7 Secrets to Get New Clients as a Photographer

These 7 Secrets to get New Clients as a Photographer will hopefully revolutionize you for how to get more photography business.  Whether you are getting your first photography client or wanting to grow your business these tips are for you.  

How to get more photography business

Once you decide to start a photography business there are a variety of ways to find new customers. Not all of these methods involve spending money but I see a lot of photographers not including marketing and advertising in their budgets when they should be. Not all of these methods work for everyone either as your genre of photography, your market, where you live and your personality all play a role.

Personally I think having your own marketing materials set up in a professional way is what will really set you a part from all of the others.  Think of ways you can use these materials that aren’t your norm…think outside of the box.  Can you leave them at a Pediatricians office (if your clientele is family/children?) can you have a professional email set in place that SAVES YOU TIME?! but looks oh-so professional?  Think of ways you can simplify, save time but truly be professional.  Here are a few resources I highly recommend MagazineMama and her resources, she’s ALWAYS running a sale and you can snag some amazing resources.

Remember that launching a business or website doesn’t mean that clients are just going to start coming to you. You’re going to have to make an effort to get to them, especially in the beginning stages. Hopefully the below ideas will give you a good start.

Get New Clients as a Photographer

• Advertise on Facebook. I hear so many photographers rant about the fact that no one sees their posts or photos but they aren’t willing to pay for people to see their images. When you’re in business, advertising needs to form a part of your budget. Facebook is a great platform because you can target a very specific audience, which helps ensure that you’re putting your images in front of the right people.  When you advertise make sure that you are leading people to a page where they can enter their e-mail address so you can contact them later.  You’ll likely need to offer them something for free in exchange for their e-mail address.  This could be a free guide with tips for their photo session or a free consultation with you.  

• Advertise in magazines. This works really well for wedding photography. It’s actually how I got started in my wedding photography business. After working on building my portfolio, I took out an ad in one of our local wedding magazines. If you decide to go this route, make sure that the ad package you purchase offers access to a lead list because having an ad in a magazine alone is not going to get you all the business you need.

• Attend trade shows. This is a great option if you’re an outgoing person who loves to talk to others because trade shows require you to engage with people. If you’re more of an introvert, I wouldn’t recommend this as an avenue for finding new clients. On a side note, if you’re paying to advertise in a magazine that will be distributed at a trade show, you might want to focus your marketing efforts elsewhere as your brand will already have a presence at the show. It’s an added bonus if the magazine collects names and emails at the tradeshow that are then distributed to advertisers. Think of all the time this will save you. It’s like having your own marketing assistant. 

• Network with other vendors – good old fashioned networking. If you’re an outgoing person, go round to your local vendors and introduce yourself. Make it brief and be sure to leave a few business cards or welcome guides from your studio.  If you’re more of an introvert, you may want to stick to sending a brief email. I do think that in-person networking is more effective because they can put a face to your name. Another way to network with other vendors is to get on their social media pages and start commenting and engaging with their posts. You can also choose to attend networking events in your area.  

• Facebook Live. I think this one’s really effective. Surprisingly, I haven’t seen a lot of photographers use this to get clients and to be honest, I haven’t even tried it myself yet, but I think it’s a great way to connect with prospective customers. It helps them to get to know, like and trust you.  You can use Facebook Live to talk about how you prepare for a photo shoot or have a Q&A session. You could even go live at one of your photo shoots and let people see you in action. Tell them to follow you to see the finished images from the session they just watched.

• Offer amazing customer service. Give each customer great service and soon you’ll be getting more business than you know what to do with. This approach might take a while since you’ll only have a few clients to begin with but use that extra time to give them an amazing experience in order to get the word-of-mouth ball rolling.

• Get new clients from current clients. Offer referral incentives. This could be anything from credits towards an album or canvas to a free photo session. You could even develop a rewards system or a frequent customer punch card. Get creative with it and maybe offer something like the fifth photo session for free. This will not only encourage them to refer friends but keep them coming back too.  Using welcome guides such as these *HERE* would be a wonderful way to encourage them to share and show their fellow friends about your business.  

If you are just now joining us be sure to check out the other articles in our series: How To Start a Photography Business

HOW TO START A PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS :

Part 1: How to Build Your Portfolio When Starting a Photography Business

Part 2: 7 Ways to Find New Photography Clients

Part 3: 5 Proven Strategies for a Successful Photography Blog

Part 4: How to Raise Prices in Your Photography Business

Part 5: What Photography Products to Sell to Your Clients

Part 6: Using Social Media Wisely for your Photography Business

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Cindy Reeves, owner of Magazine Mama helps photographers save time and grow their business with beautifully designed welcome guides, articles and curriculum to teach photography classes.