Congrats! You’ve finally got your photography website up and running. But now what? Well, much like after you picked up your first camera (love at first sight), the real work came when you decided to become a professional photographer. You had to practice, perfect and master your craft. Creating your online portfolio is only step one of your successful photography career. Now it’s time to promote yourself, get some gigs and make some moolah.
In order to take full advantage of all the capabilities of your stunning portfolio, there are some online marketing hacks you’ll have to tackle and master. Not really sure where we are going with this? Stay with us because this is important. The competition in the photography world is stiff, especially on the Internet - but you already knew that. Which means that you need to work extra hard in order to stand out. That is exactly where we come in to help save you time, money and effort with some useful hacks.
While many of these techniques won’t cost you money, they may cost you some time. But trust us, the investment is so worth it. From a 24/7 online scheduler to claiming your own hashtag, we’ve rounded up the top 12 online marketing hacks you need to know as a photographer:
01. Get yourself a personal assistant
The goal of working as a professional photographer is to be commissioned for as many gigs as you can handle. While it's second nature to take the perfect portrait image, managing the admin side of your biz is not, which is exactly why we created Wix Bookings. This online scheduling tool is at your service 24/7, allowing guests to book your services at any time of day (and night), accept payments and send out notifications and reminders. It’s a no-brainer that this hack, open to all Wix users, benefits your organizational skills and gives your clients an easy and intuitive way to book and work with you. This way, you can focus on what you do best and Wix Bookings will take care of the rest. And the best part of it all? It’s 100% commission free. Can you say: “Cha-ching!?”
02. Optimize your portfolio
Have you met the new Wiz in town? No, not the Wizard of Oz, the Wix SEO Wiz. He’s pretty wonderful and you won’t need a yellow brick road to find him. Much like knowing what shutter speed is, you should know the basics of SEO. Simply put, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the process of optimizing your content and pages in order for your website to appear in a better position in search engine’s results. Think about it: the easier you’re found by potential clients browsing the web, the better higher your chances are of being booked. High ranking on Google can mean a higher number of clients and gigs for you.
So how exactly do you get your portfolio on the coveted page one of Google? There’s no secret spell to it. Once you’ve chosen your keywords, you’ll get a personalized plan which includes all the steps you need to take in order to boost your SEO. Don’t worry: the Wiz will guide you every step of the way. After completing your checklist, you’ll be climbing those results pages in no time. It’s no surprise that 67% of users appeared on Google’s first page after using its magic. For more on this, you may like our complete SEO guide for Photographers.
03. Interact with your visitors
A good portion of your job as a photographer is to be part of some very personal and intimate moments with your clients – like a wedding or a birth, not to mention boudoir photography. In order to start this relationship on a “good foot,” show you care right from the start. While potential clients are checking out your awesome services, send them a note to say hello. It could be something as simple as saying: “Hey! Thanks for visiting my portfolio, if you have any questions please feel free to reach out”, or anything that accurately portrays your vibe.
By interacting with your visitors, they will immediately feel taken care of and see what an attentive and professional shutterbug you are. Wait, wait, wait – I bet you’re thinking: “How do you chat with people in real time on your site?” Simply put: the Wix App. You’ll get a notification straight to your phone every time someone is on your site and the option to chat with them. It’s also a great tool to understand which kind of customers visit your page most, how long they stay for and where they are from geographically.
04. Let your clients sing your praises
With the helpful backing of the Internet, potential clients have more power and access to information than ever before. Studies show that over 50% of consumers often or always check out online reviews. With that said, your reputation is everything as a photographer. It’s only natural that when someone is looking for a photographer for their next event, they ask their friends, peers, family and of course, conduct some good old online research. This is why your website should include a couple of outstanding reviews for potential clients to see for themselves that you are reliable and trustworthy. to notice and use as part of their research about you. And just like with most things these days, there’s an app to do that. Inffuse testimonials lets you effortlessly incorporate testimonials to your site using one of their many fully customizable templates. Having your clients leave positive reviews won’t cost you anything, but the rewards for those kind words are priceless.
05. Strategize your social media
The key to a successful social media presence is to stay organized. Facebook’s algorithm and your community tends to take a liking to content that’s posted regularly. Plus, having deadlines helps push your creative limits and allows you to explore more options and forms of content.
