Photography is a near-universal skill – everybody with a smartphone is able to take and publish a photograph. Good photography, however, is a much rarer talent. Only a small percentage of people with a passion for taking photographs earn their crust doing so. Despite this, professional photography is still a pretty crowded field.
There are around 119,000 professional photographers in the United States alone. Standing out from the crowd and growing your photography business is no easy task. All professional photographers should have an online presence if they intend to reach new clients and audiences. Here are some of the ways in which you can grow your photography business using the internet.
Network
As in so many artistic or creative fields, networking is extremely important if you want to get ahead in photography. Social media platforms are great avenues for building networks of peers. As a professional, you need to be very active on several social media platforms. Share your work, share the work of your peers and build a strong community of collaborators. Clients are likely to find your business through word of mouth and networked connections. A strong and active social media presence can draw attention to your work.
Invest In SEO
What is the use of having a great online presence if it never gets seen by potential clients? Search Engine Optimization helps draw traffic to your websites and social media platforms. Potential clients will often start their search for a photographer by using a site like Google. Google uses an algorithm to filter results by relevance. SEO companies like Click Intelligence help your websites rise to the top of the relevance pile (and therefore the search engine results page) by employing multiple digital marketing techniques such as blogger outreach, link building, and website auditing.
Show Off Your Portfolio
A great portfolio website is an absolute must for any professional photographer looking to expand their business online. Your portfolio website should be your hub: showcasing your work, linking to your socials, and displaying prices and testimonials. There are plenty of good template based services that make it really easy to build a portfolio website that puts your photographs front and center whilst making it easy for clients to contact you about work. Large-format images, minimalist design, and a simple menu system are all design features you should consider incorporating into your portfolio website.
Know Your Unique Selling Points
To be a successful photographer, you need to have an identifiable niche. It is highly unlikely that clients will employ a photographer that has no discernable specialty that makes them stand out from the crowd. Your online presence should reflect your unique selling points. Even if you have a large collection of varied work, you’ll still want to limit your online portfolio to the work you specialize in. This keeps it simple for both you and the client. Give people an idea of what exactly they will be getting when they hire you.