Advertising your Photography Business

So you’ve decided to start your photography business! One of the biggest questions you’re probably asking yourself is how to find clients. Before you start advertising and throw money out the window on traditional advertising methods like putting ads in the local paper, consider a few different ways to advertise to gain a client base.  Be prepared to put in a lot of effort to start building your client base.  Advertising is not easy and may require a lot of work before results start to show.  In a world full of photographers, there is a lot of competition for clients, so understand that you need to go the extra mile in order to stand out.

Post Images on Social Media

Social media platforms are excellent ways to start advertising your business. Create a page for your photography business and upload your images to Facebook, Instagram, or other platforms. After having a photo shoot, upload some pictures to Facebook and tag your clients in them. This is a great way to connect with recent clients and also advertise your business to their “friends.”

Start a Blog

Blogging gives you a chance to update your website frequently and optimize your website for search engines. Using SEO (search engine optimization) can dramatically improve your rankings on Google and increase the chances of it being seen in Google searches. With any business, you want to make an effort to improve your online presence. For more information on SEO, check out this previous post.

In addition to SEO, having a blog can help in other ways. Writing posts for your blog (and even other social media platforms) gives you a chance to be personal. On your blog you are able to share your story or write about your photo shoots and interactions with other clients. Being personal connects you with your readers and shows that you are more than simply another business.

Network with Professionals

Networking is one of the biggest keys to having a thriving photography business. A beneficial method of doing this is to network with other local professionals who own various types of businesses.  There are many groups where businesses get together to help each other thrive in the professional world.  Each business can help promote another business and in turn help each other to gain more clients. This business loyalty will definitely help to get your name out in the community.

Offer Your Services to the Community

When I talk to other photographers around Raleigh, NC about advertising, they always say that one of the best ways to spread the word about your business is through community service. While you probably won’t be getting paid for this type of gig, offering your services for community events and non-profits has other great benefits. Word of mouth is a powerful method of advertising, and shooting photos for non-profits is a great way to get your name out there. I had a friend who offered photography services for one non-profit community event in Raleigh through which she met and gained her first clients to kick off her now thriving business. In any town or city, there are always community events or non-profits in need of a photographer who will gladly accept your services. If you’re willing to sacrifice some time and energy towards community service, find a place or event that will let you take pictures. Even if it doesn’t initially result in a client, it is still a way of getting your foot in the door and networking with potential clients.

There are so many ways you can advertise your new photography business! Don’t just limit yourself to the ideas I’ve outlined here, but try to find unique and effective ways to gain clients for your business. Keep in mind that advertising takes time and gaining a good reputation is not something that happens overnight. Put in effort and be consistent and your results will start to pay off.