There has been a shift in the photography industry over the past couple of years. Many consider themselves photographers based on the ability to use a smartphone and a few filters. This has led to increased competition and pricing pressure on photography studios. The good news is that due to the nature of photography, you can still stand out from the crowd with targeted digital marketing.
Few fields offer as much from a visual point of view, and this allows for a wide scope of options for displaying your skills to potential clients. However, a diligent and consistent approach to your marketing efforts will help you stand out. It is also one of the most cost-effective ways to ensure that people see your work and for you to gain customers.
Let’s start with the non-visual options: SEO & PPC.
SEO (search engine optimization) is a process that will help your site to be found on Google and other search engines when people search for services related to your business. It would not focus on general terms like “photography’ but rather on “food photography”, for example.
Targeting a word like “photography” will pit you against a large group of competitors, and it might very well be that people searching are not looking for what you sell. They might want to learn more about photography and get into the business, about specific cameras and lenses, and a small group might be interested in your “food photography”.
On the other hand, if you focus on a term like “food photography”, it is not difficult to figure out who you will get coming to your site.
PPC (pay-per-click advertising) works similarly, but you pay for ads to appear in the search results. Optimized correctly, it can drive a steady stream of customers to your business.
The overall costs of gaining these customers will be far higher than SEO.
The visual options are, however, a lot more interesting.
Options like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest allow you to display your photos (and videos) to really showcase your work. It is a beautiful way to build a following and interact with people regularly.
Videos of your process and some of your work will also be a hit on YouTube, TikTok, and a couple of other social networks.
Both mediums will help potential customers clearly understand what you do and steadily grow your brand.
It depends.
It all depends on where your business is at now. Do you have an online presence? Is it mainly through your website or social media? What are your business goals?
All of these can be answered by having a simple discussion. All businesses are unique in their journey. Digital marketing can help make that journey much smoother for your photography business.
