I’m guessing that when you first started your photography business, the two main things you did were to start a Facebook page and open an Instagram account. Am I right? After a few weeks, you likely realized there is more to marketing your business than just spending time on these platforms. Marketing your business is much more than just posting photos with witty captions. It’s about connecting with audiences and getting your business in front of new potential, ideal clients. 

Google My Business: Think about the sheer number of new clients you’d be able to get if your website showed up as the first result when people were looking for a photographer. I know what you’re thinking… it takes forever to rank high in Google and you’re probably not enough of an SEO expert to get your name on the top few pages. It seems impossible with all the competition out there. I’m going to save all the SEO talk for another blog post, but one of the easiest things you can do is create a Google My Business profile and list your photography business so it appears in searches and maps. 

When creating your My Business account, you will need to make sure your address, business category, business name, and website are all correct. You will also need to verify your address. But once complete, clients can give you reviews which helps you stand out amongst the others in your area. 

An Email List: Have you heard the saying, “if your business is built on social media, it is sitting on rented land”? That’s because you don’t own your social media accounts. You have almost no control over your social media accounts. I’m sure you’ve heard of the horror stories. People’s accounts being put in Facebook jail, Instagram accounts being ‘blacklisted’ or disappearing for no reason. Truth is, tomorrow Facebook or Instagram could decide to delete your accounts (temporarily or permanently), and then where would you be? Marketing yourself solely on social media accounts isn’t the best for your business simply because they can get shut down at any time – having 1 follower or 1 million, it makes no difference. 

When you start building an email list, people are giving you their email address along with permission for you to email them as needed, indefinitely (till they unsubscribe, IF they unsubscribe). And you can take their emails with you wherever you go. If you decide to switch email marketing platforms, you simply export those emails and move them wherever you want. True, you don’t OWN those emails, but as long as you continue to have their permission, you will always have the ability to send people emails and market your business. 

Now that you’re convinced that email marketing is a valuable marketing tool for your business, you probably want to know which platform to use and how. I personally use Drip…although I’m not attached to it, it does exactly what I need and more! For example; I have it integrated with my e-commerce store so that clients are nurtured before, after, and during the buying process. 

For those just starting out and not needing fancy automations, funnels, and forms, Flodesk is a great option!  Flodesk is affordable, easy to use, the templates are beautiful, and I love that you can build beautiful forms to capture emails. 

Heart: When you have your Ideal Client in mind and want to serve them with all your heart, you will find no better marketing tool. You never want to be the photographer that just sells, sells, sells. Instead, use your heart to serve your community to the best of your ability. Give them tools, tricks, advice, and help them without asking for anything in return. When you’re ready to sell something, your community will be eager to take you up on your offer. They will trust your authority and feel a connection to you like they wouldn’t have if you didn’t put your heart forward. 

Lastly…Canva: You want to market your business in a way that is beautiful, on-brand, and aesthetically pleasing. BUT you don’t have the budget for a graphic designer. Canva to the rescue! You can create the most stunning ON BRAND graphics for Instagram stories, Instagram posts, Facebook ads, business cards – you name it. You can add your brand colors and fonts in as well so things stay confident and on brand at all times! Canva is the marketing tool to have in your back pocket when a custom graphic designer isn’t in the budget. 

Next time you go to market your business, think outside of Facebook and Instagram…dig into something new. Spend your time creating a Google listing, setting up an email marketing list, or just brainstorm ways that you can show and serve your community with heart.