Satisfied brides are the most powerful marketing tool you can have as a wedding photographer. She will sing your praises to all of her single friends. She will promote the gorgeous wedding prints hanging in her living room. She will take her wedding album to the “girls night out” so all her friends can rave about her special day.
Nothing is better for your business than a happy bride.
However, what happens when the “getting” of brides for your business is more difficult than the care and keeping of them? Everyone knows the saying, “it’s not what you know, but who you know.” If there were ever an industry where this saying was true, it would be the wedding photography business. A photographer must network, not simply for the purpose of getting to know other people; you want other people to get to know you – both as a person and as a photographer. In other words, “It’s not what you know, but who knows you.”
In this economy, you’ll need to utilize all the marketing tools at your disposal to create a buzz about you and your work. Fortunately for you, the digital age gives you access to direct online marketing like never before. With a few digital tools under your belt, you can create additional buzz to your business.
Many photographers use indirect marketing to promote themselves. Business cards. Flyers. Ads. Specials. These are most powerful when paired with direct marketing, when you engage the customer personally.
Try direct marketing your wedding photography in these six ways:
1. Create a promotional video explaining who you are as a photographer, your style, and your artistic philosophy.
This doesn’t need to be created with fancy equipment and effects. Simple is sometimes most real. Use clean backgrounds, nice lighting, and engaging topics. If you film this well, you won’t have to worry about complex editing. Windows Movie Maker and iMovie will provide you with tools for basic editing and output for web.
2. Create a blog and update it often!
A blog is your space to communicate you! Write about humorous situations you encountered during shoots, post on recent work, and share anecdotes from your personal life. Remember, a wedding photographer holds a great deal of trust. A blog can help foster that trust between you and your clients as they get to know you.
3. Sign up for Twitter and tweet away!
Create a twitter account for your photography business. Encourage your clients to follow you, and create a following of potential clients from them! [You can even add twitter updates to most free blogs]. Maximize Twitter by activating your mobile account and keep your clients updated on a day-to day basis. “Out of sight, out of mind” won’t be true for your business!
4. Create a fan page on Face-book for all of your satisfied clients to join.
Here, you can send updates on promotions and receive real world reviews from clients. You can also post your best work and promotional videos.
5. Engage yourself.
Follow up with each potential client by a personal email or call congratulating them on their wedding with genuine interest. People can always detect if you are being fake. Even if the bride doesn’t end up booking you for her wedding, she will remember you for your personable and friendly attitude.
6. Give back to the community.
Find a worthy cause in your area and use your artistic skills to support it. Ask the local Boys and Girls club if you can take pictures for their own use. Donate a few fine art prints to a charity fundraising gallery. Host a “Portrait Day” for low income families. Advertise the event on a radio station or newspaper. If you are known as a photographer who is in the business of bettering others, you may earn the respect of individuals who are in need of your services.
