162: Mastering Marketing for Wedding Photography: Stand out in a Saturated Market
Jul 13, 2023Episode 162
Catherine Guidry: Wedding Photographer + Educator
As wedding photographers, we’re business owners - which means we’re also marketers! Are you ready to transform your wedding photography business with the power of marketing strategy?
As wedding photographers, we’re business owners - which means we’re also marketers! Are you ready to transform your wedding photography business with the power of marketing strategy?
Hi, my name is Catherine Gidry and thank you so much for joining me today for this episode where we're going to be diving into how to better market yourself as a wedding photographer. Before we dive into the content, if you're interested in downloading our free pricing guide, be sure to visit the description, where there's a link listed there for you. All right, so why am I talking about the topic of marketing yourself? Because one of the most common things that I hear from other wedding photographers that are aspiring or trying to go full-time, or maybe full-time and having a little bit of lag in their business is I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but my calendar isn't full. Oftentimes, when your calendar isn't full, we can attribute that to marketing, or we can at least give ourselves the potential to fill our booking calendar with really good marketing skills. So that's what I'm going to be talking about in this episode. Before we even dive into the nitty gritty of marketing, I want to touch on something, which is our portfolio. When we're marketing, what are we marketing? We're marketing our images, our portfolio, and so really that is the foundation that we have to lay for ourselves before we even tap into the things that we're going to be talking about. So, if you're in a place where you're feeling a little bit of lag, why don't you create some personal work or go back through previous sessions and weddings that you photographed, pull out those really strong images and then, in the future sessions and weddings that you do have booked maybe in the next few weeks or months really focus on honing in on your portfolio and creating really strong images? When people are looking to refer you or hire you, in addition to the recommendations that they're receiving and your reputation, they're really looking to see that you can capture their story, capture them well. They're looking at things like color, things like composition, a unique perspective, which is a whole another topic in and of itself that we can speak on, but I really just wanted to, before I start talking about marketing, talk about the fact that, even if you're really pushing your business and your reputation is out there, if your portfolio is lacking, people may get to your portfolio and pause there, so had to put that out there. Your portfolio is key.
Speaker 1:
The next thing that I want to talk about, before we dig into the how of marketing, is the who of marketing your ideal client, if you're going to be putting yourself out there and really wanting to bring in those dream clients, that dream work, you have to know who you're talking to. This also is another big topic in and of itself that I love to speak about. But when it comes to your ideal client, you want to know who that person is. How old are they, what does that couple look like? What is the style of that event? What is their personality type. These are the things that are going to inform how you're speaking to your ideal client and who they are, so that you can bring them into your business and have them hiring you for their event. When it comes to wedding photography, it is incredibly personal and you want that person to feel like, when they do see your images and when they do get on your website, that they know exactly who you are, the type of work that you produce and that you are the photographer for them. But in order for them to know that, you have to know that they are the client for you. So spend some time really thinking about who you have enjoyed working with and who you want to work with in the future. Maybe you've had some really amazing experiences. Maybe you've had some experiences that haven't been so amazing. Both of these sides of the spectrum can inform who you want to work with, moving forward by having this information, it really allows you to hone in on your ideal client and market to the right person.
Speaker 1:
You're not going to be for everyone. We're not casting a wide net and wanting every single person to hire us as their wedding photographer. We are wanting to market to that exact client that we really want, so that they can hire us and we can serve them well in our business. Okay, so now that we have the foundation laid with our portfolio and we know who we're marketing to, the next thing that we really want to focus on is a strong website. I use a platform called Show it. The Code Magic will save you 10% on your sign up. I absolutely love Show it because there's templates, it's drag and drop and it's super easy, especially for photographers, to put their portfolio and about themselves online.
Speaker 1:
When you have a really strong website, something that people can come to, that's where you're going to funnel all of these leads. You want all of these ways of marketing to come to one place, which is your website. There's a misconception that we want everyone going to social. Yes, we want people to know that we're active on social. We want to be posting on social because it's important and it's almost like that first impression, right. But when people are making really big financial decisions, they're wanting to invest in you as their photographer. They're going to be going looking for a website and you want that website to be professional, to be current and to include some key proponents on the website, which each of these things truly is a topic in and of itself which we are going to cover on YouTube, if we haven't already, depending on when you're watching this video or listening to this podcast. But you really need to have that professional website to display your work, talk about your process and explain who you are and give people the opportunity to contact you to learn more. Okay, so let's talk more about social. We know that the website is going to be essentially the landing spot for everything, all the marketing that you're doing. We want people to eventually get to the website, contact and hire you for their wedding. But social media is huge.
