Marketing For Photographers Without A Budget
DIY MARKETING One way to market without a budget is by doing your marketing yourself. One of the most common misconceptions of marketing is thinking that you need to pay a professional for services. Keep in mind that in todayʼs world there are a lot of self-proclaimed experts who are no experts at all. So, be careful if you do pay for marketing services because you could walk away with no results and less money in your bank account.
While there are things that are best left up to the pros, there are plenty of tasks that you can do for free, on your own.
What are some marketing tasks that you can do yourself?
- Email, blogs, and newsletters
- Social media - Photographs - Graphics - Search Engine Optimisation - Written content can be one of your best friends. Where would you put your written
content? - Website
- Blog Posts
- Email Newsletters You know your business better than anyone else. Thatʼs why you should be the one to write the content. No one knows your story like you do, no one knows your dedication nor what you put into your photography business every day and no one knows your talent like you do. Blog posts, emails, and newsletters are all marketing activities that you can do yourself without a budget. Written content is the meat and potatoes of your marketing. It tells customers who you are, what you do, services you provide, and the story of your business. Blog posts included on your photography website helps to give search engines reason to consider you an expert in your field of photography. Without words, search engines can not recommend your photography business to its searchers. Remember this when dealing with your own website.
Additionally, many consider email to be a thing of the past. Simply put, this is not true. On the contrary, email is one of the strongest marketing tools you can use yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Donʼt be intimidated by writing - itʼs easier than you think. Keep it casual and enjoyable to read. Write to your customer like they are a friend who needs helpful information.
Letʼs talk a little about visual content. Visual content is one of your strengths simply because you are a photographer. You should have no problem either having existing content or creating new content to promote. Video also should be a natural for you.
PHOTOGRAPHS
Your own photos are good to use on your website and blog posts to add a visual element to written content. Show your potential clients how good you are by using your own photos. If you have or can create a series of photographs that tell a story, solve a clientʼs problem or show you as a photographer, all the better.
VIDEO
Use video provide information to customers or show an inside look at your business. People love to see behind the scenes of your business and your process. Explain your process, describe the benefits of working with you as a photographer and show the viewer you in the process of taking photographs. What do you do? Why do you do it? How do you do it? Show it all using video to create a connection with your viewers, clients and potential clients.
GRAPHICS
Make custom graphics for social media, blogging, and email marketing for free on websites like Canva. Experiment with different colors and fonts that match your business type and brand. Not only is it necessary to show your viewers what you can do to help them, but you also want to tell them. Whatʼs cool about Canva is you can not only use words to tell people, but you can also show them.
SEO SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION
The best bet is to invest in professional help when you set up your website, but you can also work on SEO your- self. Use marketing resources to learn about SEO.
Using alt tags on images and performing keyword re- search will help you improve your SEO. If you donʼt have a lot of time to invest, start with directory listings, an SEO optimized website, and relevant blog content. Let me simplify search engine optimization by merely saying you need to write a lot of descriptions for each and every photo you include on your website. These words help search engines index your website and your photographs. More than this, think of how people will search for you. When someone goes to a search engine box to type in their search, what words do they search for. Ask yourself - what words do you want to be found with? Make a list. Once you know what words are associated with you, use the words and/or phrases throughout your website and your blog posts but do it in a natural way.
ONLINE DIRECTORIES
The most basic marketing activities that small businesses need to use do not require any money at all. Online directories and review sites are free and essential. There are many photography directories where you can be placed.
Directory listings provide customers with your business information like your website, phone number, and address so that you can be reached online. If your business isnʼt listed in online directories, it is as though your business does not even exist. You could be missing out on countless customers – particularly if someone is looking for a local business.
Start with the biggest directories first, such as:
Google
Bing
Yahoo
Yelp
Yellow Pages / White Pages
City Search
FourSquare
REVIEW SITES
Word of mouth marketing is important for small business and goes much further with building trust than anything else. Testimonials on your own website are good, but if you want to maximize the effectiveness of positive reviews, you need reviews on sites like Yelp.
Where and how do you get reviews? Consider asking loyal customers to write one. Make it easy for customers to give feedback by listing your business on multiple directories. The more places your business is listed, the more reviews it can get.
Send a follow up email to customers asking if they were happy with the service or product. In addition to making customers feel valued, this encourages them to review your business online. In fact, ask your customers to write a review.
Review sites give you exposure to potential new customers.
Getting publicity for your business can cost money, but it can also be free. Creating an online network on social media and engaging with your followers can create a buzz about your business and business events.
Start by establishing a presence on social media through sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Engage with followers by liking, sharing, and commenting on their updates to build a rapport. By establishing a rapport and a strong following, you can make connections with people who may be able to help you promote your business. When needed, you can help them in return.
Do you have any followers who are writers or newscasters or bloggers? Interact with them and keep them up to date on news-worthy events or promotions that youʼre doing for your business. If you have something news-worthy, ask them if they would be interested in covering it for a story. Just like us, newscasters and bloggers are always looking for unique content to share. If you get covered by an outlet with enough media presence, this can certainly be a great way to promote your business.
EVENTS
Sometimes it seems that everything in done online, but a lot of marketing and networking is in person. If you ask me, there is nothing better than in person marketing. Attending events and meeting people face-to-face is a great way to grow your business.
What types of events should you go to? It depends on your type of photography and can range from big tradeshows to small local events.
A business that is targeting a national audience will have more success at a big tradeshow than a community event. If you have a local business, getting involved in the community and meeting people makes more sense than going to a large trade show.
Locally oriented businesses can be very successful at marketing themselves through community events. Volunteer your time to help others is an effective way of marketing your business.
Find community members with similar interests by simply searching via a search engine. This is a good way of promoting your business and networking with other business owners.
PARTNERSHIPS
Going to events is great, but what comes out of them can be even greater. Take your marketing to the next level by collaborating with other business owners. Partnering with non- competitive businesses that serve the same clientele can be a great way to build your business.
Once you have established a relationship, you can take these partnerships to the next level by cross-promoting each othersʼ services using your email lists, in store flyers or coupons, and/or social media pages.
If you donʼt have time to go to events to meet new people, think of the small business owners who you already know. Do you have friends or family who own businesses or vendors who you have a relationship with? Get creative.
CONCLUSION
Marketing your business without a budget doesnʼt have to be difficult, in fact it's not.
To sum up, hereʼs what to do for your own marketing without a budget :
Develop a marketing plan to figure out what to do.
Use your expertise and product helpful content based on what you already know.
Focus on marketing tasks that you can do yourself like creating content, graphics, and social media.
Track your efforts and see what works to get you customers.
Establish your business on directory listings and review sites.
Engage in person and on social media and collaborate with other businesses.
Comments