Gain New Clients this Holiday Season as a Professional Photographer

The holidays are a time when families come together, and many choose to create new memories with a portrait. This means that as a professional photographer there is plenty of work to be found. The abundance of work is recognized by other photographers as well, and the competition can be a bit fierce this time of year.
If you want to fill up your schedule and gain new clients over the holidays, you’ll need to market yourself and stand out from the crowd. But how do you do this? Well, there are a few proven strategies that you can use, and that’s what we’ll be looking at in this article.
Keep reading for six tips on how to gain new photography clients this holiday season.

1. Create a Compelling Marketing Plan

The first step to marketing yourself as a professional photographer is to create a compelling marketing plan. You may want to focus on one or two strategies, or you may want to try a few different tactics at once. Either way, what matters is that you create a marketing plan and implement it. 
Remember, you can be the best photographer in the world, but if nobody knows about you, you'll never make much money. A marketing plan is important for every business, and your photography business is no exception.
Some key components of a good marketing plan include:

• Content Marketing
• Video Marketing
• Social Media Marketing
• Email Marketing
• And Networking

By taking advantage of all these different methods, you can create a diverse and effective marketing plan that will help you gain new clients for your photography business not just over the holidays, but all year long. This is the key to growing your business and taking your income to the next level.

2. Promote a Giveaway Contest

One way to stand out from the crowd this holiday season is to promote a giveaway contest. You can offer a free portrait session or prints to one lucky winner. This is something that people would love to get during the holidays. You can promote the contest on your website, social media pages, or even on flyers.
Contests like this are a great way to not only market yourself but also to get new reviews and testimonials which is important. If someone reads about how happy another person was with your services, they will be more likely to book a holiday photoshoot with you as well. This is a great way to gain new clients, as well as nurture the clients you already have and reward their loyalty with a gift.

3. Take Advantage of Social Media

Social media is a great way to market yourself and gain new photography clients during the holidays. It’s a cost-effective way to reach a lot of potential clients, and you can do it from the comfort of your own home.
The trick is to post as often as you can without annoying your followers. It’s okay to promote yourself, but you should always be posting valuable content, that people will enjoy viewing. Posting a post once a day or every other day is a great cadence to strive for. This will great a strong digital presence where your followers are recognizing your content and may start to look forward to your posts.
It’s also important to share your content on a few different social media platforms. This could include: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and TikTok. Just be sure to share your best content. You don’t want to share everything you have. Choose the best photos and posts that people will want to engage with.

4. Send Out Holiday Cards

Another way to market yourself and gain new clients during the holidays is to send out holiday cards. You can send them out to past clients, family members, and people in your network. Keep in mind, you will want to send these cards right after Thanksgiving, with the hope that a few people want last minute photo sessions before the holidays.
Try to include a handwritten note, as well as your business card, and you will be sure to impress people. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but it does need to be memorable. Make sure your message is clear and to the point, and that you are offering your services through the Holiday season. You can even include a special offer, to give people an added incentive to book with you.

5. Go to Networking Events

Another way to market yourself and gain new clients during the holidays is to go to networking events. There are lots of networking events throughout the year, and some might host special events during the holidays too. You should attend these events and speak with other photographers; Who knows? You may even gain some new clients at the event.   
That said, you should use these events wisely. You don’t want to come across as desperate or salesy. Take an interest in other photographers, and casually mention your services when the time is right. You may even want to consider hosting your own networking event at your studio. This can be a great way to meet other photographers and drum up some referrals.

6. Convert Holiday Clients into Year-Round Clients

Finally, you should try to convert new holiday clients into year-round clients. This is something that you should always be doing anyway, but you should try to do it even more during the holidays. Make sure to get your clients’ contact information at the end of every session and follow up with them in a timely manner.
Be sure to give them plenty of options when it comes to booking their next appointment and try to offer them a discounted rate if they are booking during the holidays. Remember, people have big expenses over the holidays, so if you can offer them a good price, they’ll be much more likely to book a session.

Conclusion

The holidays are a busy time of year for photographers, and there are plenty of new clients to be found. But, if you want to gain new clients during the holidays, you’ll need to market yourself effectively. You should start by creating a compelling marketing plan, and then choose a few strategies that you will implement on a consistent basis.
Be sure to share your content on all social media platforms, go to networking events, and follow up with new customers to try to convert them into year-round clients. By doing these things, you'll be able to grow your photography business over the holidays and position yourself well for the new year ahead.
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