How to Advertise Your Photography Business

As a photographer, advertising your business is one of the most critical aspects of being successful. With an abundance of competition, you'll need to set yourself apart from other photography firms. Instead of thinking of advertising as an extra step, consider that effective advertising can enhance your existing business and bring in clients that wouldn't typically come to you. By building your digital presence, using traditional methods, and utilizing promotions and offers, you can develop a meaningful and efficient advertising plan that will help drive sales.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Building Your Digital Presence

1
Build a functioning website. The first step in successfully advertising your photography business online involves creating a functioning site. Your website should have samples of your past work, and display your contact information so that new clients can get call or email you. Concentrate on highlighting your talent by putting recent work at the forefront of the page.^{[1]XResearch source}
- Photographers must have a good grasp of composition, and a poorly designed website can leave a negative impression.
- Keep the site as simple and straightforward as possible. Ensure that the navigation is intuitive and remove unnecessary information or anything can confuse potential clients.^{[2]XResearch source}
2
Get on business pages. Business pages like Google, Yelp, and the Yellow Pages Online will help boost your exposure and help people connect to you. Make sure to tag and keyword entries on your website so that when people search for photography in their area they can find your page. Keep up with customer reviews and make sure to personally and directly respond to any criticism or bad reviews from former clients.
- Other websites that would be worth listing your business include the White Pages, Angie's List, Yahoo, and Bing.^{[3]XResearch source}
- Remember to provide your contact information and to add a link your website on your business pages.
3
Keep your social media updated regularly. Social media allows you to connect to future clients or fans of your work. Keep an active Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Flickr page. Don't try to balance all the platforms if you don't have the time. Instead, choose a couple of platforms and make sure that you have quality posts.^{[4]XResearch source} Do this by making your posts interesting and relevant. Post your work on social media to display your skills and talent.
- You have to keep Twitter posts under 140 characters.^{[5]XResearch source}
- Twitter is more action oriented and should key people into what your company is doing. Adding a photo will typically also get you more re-tweets and likes.
- An example of a Twitter message would be, "We're working on a new project with Gina's Cheesesteaks on Broad Street. Come on over and check out the action."
- Post on Instagram around 5:00 to 6:00 pm since this is when the majority of users are online. Make sure to post a robust photo.^{[6]XResearch source}
- A sample of an Instagram post may be something like, "Check out these amazing photos that Chelsea was able to take during the Philadelphia Pride Parade. If you'd like to pick up a print of one of the photos, click here to go to our website."
- Don't use a personal page for your business. Create one specifically for your photography business.
- Each platform has ideal post length and volume of posts throughout the day.
- For a platform like Facebook, you should only post once or twice per day.
- For more active social media like Twitter, five or more posts per day are usually appropriate.^{[7]XResearch source}
- You can also upload photography on your social media platforms to give people a taste of what you're working on, or to build up a following online.
- Social media that's used specifically for photography include Pinterest, Instagram, and Flickr.
4
Have a high-quality online portfolio. Your online portfolio should be a larger catalog of high-quality digital images that you can forward to potential clients. Make sure to use utilize responsive design so that image sizes scale with different resolutions.
- Keep your portfolio to 12 photos per page. If you add more photos than 12 photos, your portfolio may look cluttered.
- Limit the amount the user has to scroll. Use thumbnails so that the person looking at your portfolio can easily access the photos they enjoy the most.^{[8]XResearch source}
- Choose only your highest quality work. If a photograph is questionable because of any reason, it shouldn't be a photo you add to your portfolio.
- Popular hosts for photography include Squarespace, Format, Zenfolio, and 500px.^{[9]XResearch source}
5
Gather client testimonials. Since photography is sometimes subjective, people who hire a photographer will often do so based on things like their personality or the quality of your relationship. Add your client testimonials to your website so that future customers can see what your past clients had to say about you.
- For intimate shoots like wedding photography, having a courteous and flexible photographer is a requirement for many couples.^{[10]XResearch source}
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Advertising Traditionally

