You could be the best wedding photographer to be in existence, but if you don’t know how to put yourself in front of the right people then unfortunately all of your talent will go to waste. In this post, we discuss the steps that every wedding photographer should take to market themselves to potential clients.
Have you ever taken the time to sit and think about how your potential clients would go about finding you? 95% of people google ‘Wedding Photographer’ along with the town that they live in – and the top 7 results go to businesses that have registered with Google – so do this immediately!
Getting married is a very personal time in anyone’s life, and they want to share a personal connection with their photographer, the best way to do this is to include your full name within your site; the site itself should be modern and easy to navigate. You should dedicate an entire page to testimonials, as the majority of people will go straight to these after they have viewed your work so be sure to harness the power of a glowing recommendation.
Put a wide variety of shots in your portfolio, you need to try to appeal to a range of clients. People will begin to look into you further if they see something that visually appeals to them – and most couples aren’t looking for a straightforward shoot, they want the romance and essence of their day captured, so be sure to showcase images that fit this bill.
Using social media in this day and age goes without saying, but as word of mouth is one of the most effective forms of marketing, why not ask previous customers to write a short testimonial about their experience with you that can be shared?
Exhibiting your work at wedding shows and fairs provides an opportunity to attract people visually to your work, but also network with future prospects and build your reputation within the industry. You could also invite any potential clients that you are in talks with, so any magazines or blogs that you would like to feature you and your work. The strongest impression is always made when you are face to face with someone so take the time to introduce and your work, rather than just giving away business cards, why not hand out customised USB sticks containing your portfolio and contact information, so it’s easy to those who are interested to keep accessing and sharing your images, keeping your name on their lips.
Making connections with magazine editors is a great way to get featured in industry publications without the hefty advertising fees, it may be worth identifying which magazines the majority of your clients are reading and set about getting some editorial by approaching the staff – even if they first question is ‘what do you look for in the wedding photographers that you feature?’, as this will give you direction for the work that you need to undertake to get featured.
In the same vein, entering your work into competitions is a great way to generate new opportunities as your panel will be viewed by panel of industry experts, so even if you don’t win, you could make some valuable connections.
Last but by no means least, a happy bride will be your best marketing tool – she will put the images on social media, hang the prints in her home and rave about you to anyone that will listen. Take the time to get to know the future bride and groom on a personal level, learn about their dreams for the big day and what they want captured on their wedding day, and they will bring you business for years to come.
