How to Market and Promote your Photography Business
There’s a lot to learn about photography, but there’s a lot to learn about marketing as well, and if you really want to grow your business and make a good living as a photographer, then it’s important to understand the basics about how to attract new clients. In this article, we’ll go over everything you need to know about marketing and promoting your photography services so that you can spend less time looking for work and more time with your camera.
Keep reading to learn:
- How to create a great portfolio
- How to set up a winning website
- How to leverage social media
- How to attract new clients online
- And much more
How to create a portfolio
As a professional photographer, your portfolio is your resume, and it's important to make sure it's the best it can be. But how do you do that? Well, there are a few things that all great portfolios have in common. So, let’s go over a few guidelines for creating a photography portfolio online.
Focus on Instagram
When it comes to promoting your photography business, Instagram is king. Social media, in general, is one of the best methods for showcasing your work and attracting new clients, but Instagram is the only social platform focused specifically on photography. In other words, your Instagram is your portfolio. By uploading your best photos to Instagram, you can build a following of people who like your work and are interested in your services. Take a look at @VanityandGlory on Instagram as an example.
Only show your best work
The trick to building a great portfolio on Instagram is to only show your very best work. You don’t want to post every shot you take; only the best of the best photos you capture should get uploaded to your portfolio on Instagram. By only showcasing your best photos, you can get people more excited about working with you and establish yourself as an expert in the industry. @SeanLaraPhotography on Instagram is a great example.
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Use the right hashtags
Hashtags are almost as important as your photos. People find you based on the hashtags you use, so you want to make sure that you do some keyword research and include relevant hashtags that you already know people are searching for.
Try to include a few hashtags that let people know you're a professional photographer, as well as some hashtags related to the content of your photos; by doing this, you'll begin to attract clients to your Instagram, which is how you land paid work from your social media efforts as a photographer.
For more Instagram tips check out our article: The Instagram Guide for the Professional Photographer
How to set up a winning website
Building a great portfolio on Instagram is a must for any professional photographer, but your website is the other half of the equation. Without a well-optimized website, you'll be missing out on a ton of money, so let's go over how to build a winning photography website that attracts a steady stream of paying clients.
How to get a website up and running
There are a few different ways to go about building a website, but these days the best option is to use a no-code website builder, such as Wix, Squarespace, or Weebly. These sites, and others like them, allow people with no technical knowledge of coding to create stunning websites visually, using drag and drop elements.
Best of all, you can make a website for free on many of these sites. That said, it’s still worth upgrading to the premium version so that you can choose your own domain name. But you do need a website, so you might as well make one the easiest way possible. Plus, in most cases, you can get your website online within a couple of hours, rather than waiting weeks or months for a developer to build the site for you.
What to include on your website?
There are a number of things you definitely want to feature on any photography website. Let’s go over the most important elements of a winning photography website now.
Your Photos
Of course, you want to show off your photos, and the best way to do this is by linking your site with your Instagram feed so that when you upload a new photo to Instagram, it automatically gets posted to your website. You can easily link your Instagram with your website on most website-building platforms, or if you are using WordPress, there are tons of free plugins that can accomplish this.
Your Services
You also want to include a list of your services so that people know what they can hire you for. It's up to you whether or not you want to include pricing information, if you're a beginner, it might be good to show your pricing on the website, but if you are an experienced photographer with a great portfolio, then it might be best to avoid giving your rates online so that you can negotiate on a per-client basis.
A Blog
You also want to have a blog, as this is the best way to attract people to your website. When people search for something online, Google will scour the internet for web pages containing the words they searched for; these are known as keywords. So, by including blog posts and articles that contain trending keywords on your website, you can generate organic traffic and find new clients online. Browse our blog here.