1
Shoot photos for charity events. While you shouldn't make a habit out of working for free, sometimes doing a photo shoot for a charity event can help your career. Not only may you get additional networking connections at the event, but you'll also have extra work to add to your portfolio.^{[11]XResearch source} Contact local charity organizations and see if they need anyone to help take photos for the next event.
- Doing free work for a charity event is a good opportunity if you don't have much professional experience.
- Doing free shoots for a magazine or newspaper during a charity event should get you a lot of exposure. Make sure they accredit you for the photo.
2
Network with everyone. Most of the work you'll get as a photography studio will come via personal referrals or word of mouth. For this reason, it's important that you network wherever you are. You may land an unexpected job because you put yourself out there and communicated with the right people. Don't burn bridges and be respectful to new people that you meet.
- You can network at social gatherings, gallery openings, or artist meetups.^{[12]XResearch source}
- If you do wedding photography, networking at bridal shows may also land you work.
3
Have a physical portfolio. While most of your work will be viewed online, it's important as a professional photographer to have at least one print portfolio to show to potential clients or agencies that are looking to hire you. Take your high-resolution photos to a printshop and talk to them about options for your portfolio book.
- Your portfolio book should be your best photos in the highest possible resolution for the book size.
- Talk to the printer about the type of bindings available and how much it would cost for a custom engraving.
- Print portfolios can cost anywhere from $100 to $1,000 dollars.^{[13]XResearch source}
4
Get your business listed in traditional media. Look for traditional directories that exist in print. While the vast majority of your work will likely be gained online, print ads will also leave an impression in people's heads and could result in more business. Look for local directories that specialize in photography and get your business listed there.^{[14]XResearch source}
- If you shoot wedding photos, getting an ad in a bridal magazine may bring in new customers.
- If you're a party photographer, getting your name credited in traditional media like newspapers or magazines can increase your exposure.
- Consider placing ads in food magazines if you specialize in food photography.
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Using Promotions and Special Offers

1
Offer a referral bonus. You can offer a referral bonus to those that decide to write testimonials for your website, or people who refer other clients to you. If you're memorable and do the job well, they will be likely to refer you to family or friends.^{[15]XResearch source} Let current customers know about the bonus. You can provide the referring customer with a free print, or a discount on a future photo shoot.
- You can say something like, "Our company is actually looking to take on more projects. If you know of anyone who needs photos taken, we can work out a referral bonus like a couple of free prints in your next order."
- Connect with each client on a personal level and get them to like you.
Holding a promotion for a free photo session can help build your visibility. In addition to the advertising, holding a promotion allows you to build up your list of contacts which could assist you in securing work in the future. Remember to ask for people's names, phone numbers, and email addresses so you can contact them with future promotions and offers.
3
Include bonus prints to customers. Throwing in a couple of bonus prints can help you retain customers and increase the amount of referrals you get. Make sure to include a small note about how much of a pleasure it was working with them, and let them know that you included the extra prints free of charge.^{[16]XResearch source}
- Clients will feel special and taken care of, even if it wasn't a lot of extra work for you.
4
Offer discounts. Discounts provided to former customers may help you get repeat business from the same clients. Consider the job you are doing for the client or customer and think about the frequency it needs to be done. If it is for a magazine, the agency will likely re-hire you for another shoot. You can further improve your chances by offering a small discount if they decide to utilize your services again.
- Consider your standard fee and calculate how much of a discount would still be profitable and worth it.
- If someone is buying in bulk, offer them a discount so that they feel persuaded to get more photos.^{[17]XResearch source}
- Don't offer discounts for one-off jobs. Reward loyal customers and clients only.^{[18]XResearch source}
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How do photographers get noticed?
Vlad Horol
Professional Photographer
Vlad Horol is a Professional Photographer and the Co-Founder of Yofi Photography, his portrait photography studio based in Chicago, Illinois. He and his wife Rachel specialize in capturing maternity, newborn, and family photos. He has been practicing photography full-time for over five years. His work has been featured in VoyageChicago and Hello Dear Photographer.
Vlad Horol
Professional Photographer
Expert Answer
When you're just getting started as a photographer, SEO is so important to your business. Post on social media, create a website, start blogging your sessions, and network with other photographers. Do anything you can to make people aware that you're out here doing photography.
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