If you intend to make money with your photography you’re going to need more than just artistic skill and creativity. You also need to know how to promote your skills so that others know what you have to offer them.
Creative types aren’t always good at business related things, but it’s not terribly difficult these days to get your name out there as a photographer.
Let’s take a look at 5 easy ways to promote your photography.
1. Have A Business Card
Yes, business cards are old school. Outdated, perhaps. But not entirely useless. Old school things appeal to an old-school audience, so it’s good to have a business card handy to give to someone who isn’t all that keen on the more popular digitized ways of exchanging information.
Normally, when I meet another photographer my age or younger we exchange Instagram screen names. Simple. But this isn’t the way it always works.
Once, while doing street photography on Coney Island, I crossed paths with another photographer doing the same thing. I guessed the gentleman was about 25 to 30 years my senior, and after we chatted about the light on the beach and the people we had encountered that day and the cameras we were using, he handed me his business card and invited me to his gallery in Tribeca.
He then asked if I had a card. I was glad I did. The word Instagram was never uttered.
2. Add A Blog To Your Website
If you’re a photographer and you have a website, you’re probably using it to host your portfolio. But your website should also provide visitors with more than just beautiful photos.
It’s likely that people visit your site hoping to learn a little more about you and your work. A blog is a perfect way to provide that. It’s your blog so you have complete control over the content you offer.
You can write about your personal experiences as a photographer, discuss tips and give advice, answer readers’ questions and promote the services/products you offer.
3. Optimize Your Website
From individual blog entries to galleries to marketplace items, make sure that everything on your website is optimized. This means employing SEO (search engine optimization) strategies that will let search engines know your site is online and include it in search results.
SEO strategies cover a lot of ground, but the easiest and most useful thing you can do is integrate popular and relevant keywords. This will help increase traffic to your site.
4. Get Active On Social Media
Being successful on social media is strongly correlated to having a consistent presence. You need to post regularly and post things that are relevant to your audience.
Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook are great places to share and repost your blog entries, allowing you to expand your audience by bringing in people who haven’t yet visited your website but follow you on social media.
5. Word Of Mouth
Word of mouth marketing works. It’s essentially a personal recommendation from someone who is happy with your service/product, and personal recommendations are more highly valued than other forms of promotion.
Additionally, word of mouth marketing is easy to get started — all it takes is one happy client and the word spread rapidly.
Final Thoughts
There’s no single best promotional method. You should think of self-promotion as a continuous marketing scheme that integrates various methods. Work to your strengths and try to stay consistent. With all the right pieces in place — including a solid product — you’ll be on your way to seeing steady business.
