And let brands know you are open to collaborations.

While finding clients organically is important, due to social media algorithms that put value on individuals or groups, it’s become more important for you to put paid social media advertising into your marketing plan.

Each social media platform offers an opportunity for business owners to advertise to their ideal client.

People can boost a post on Facebook and Instagram or purchase ads on Twitter, Snapchat, and Linked.

The best way to find photography clients is marketing – in-person, content marketing, and social media, organically or paid. The easiest way to fail in finding photography clients is by not putting marketing into your schedule. Marketing takes time and energy. But it’s also the best way to find photography clients.

Happy marketing.

Gemma Saunders is a freelance copywriter and published author based in Hampshire. She has a first-class honours in BA Creative and Professional Writing and has a passion for all forms of content creation.

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