If you are still in business, kudos! It has been a very challenging last 19 months, photo friends, but some of you are booming. I have seen many photography studio openings, photographers pivoting when all the events were closed, and much more. We are a creative bunch with big dreams, and we do not give up easily. It has been worth the wait, and let 2022 shed some big light on your businesses. Now let’s get to the marketing strategies 2022, shall we? Here are my tips on how to find photography clients in 2022 & 2023.
Social Media Marketing For Photographers
I wanted to start with social media because Instagram Reels has grown on me. So has Tik Tok Videos and now even Tik Tok SEO. If you have been following me for a while, you will know that I love everything getting found online organically, but I also like it when it’s easy and convenient. For example, although I know that YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world, it requires a big workflow and dedication. Yes, you can repurpose your reels and photo slideshow son there, so you at least have a presence, but to have an entire YouTube channel, is a whole different animal.
Here comes Instagram Reels. Reels are here to stay, and the algorithm is actually on our side. You produce; they do come! Now I updated a whole blog post to include everything you need to know about using Instagram Reels for your photo business, but here are some essential things to note.
- Do create at least one reel a week
- Do mix in trending songs in your niche and add personality
- You don’t have to dance or lip-sync
- Do show BTS – Kesha does this brilliantly
- Do use hashtags in your caption for reels, especially local ones pretty please
- Do tag clients and people for further reach
- You don’t have to include your reels on your feed, I add it and sometimes I hide it.
Social Media Marketing Goals
- Attract
- Relate
- Nurture
- Educate
- Sell
So what are you doing to attract potential new clients? Are you showcasing your brand values? Brand personality? Behind the scenes? Tips and advice?
How are you relating to potential clients? Are they primarily moms? Are you also a mom? Can you create an Instagram Reel with a funny meme both of you would relate to or an inspirational message?
How are you nurturing existing clients and potential leads? If someone sends you a DM, are you nurturing them with useful info? Or are you just sending them the price sheet or to your website? How can you strike up a conversation and show your interest in them? Ask questions, and find out more. Get them by email or on the phone. It may start with a DM.
Pro Tip: Write out your whole lead generation process using social media. How does it start from start to finish? See the areas you can improve!
Tik Tok SEO For Photographers
Tik Tok is becoming its own quick search engine for many users. In fact, there are articles stating that Tik Tok is head to head with Google. Fascinating! So I did a live giving photographers some tips on how they can research for keywords in Tik Tok and how to optimize their Tik Tok videos to rank on the top of Tik Tok results. You can catch the replay in my SEO Facebook group.
How to get more photography clients on Facebook
I have a blog post here all about the best Facebook groups for photographers and I sure hope you are in my SEO For Creatives one, but this is not what I am referring to here. Where do your clients hang out on FB?
Where do fellow industry professionals hang out at on FB?
Facebook groups. So some groups you can look for locally if you are a portrait photographer:
- Local Mom Groups
- Local Business Groups
- Local Buy/Sell Groups
- Local Things to do in Your Town Groups
Facebook Groups for Wedding Photographers:
- Local Bride Groups
- Local Business Groups
- Local Wedding Professional Groups
- Local Wedding Associations Groups
- Local Event Association Groups
Be a resource always. Don’t go into FB groups wanting to sell. Take some time to be present and give back, and you just never know what can happen. Fellow friends and past clients can tag you in posts that request photo services, so check your notifications.
Pro Tip: If you are tagged, make it easy for a potential client to contact you and find your work. Provide your email asap or your IG for a DM as well as your website link. Don’t make the client hunt for your information.
SEO for Photographers
I have always loved SEO ( Search Engine Optimization) as it brings long-term benefits and results. Once you establish authority with Google, they will send you website traffic and show your site to potential customers, FOR FREE. Did I mention that Google is the biggest search engine in the world? It is important to work on your back-end SEO and also front-end SEO.
Copy and text are becoming more and more important due to voice search. Many users are now using voice search versus text search, making the search query ( what people are searching for) a longer form of text. Think about it, when you voice, you tend to go longer than when you type.
So review the copy of your website and answer this: Is it more conversational or more corporate? Are you answering questions your clients may have in regards to your services? That would be the first step. Also, you should really have a page for each main type of photography that you do.
Wedding Photographers:
- A page for wedding photography services
- A page for engagement photography services
- A page for other photography services you offer like boudoir for example
Portrait Photographers:
- If you offer family, maternity, and newborn, each should be its own page for sure
- If you own a studio, the studio should have its own page as well
- If you do milestone sessions, this is a page where you can mention cake smash and different milestones. Each milestone does not need its own page.
If you have questions about this, please join my Free Facebook Group.
Google My Business For Photography Business
Google My Business makes up for 25% of Local SEO and it’s such an easy thing to do for your photography business. You do want to make sure your whole account is fully optimized. Secondly, you need to be working on getting new reviews monthly, and last but not least, you need to add new photos and videos monthly. Check out my Google My Business Bootcamp.
Pro Tip: Use Google Posts to feature offers, studio updates, mini session info, and more.
Local Networking for Photographers
Due to the pandemic, networking has been more online which is ironic because my first form of networking with fellow vendors when I was starting my wedding photography business 13 years ago was online, Twitter actually. I quickly understood the importance of nurturing relationships online. You may have heard me say, if you compliment someone online, they can’t ignore you even if they don’t like you. This is still true in 2022.
How to Get Photography Leads
There are several ways of getting photography leads Google My Business, Social Media, Online Listings, Facebook Groups, Organic SEO, Local networking, Online groups, Blog Posts, Pinterest, and SEO. But is your website ready to accept those leads? Make sure your website is user-friendly and really guides the user to the pages you want them to go. Also, make sure you make it easier for your leads to reach you. I recommend shorter forms and also recommend listing your email in a few places. Lastly, have at least 2 call to action buttons on each page as you see fit.
Overall finding photography clients is a multiprong approach. So how have you been finding photo clients this year?