If you’re like most photographers, your best sources of new business are friends, family and your existing clients. They’re the ones passing out your name to the people they know and praising the quality of your work. You probably keep a stack of business cards in your wallet and don’t hesitate to pass them out when you’re out on a shoot.
That’s probably been an effective way to operate your business. But what if you could make your business grow faster? Would you like to have more gigs and be able to attract a higher caliber client with a bigger budget?
Word-of-mouth referrals are great for launching a business. But to sustain and grow your company to the level you desire, they may not be enough. So how do you make that leap?
How do you get from where you are in your photography business to where you’d like to be?
Ready to take your photography business up a notch? Marketing can be the key.
Marketing is the key to taking your business to the next level. Does the idea of promoting your photography services make you that uncomfortable?
It shouldn’t. Marketing doesn’t have to be used-car-salesman sleazy or over-the-top-pushy. No doubt you’d rather be taking pictures. But marketing is a critical part of every successful photography business. Even the best photographers in the world wouldn’t get work if nobody knew their name.
Marketing doesn’t have to be pushy. Instead, write informational copy that answers the questions prospects might have.
Marketing can be informative and tactful. You provide a service people need. You do good work. You are the solution to a problem the customer has. Now you just need to get the word out.
People go to the web to get information. If they’re looking for a photographer, the first thing they’ll do is search on Google, and then, assuming your website comes up in search results, look at your website. For that reason, your website needs to be your first order of business when it comes to marketing.
Fair or not, visitors will judge the quality of your photography business by the professionalism displayed on your website. Its overall look and feel as well as the information you provide will help them decide whether you’re the solution they’re seeking.
Pretty pictures are not enough, even for a website selling photography services. Copy matters too.
With competition becoming more intense all the time as more photographers join the field, you need to use every possible advantage.
A quality website has more than pretty pictures. It also needs good copy.
Consider these questions:
A good copywriter knows how to write copy that doesn’t only convey information; it builds your brand, engages your visitors, and gets prospects to contact you for an appointment.
If your current website isn’t attracting visitors or converting those visitors into qualified prospects, you need to make some changes.
Pictures can tell a story, but there’s no reason not to also tell it in words.
A picture may be worth 1,000 words, but that’s no reason to forego the powerful benefit of combining beautiful photos with compelling copy. Your online photo gallery or portfolio lets people see your talent. Add words of explanation about your services, experience and unique capabilities for an even more potent effect.
A copywriter for photographers can help you
Whether you’re a wedding photographer or more of a product-advertising shooter or fashion photog, the information on your website must complement the images you display in your portfolio and answer the questions most visitors have. The copy can be as important as your portfolio when a client is deciding which photographer to book.
Use well-written copy to tell visitors to your website what kind of photographer you are and why they should hire you.
Just about anyone with a Smartphone can now snap a photo, but you know the difference a professional makes. You can have the best photography equipment in the world, but it’s still no substitute for years of professional training and experience.
The same is true for copywriters. Anyone can sit down at their computer and pound out a few sentences. But a professional copywriter, someone with marketing experience and thousands of hours spent polishing their craft, can do it so much better. You’re not a copywriter, so don’t write your own copy.
Consider hiring a professional copywriter to help you create effective content.
Consider hiring a professional copywriter if you’re a photographer who wants to:
A copywriter can help you create a compelling website and also assist you with other marketing materials such as an ad, brochure, press release, sales letter and more.
A copywriter can do more than write your website. Consider a pro for writing sales letters, brochures, ads and more.
Every type of photographer can benefit from marketing activities:
If you’re thinking it’s too late for you to start promoting your photography business just because you’ve already been in existence for a while, that’s not a valid excuse.
There’s an inspiring Chinese proverb that says the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now. The same is true for marketing your photography services.
Don’t make the task bigger or more intimidating than it needs to be. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed. To quote another proverb, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.”
Don’t be overwhelmed by the thought of rewriting your entire website. Start small with a page or two and grow from there.
The same can be applied to promoting your photography business. You don’t have to rewrite every page of your website and invest in brochures and email marketing all at the same time. Start small, even with one page of your website, and then build. Little accomplishments add up to become big achievements, and cumulatively, they translate into business growth. Get the picture?
So plant that tree. Take a bite out of the elephant. Contact a professional copywriter for photographers who can help you increase the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.
Susan,
You are AWESOME! This is some of the best copy I've ever read for a product. Thank you!
Mark Reff
President
One Touch Art
Phoenix, Arizona
Susan Greene
Professional Copywriter
Affordable Rates
Orlando, Florida
floridacopywriter@gmail.com
(407) 578-5528
