How To Get More Photography Clients?
What is the best way to get photography clients? Getting more clients from the internet for your photography business revolves around creating a website and advertising your business through social media channels and various platforms.
Sounds like a pretty clear roadmap to get photography jobs – but only from first sight!
There is a lot of marketing and technical work involved and we are eager to explain to you how to tackle these tasks.
Create a photography portfolio website
A demonstration of your photography skills and artistic approach is the best promotion of your business. It goes without saying that you need to have a photography portfolio online to impress your clients.
What should a photography portfolio include?
So what are the most crucial aspects of a portfolio and how to create it?
- Show your most robust and creative work, of course in the best quality. Categorize and organize your best images and choose those that resonate with your target audiences to create a strong portfolio. Make a clear visual difference between portraits, landscapes, and events, use clear labels for each image, and consider including short captions that add context – this is good for potential customers and SEO, too!
- Pricing and contact area. A clearly visible contact section with multiple options (phone, email, contact form) makes it easier for prospects to contact you and discuss any questions. As for pricing, don’t hide it; the pricing page avoids wasting client’s time (and yours) with inquiries if their budget doesn’t align with your services.
- Take care of a perfect mobile version of your site. Many people looking for a photographer for any event browse the internet from their phone while making breakfast or buying coffee in the nearest coffee stand. That’s why you must ensure your portfolio website works flawlessly on smartphones and tablets, with images optimized for smaller screens.
What are the best photography website builders?
You can find many website builders online for multipurpose niches, yet for photographers, we have 3 recommendations:
WordPress: This is the #1 website builder in the world, and what makes it especially affordable and usable for photographers is the biggest range of astonishing design solutions, affordability, and numerous handy tools, such as appointment scheduling software or e-commerce capabilities with built-in plugins.
Squarespace: Squarespace is a bit more expensive on average than WordPress but its complete focus on design makes it a great choice for those businesses that put a portfolio and visuals in the first place in the list. It also has the Acuity scheduling tool built-in to simplify online bookings.
Zenfolio: This website builder provides web templates and e-commerce features created exclusively for photographers. Thanks to a complete deduction to the photography business, this solution provides regular tips on how to get clients for photography.
How to tackle image SEO?
SEO is so important for making your site properly visible on the internet that you can’t ignore it. In addition to standard on-page optimization, you need to pay special attention to optimizing images so that customers can also find them in Image Search. Here is a list of tips that MOZ recommends:
- Use high-quality, original images.
- Compress images to improve website loading speed.
- Choose the right file format, depending on the necessity for high resolution.
- Optimize image file names by including relevant keywords.
- Ensure all branding reads left-to-right.
- Identify or create a selfie hotspot to encourage user-generated content.
Add a photography session booking system
Once a perfect photography portfolio is created, SEO is in place, and people start exploring your website on the internet, it’s time to monetize your photography online portfolio with the right tools to get more photography clients.
The session booking software is one of the best ways to do that.
It won’t just help you organize your schedule in the automatic fashion, but will also help your clients have the convenience of smooth and secure online experiences. Choosing a free date and time, and then even paying online, is the desired experience for many clients.
The choice of the solution will depend on the platform you use and how well it integrates with your chosen booking software. For example, with BookingPress, which is designed exclusively for WordPress, you can even allow photography clients to choose the number of people for the session, choose a location and photographer, or even select the session duration they need. As a photographer, you can shape those experiences even further to your needs by creating discounts for unpopular daytimes.
What’s more, you can even rent out your studio with this software, no need to be physically present. There are so many business and scheduling scenarios that you can make real and working for your photography business.
Using a photography booking plugin won’t just help you make things fully automated for your business, it’s also a decent marketing and monetization solution that helps you thrive and solve many advertising tasks without a need to even think of marketing tactics.
Get listed on external platforms to boost visibility
A website is a central thing in your photography business, but it’s not enough. For boosted visibility, find and connect as many more external websites and platforms as needed. Quantity matters here but make sure that you give attention to every channel.
So, how to get more photography clients using Instagram and other platforms?
- Social media: Instagram, as one of the most popular image-centered social networks, helps you get clients online with such instruments as stop-motion videos, how-to-videos for sharting editing tips and tutorials, Instagram stories, and more. But don’t stop on Instagram, you can also employ Facebook to use Meta for appointment scheduling or X (Twitter) for short announcements and connections.
- Local listing services: Claim your profile on Google Business Profile or other online directories relevant to photographers in your area. Add the best high-quality photos to your profile with clear service descriptions. Don’t forget to include positive client reviews.
- Freelance marketplaces: Platforms like Fiverr or Upwork can be a great boost to showcasing your portfolio and services. For example, photographers on Fiverr provide a range of photography-related services in addition to capturing photos. These services include photo retouching and background removal, among others.
Develop your brand and connections
Create your brand to get more photography clients – this is the best way to have a forward-looking approach in any business.
Develop a consistent brand
People love brands with values, so it’s smart to create a brand narrative that effectively conveys your core beliefs, character, and unique selling points. This narrative should be present in social media captions, website content, and client communications. Cultivate a loyal following with customer testimonials and providing exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
Start serving other niches
Think of those types of customers you have not thought of before. Are you a wedding photographer? Think of non-wedding clientele examples for a photographer, such as small business branding or music band photography. Diversify your portfolio and you’ll surely find more clients, let alone develop more skills as a photographer.
Collaborations and paid ads
Reach out to brands, partner with other creatives or businesses, or even buy ads on social media, search engines, or even from influencers.
Summing up: How to get more photography clients?
“How to get photography clients?” is a question of resources, expertise, and time. It takes time to take smaller steps, such as creative social media profiles and get listed on various platforms, choosing a booking software, and starting working with it.
And it takes even more strategic planning to create a consistent brand voice, maintain a positive image across various resources, and stay connected with your clients.
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