You’ll need to build a long-term strategy of what, when, and how often you post. Plus, how frequently you are interacting with your visitors. A calendar is your best friend when it comes to staying on top of important holidays that you can post about. Remember that your social pages should be linked to your portfolio, so that all your planning and hard work will ultimately lead to more traffic, and ultimately, clients. To keep you on your game, we’ve got the 7 Inslightboxtagram tips every photographer should know and 10 tips on Facebook for photographers.
06. Use the power of video
One (of the many) perks of your job as a photographer is that you’re always in new and exciting places. So, why not use this to your advantage by showing off your surroundings using the trend that’s shaking up the entire online world: video. Give potential clients an exclusive “behind the scenes” feel of your next event using Facebook Live. This can also be used for online tutorials, produced on-the-go in real time.
To maximize the benefits, know that you can display your live videos right on your portfolio using Wix Video. This genius tool automatically syncs with Facebook, YouTube and Vimeo to provide more content for your website. Not only will this give viewers an inside look at what you do, you’ll also be creating engaging content to share on your channels. Two birds, one stone. Well, it’s said that online videos will account for more than 80% of all consumer internet traffic by 2020. So apparently, the video trend is here to stay.
07. Claim a hashtag
Think of hashtags as the billboards of the Internet. Hashtags are searchable terms that stretch far beyond Twitter. These days, Instagram and even Pinterest have made use of this weird character. So why not claim your very own? It could be anything fun and playful that includes your name or specialty. For example, let’s say your name is Tracy and you’re a travel photographer, you’re customized hashtag could be: # TravelWithTracy.
It’s a useful way to “mark your stamp” on your images, plus potential clients can search your unique hashtag and find an array of your content. Same goes if you’re running a special operation like a contest: you can create a specific hashtag just for this purpose, and ask the participants to use it as part of the rules.
08. Partner up
“I get by with a little help from my friends.” We all know how the song goes. Sing along with us as we explain: outreach marketing. Partnering up with other photographers or related businesses is a great way to bring more exposure to your site. Plus it naturally builds up your presence in your own network. For example, let’s say you’re a wedding photographer: consider working alongside DJ or catering service. They could link your portfolio on their website and in turn, you could refer clients to them. It’s a win-win for both of you!
09. Give away coupons
Everyone loves a coupon! For you as a service provider, it’s a great way to draw attention to your biz and pull in potential clients. One way to show off your promotion is by adding a lightbox. Think of it as a pop up that appears on your site. They are a great way to subtly tell your visitors about any current offers you may have. Adding one to your site is easy: select a beautiful image, and make sure you have a strong CTA. But take caution: one lightbox per site is our recommendation. The beauty of this method is that it’s quick and easy, yet it could be the deciding factor your potential client needs to take the plunge and book you as their next photographer.
10. Start a blog
What better marketing operation than establishing yourself as an expert in your field? It’s a sure way to bring visitors to your site and show how knowledgeable you are. It’s also excellent for the ranking of your website. According to Hubspot, companies who blog receive 97% more links to their website. It won’t cost you more than a bit of your time, plus, all this juicy updated content will work hand in hand with your SEO efforts. Starting out is pretty simple, choose a template that suits your portfolio, come up with some topics and let the writing begin! Once you’ve established your own audience and published some successful work try a go at guest blogging to further your efforts and tap into an even wider audience. Need some inspiration? Give this a read: How to write a blog for your photography website.
11. Build up a database
Speaking of sending out a blog. In order to distribute your content far and wide, you’ll need to build up a database of email addresses. Sending out emails may seem old school but they are still very effective. Why? Because it doesn’t cost you anything and provided you’ve got a significant database, your content could be seen by thousands. In order to build up your bank of email addresses, you can go for a catchy button on your portfolio that’s calling to be clicked like, “Sign me up” or “Subscribe.” Another way could be through your promotional campaigns where clients will have to retrieve their coupon by signing up. You can use Wix Get Subscribers to keep your collection of emails in order.
12. Create engaging CTA’s
A CTA (Call-to-Action) is a vital component of any piece of your marketing content. Every item of content you publish, be it a blog, a Facebook post or an Instagram pic needs to include an engaging CTA that will lure visitors to click on your portfolio. In order to be effective, your CTA needs to be: a short and clear actionable phrase, an appropriate size and placed in the correct location. We’ve got the complete guide for everything CTA related right here: CTAs 101 – The Complete Guide for Call-to-Actions That Actually Convert.