6 Ways to Grow your Photography Business with a Blog

When faced with the prospect of a blog, some photographers dive right in. They post to a regular schedule, share everything on social media, and get active on the blog scene by commenting on others. But some photographers are not so keen to follow. They don’t see the point of blogging, or they see it as a waste of time. How can they juggle shooting, editing in Photoshop, booking new clients, AND blogging? Well, here’s our tip to you. Save yourself some time by using Photoshop actions to automate your retouching, grab marketing templates to save design time, and reinvest that time in a blog. You will soon be reaping the benefits. Here’s why:

 

1. Gain new fans and followers

Straight off the bat, what you are likely to see is an increase in fans to your social media pages. These are people who want to read your next post, and value what you have to say. Converting them into sales could not be easier. Before you can reach a wider audience, you first have to have something that appeals to them. Even if you run a mostly visual blog with images from your photoshoots, people will want to share them.

Here’s how it works: you make a post with an image of a client, or perhaps you feature their shoot story. They share it with all of their friends and family. Family members might then share it on again. And through all of this, somewhere, your post might reach the eyes of someone who is interested in your business. They like or follow your fan page. Before you know it, you have a new potential client.

Did you know? SEO is very useful for allowing people in your area to find you. If you have ever wondered why you are only on page 52 of a Google search for photographers in your area, now you know. Adding SEO friendly posts to your blog will drive traffic to your website. More views means more potential sales, no matter how you look at it. If people never know you are there, why would they book you? Optimise your blog to ensure that you are getting more traffic. You are sure to see a rise in followers, queries, and sales.

 

2. Build an email list

Now that you’ve got their attention, you’ll want a way to keep in contact with them for the long run, an opt-in. This is when a newsletter will come in handy! But why do you need a list? Basically, because it makes everything easier. Sending out emails with beautiful photographs from your latest photoshoot catches the attention of those who might be clients in the future. It gives them easier access to your blog posts and galleries if they want to share them. And it means that they might just click through to your booking page and buy a photography session with you.

You can also use your email list to run special offers, advertise new services, and let people know about events. This works really well for photographers because we tend to focus on the images first when we open an email. Particularly on smartphones, you may be able to fill the whole of their screen with a stunning image. That may just impress them enough for them to want to book you.

 

3. Pass on essential advice for first timers

If you are a portrait, family, wedding, child, pet, or fashion photographer, it is likely that you will have clients who have never had their photograph taken professionally before. Now is your chance to give them some advice. What should they wear to a photoshoot? What do they need to bring with them? What kind of make up should they wear? How long does the shoot last? All of this, and more, you can explain in a blog post.

You do not have to do it in a “guide” style if you do not want to. How about telling through showing? Describe a recent shoot – talk about how it took a couple of hours, which is your average shooting time. Tell readers that the outfit your model picked is perfect for a portrait session. Give them little bits of information along the way. But actually, you may be surprised at how popular guide posts can be. They might be the most shared, or most viewed, pages on your site. You can also send a link to the blog post, or the majority of the text, in an email to first time clients.

 

4. Let them get to know you

You are also allowing your readers to get to know you as a person. Although this will most likely be done with a professional air, you will see that it makes a big difference. For those who are uncomfortable in photoshoots, meeting with an unknown photographer can be a little scary. If they can get a sense of your personality from your blog posts, then you can avoid this problem. Remember to be friendly and seem approachable in your posts. This will help them to feel as though they are comfortable with you.

It is also a way to stay in touch with old customers. They will see your posts, written in an informal style, and know that you are writing just like you talk. They may cast their minds back to your photo session together, or even think about setting up another one. You can feel as though you are still friends with someone even with just a few interactions so long as you can still see their online presence and read what they are thinking.

 

5. Sell your services

Instead of just posting your latest deals on social media, writing a blog post to sell your services will drive more conversions. Rather than focusing on the hard sell, it gives readers another reason to be interested in your site. Once they are hooked in, they can think about booking – and since your links are right there, they can easily do so.

The key here is to show rather than tell. Don’t make a post saying that you are great at Photoshop these days and can retouch all images at a certain price. Just make a post showing the before and after of an image, perhaps with some intermediate stages as well. Explain how you did what you did. Customers will then see how great your work is, and will want to buy it. The same goes for showcasing your latest shoots. It’s all about showing the results of your sessions, selling the story and experience, so that people are more likely to book them.

 

6. Stay fresh in their minds

Another thing that blogging can achieve is keeping you fresh in the minds of your potential clients. Even if they have booked you before, you may fade from their minds if you are not around very often. But if your blog updates on a regular basis, and  you post it on social media, and send it out on emails… you will be the photographer who is first in their mind. So when they decide to take the plunge and book a photoshoot, who will they think of first? You.

You should also be aware that even if you are not blogging, the competition in your area is. They are getting to the front of readers’ minds. If you are not getting out there too, then you will no longer be remembered. Worse – people might wonder whether or not you still do business. Keep your profiles as fresh as your photography with regular updates. You are sure to see a corresponding rise in sales.

 

Have you added a blog to your photography site? Let us know where you are posting, and how much of a difference you have seen so far.