Marketing for Branding Photographers

In the dynamic world of branding photography, effective marketing strategies are pivotal in establishing and growing your business. As a branding photographer, you’re not just selling photographs; you’re offering a vision, a brand’s story. Here, I’ll share some invaluable, cost-effective marketing strategies that can help you carve out your niche in this competitive field.

1. Create a content plan

Social media is an indispensable tool in Marketing for branding photographers. Platforms like Instagram and Facebook are perfect for visually showcasing your work.

Regularly post your best shots, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and even client testimonials. Engaging with your audience through comments and stories also builds a community around your brand. Remember, consistency is key – a well-curated, active profile can be your greatest asset.

Today’s Action: Set up a content plan for December or January for your social media accounts. Plan to post a mix of images, behind-the-scenes content, and client testimonials over the next month.

Here’s how I do it… in theory. There are always things that crop up or stuff I want to talk about that I don’t plan for… but it’s a start.

• 4 x Testimonials
• 4 x Blog posts
• 4 x Behind the scenes videos/images
• 4 x New work
• 4 x Old work
• 4 x Latest news (offers, workshops etc)
• 4 x Personal life content (selfies/family time)

Breaking it down makes it easier to batch create everything. Here we’ve got 4 weeks of content with 7 different things you easily can share.

2. Develop an SEO-Optimised Website

Personally I’d like my website to be the first place that people find me… so I’m not completely relying on social media.

Over the last year I’ve done lots of work on making sure it’s SEO-friendly to improve visibility in search engine results. Blogging and search engine optimisation has been one of the main ways I’ve booked clients this year.

Here are some of the things I do regularly and it’s relatively easy marketing for Branding Photographers.

Today’s Action (pick one):

• Add a descriptions to all your photos (alt description) when you have a spare 5 minutes. If you use WordPress you can click on an image in your blog post and on the right hand side there is a box to add your description.
• Write a Blog post answering a question or about a key word you want to rank for.
• Share a recent photoshoot making mention of where the shoot is, in your heading and 2 to 3 times throughout the text.
• Use a plugin like “Yoast” if you’re on WordPress and start improving your blogging. It will go through your post and make suggestions and tell you things that aren’t working. It’s free too!

3. Leverage Networking

Building a strong network is invaluable. Engage with other local businesses, join photography groups, and participate in community events. Collaborative projects can also broaden your reach and portfolio. Networking isn’t just about gaining clients; it’s about building relationships that can lead to referrals.

Today’s Action:

• Choose a group that aims at a similar target market to you.
• Just aim to speak to one person and follow it up in a non stalker-ish way. Maybe comment on their posts or send them a DM to say hello.
• Maybe offer to do photos for someone who runs a networking group? *

(* I’m not against working for free if there is a tangible benefit but only do it if its a good fit. When I first started offering Branding photos 7 years ago I teamed up with a lady who ran a networking group for business women in Leeds, which led to loads of new connections… many are still clients now)

4. Create a useful freebie

Collecting emails from your website visitors and clients is a must if you’re thinking about sending out a regular newsletter. And creating a useful freebie is a great way to do this. But bare in mind all the rubbish you’ve probably downloaded – it needs to be something people might actually use.

Today’s Action: Create a simple but useful freebie.

• A style guide for brand shoots
• A workbook showing how to plan a photoshoot
• A shot-list for the types of photos they might need.
• A list of places they can find great props
• Give away some stock images you’ve created
• Create a photoshop action to get a similar look to your work

(Create something that people might want to actually download not just fluff that they’ll never look at again – and don’t forget to direct them back to your website after they’ve signed up)

5. Embrace Video Marketing

Share your knowledge and passion through various forms of content – be it blogs, videos, or podcasts. Content marketing isn’t just about promotion; it’s about providing value to your audience. This builds trust and positions you as an authority in your field.

Today’s Action:

• It can be a good creative outlet
• It’s great for new content
• Video is really popular on social media

(It’s a new skill that is so connected to photography but makes you look at things in a different way.)

6. Get a Google my Business page

Businesses that have a google page definitely have more chance of being found, it helps with SEO, allows you to collect reviews and if you have a physical location or office it’s so important:

Today’s Action:

• Whether you have a physical location or not create a your page here.
• You can add updates (got a new blog post… add it as an update).
• You can add photos and video.

and obviously the biggy:

Get started asking for reviews!

7. Ask for Referrals and Testimonials

Word-of-mouth is still one of the most powerful marketing tools. I’ve started using google for my reviews, its easy to use and it helps with SEO too.

Today’s Action: Ask for a testimonial (and give them some guidance as to what you need so it’s easy for them to do it – and then they’re more likely to do it).

(You can then take the testimonial, stick it in Canva, make it pretty and start sharing it on social media).

When it comes to marketing for branding photographers, it doesn’t have to be expensive. It’s about using available resources creatively and building connections that resonate with your brand.

And if you need any help, maybe join me at my next workshop for Branding Photographers on 16th January 2024. A real-life shoot with 2 business owners, to see how I work, where I find the good light, how to pose women and how I use props.

There will be plenty of time for you to shoot too and throughout you can ask me anything. Photography related or business.

And when you’re ready, here are three ways that I can help you:

1) Visit my blog for tips on VISIBILITY.

Every week I discuss strategies to improve your visibility, get over your fear of visibility and my latest shoots.  Read here

2) Plan a bespoke photoshoot.

We can plan a shoot based on what you actually need (read more) or you could join me at a Branding Day.

3) Join ‘Visibility School’.

Visibility school is a membership group where you get 12 months of photoshoots, a fab little Facebook group and lots of bonus content too (new for 2023 members) . Read