Attracting new clients and growing your photography business is tough in an increasingly competitive market. As a photographer, you need effective marketing tactics that set you apart and convince potential customers to hire you over the many other options they have. In this blog post, I will share four powerful marketing tactics you can use right away to transform your photography business.
Whether you’re a beginner seeking to bootstrap clients or a seasoned pro aiming to refresh your marketing approach, you’ll discover actionable ideas to help catalyze growth and stand out from the competition.
Optimize Your Website with a Clear and Compelling Story
Your website is your online portfolio and your main marketing tool. It’s where potential clients will find you, learn about you, and decide whether to hire you or not. Therefore, you need to make sure that your website is not only visually appealing, but also effective in conveying your message and persuading your visitors to take action.
One way to do that is to use a storytelling framework that guides your visitors through a journey where they are the hero, and you are the guide. This framework consists of seven elements:
- A character: This is your ideal client, who has a specific problem or desire that you can help them with.
- A problem: This is the external, internal, and philosophical conflict that your client faces, and that prevents them from achieving their goal.
- A guide: This is you, the photographer, who has the expertise and empathy to help your client overcome their problem.
- A plan: This is the process or steps that you offer to your client to solve their problem and achieve their goal.
- A call to action: This is the invitation that you make to your client to take the next step, whether it’s booking a consultation, requesting a quote, or signing a contract.
- A success: This is the vision of the outcome that your client will enjoy after working with you, such as beautiful photos, happy memories, or increased confidence.
- A failure: This is the consequence that your client will face if they don’t work with you, such as missed opportunities, regret, or dissatisfaction.
By using this structure, you can create a website that engages your visitors, addresses their pain points, and shows them how you can help them. You can use these elements to structure your homepage, your about page, your services page, and your contact page. For example, you can start your homepage with a headline that states the problem that your client has, such as “Are you looking for a photographer who can capture your personality and style?” Then, you can introduce yourself as the guide who can help them, and show them your plan, which could be something like “I offer personalized and creative photography sessions that will make you look and feel amazing.” Next, you can invite them to take action, such as “Book your free consultation today and let’s create some magic together.” Finally, you can show them the success and failure scenarios, such as “Imagine having stunning photos that you can cherish for a lifetime, or regretting not hiring a professional photographer who can bring out the best in you.”
Define Your Innovation Strategy and Create New Market Space
One of the biggest challenges that photographers face is the competition. There are so many photographers out there, offering similar services and prices, that it can be hard to differentiate yourself and stand out. How can you avoid competing on price and quality, and instead create your own niche and demand?
One way to do that is to use an innovation strategy that helps you find new and untapped market spaces where you can offer something unique and valuable to your clients. This strategy is based on the idea that you can create new demand by recombining existing elements in novel ways, rather than competing in existing markets. This strategy consists of four steps:
- Eliminate: This is where you identify the factors that are taken for granted or overdone in your industry, and that you can eliminate without affecting your value proposition. For example, you can eliminate the need for a physical studio, or the use of generic props and backgrounds.
- Reduce: This is where you identify the factors that are not essential or too costly in your industry, and that you can reduce without compromising your value proposition. For example, you can reduce the number of photos that you deliver, or the time that you spend on editing and retouching.
- Raise: This is where you identify the factors that are expected or underdelivered in your industry, and that you can raise above the industry standard to enhance your value proposition. For example, you can raise the quality of your photos, or the level of personalization and customization that you offer.
- Create: This is where you identify the factors that are not offered or overlooked in your industry, and that you can create to differentiate your value proposition. For example, you can create a unique style or theme for your photos, or a new service or product that complements your photos.
By applying these steps, you can create a new market space where you can offer something different and better than your competitors, and attract new clients who are looking for something more than the usual photography service.
Change Your Mindset from Getting New Clients to Retaining Existing Clients
One of the most common mistakes that photographers make is focusing too much on getting new clients, and neglecting their existing clients. While it’s important to grow your client base and reach new audiences, it’s also crucial to maintain and nurture your relationships with your current clients. Why? Because repeat clients are more likely to trust you, refer you, and spend more with you.
According to a study by Frederick Reichheld of Bain & Company, increasing customer retention rates by 5% can increase profits by 25% to 95%. Moreover, acquiring a new customer can cost five times more than retaining an existing one. Therefore, it makes sense to invest in customer loyalty and retention, rather than chasing new customers all the time.
How can you do that? Here are some examples of how you can retain your existing clients and encourage them to work with you again:
- Follow up with them after the delivery of the photos, and ask for feedback and testimonials.
- Send them thank you notes, birthday cards, or holiday greetings, and show them that you appreciate them and care about them.
- Offer them incentives, such as discounts, freebies, or upgrades, for booking another session with you or referring you to their friends and family.
- Create a loyalty program, where you reward your clients for their repeat purchases or referrals, such as giving them points, vouchers, or gifts.
- Stay in touch with them regularly, and share your latest work, news, or tips, via email, social media, or blog.
- Create a referral network, where you partner with other businesses or professionals that cater to your target market, such as wedding planners, florists, or makeup artists, and cross-promote each other’s services.
By doing these things, you can build stronger relationships with your existing clients, and increase their lifetime value and loyalty.
Remember, Even in a Competitive Field, It’s Not What You Do, It’s How You Do It
The last marketing tactic that I want to share with you is to remember that, even in a competitive field like photography, it’s not what you do, it’s how you do it. What does that mean? It means that you can differentiate yourself and your business not only by what you offer, but also by how you offer it.
Think about it: there are many photographers who can take good photos, but not all of them can deliver a great customer experience. There are many photographers who can offer low prices, but not all of them can offer high value. There are many photographers who can provide a variety of services, but not all of them can provide a unique solution.
Therefore, you need to think about how you can do things differently and better than your competitors, and how you can communicate that to your clients. Here are some questions that you can ask yourself to help you with that:
- How can you make your clients feel special and valued, from the first contact to the final delivery?
- How can you exceed your clients’ expectations and delight them with your service and results?
- How can you showcase your expertise and credibility, and demonstrate your value and benefits?
- How can you express your personality and style, and create a memorable brand identity and image?
- How can you solve your clients’ problems and challenges, and provide them with a unique solution that meets their needs and goals?
By answering these questions, you can find ways to do things differently and better than your competitors, and create a competitive advantage that will set you apart and make you stand out.
To sum up, these are the four marketing tactics that can transform your photography business and boost your brand visibility:
- Optimize your website with a clear and compelling story that engages and persuades your visitors to work with you.
- Define your innovation strategy and create new market space by offering something unique and valuable to your clients.
- Change your mindset from getting new clients to retaining existing clients by building stronger relationships and increasing customer loyalty.
- Remember, even in a competitive field, it’s not what you do, it’s how you do it. Differentiate yourself and your business by how you offer your services and communicate your value.
By applying these tactics, you will be able to attract and retain more clients, stand out from the crowd, and grow your photography business. If you need more help with your photography marketing, please contact me and let’s work together to achieve your goals.