Speaker 1:
Even for myself, when I'm looking to hire a business, before I ever go to their website, I am going to social media For me right now. Personally, I go to Instagram. I don't feel like every business at this point is on TikTok, yet I kind of feel like Facebook is a little bit outdated in terms of where we are in social media or where I am at least and so I'm really using Instagram as a consumer and therefore wanting to treat that platform as very important for my business as well. So, in regards to social media, I'm making sure that it's up to date, that I'm treating it like a portfolio piece. I'm only putting my best work. I use a platform called Planally to lay out my grid, make sure it looks super professional, and I try to keep it current. Even if I'm not sharing new images on the feed, I'm updating my stories. I'm doing a mix of personal and business, because I want people to know who I am too, and so, when it comes to social media, spend time on the platform observing. Look at, maybe, some accounts that inspire you. They don't have to be other photographers, but look at what draws you in as a consumer. What do you want to see? Having that strong social presence will allow the consumer to trust you. Know that you're a real person, see kind of like what you're up to on a day to day and essentially get to know your work so that they then can go to your website. So make sure that in your contact you do have your website listed so that they can leave social to go to your website when the time comes.
Speaker 1:
Let's talk a little bit about online directories and portals. So something like the Knot Wedding Wire, the Little Black Book at Style Me Pretty these are examples of directories, and there's a ton of them. I get emailed so often. I got an email today from platforms that want you to be in their portal summer free and summer paid, which would be kind of more in line with advertising. The Knot, for example, allows you to have a free profile, which is really cool. I have paid for the Knot in the past to get more leads. Currently I do have a free profile that I have images on and reviews. I also use Google for reviews, which will get more to testimonials in a minute. But I do think that utilizing these platforms is nice. It just kind of expands your reach. It expands your SEO for Google. I personally haven't had a ton of bookings come through from those portals, the ones that I was a part of. I haven't been a part of many, but some of those that I did sign up for have been great for SEO and just kind of getting more leads, but oftentimes I find that my referrals come through more consistently in regards to actual bookings, but the more you can be online, the more link backs you can have, the better. So I definitely encourage you to look into those.
Speaker 1:
In regards to advertising, though, really think about where you are in the business, if you can afford to spend that extra money and how you want to spend it. So it's definitely something to think about, not to say that it's not a great use of your dollars, but it just depends on where you are in your business and how quickly you're looking to grow. Oftentimes, people say that if you have time, you don't have money, and when you don't have time, you probably have a little more money to spend, and so really just evaluate those things and figure out what's best for you in your business. All right, when it comes to blogging, that is such a great way to get your name on the web using a free tool, which is Google, to scrape your website for words. So when you're titling your blog posts, you know, use things like New Orleans Wedding Photographer or New Orleans Wedding Venue or New Orleans Wedding colon, such and such venue, wherever you are or wherever you want to market. So, even though you know you are maybe based in a certain city but you're trying to do more destination weddings, you can blog about that and share those images, type up those vendor names into sentences and give Google something to search for.
Speaker 1:
The great thing about blogging is that it's free. You can use WordPress to set up a blog, you can use Show it to make it pretty, and then you just have to spend the time curating your images, going in, uploading those photos, resizing them to make sure that they load quickly, and then writing about the venue, the vendors that you worked with, titling those images and the posts properly, and that will be such a great way for Google to find you so that they can share your work and your imagery for free on the web in those rankings. Even if you're not blogging actual weddings maybe you haven't shot a ton of weddings yet, or you don't have the permission to share those weddings because, like, maybe you were a second shooter or something like that you can still blog using questionnaires. You can sample your five favorite venues in a city, or you can go and interview a venue coordinator and post photos and videos. In that way, blogging is very creative. There's many things that you can do, so really think about what people are searching and how they might find you, so that you can get those images on the web, even if it's not from, like, a specific wedding event that you photographed.
Speaker 1:
Let's talk about next collaborating with other vendors. This is such a great way to get referrals and get your name out there. The awesome thing about collaborating with other vendors is it gives them an opportunity to actually work with you, and the best way for someone to speak about your skill set and your personality is to give that first person testimonial. I worked with so-and-so. She did a good job and I loved my images and she made things so easy. They can speak from their own experiences and the fact that they're a vendor gives them extra validity to a future client or another vendor that they might be speaking with. So collaborations can look like maybe you're photographing or videoing them. If you're a videographer to show behind the scenes of how they work, it gives them content to post online. Maybe you offer to go and shadow them at a wedding and get some content. In that way, it could be collaborating on a styled event. It could be collaborating on an event that you're hosting together. It could be even photographing their family, something outside of work. Truly, the options are endless. Be creative, use your creativity as an artist to be creative in business too, and reach out to these vendors and set up these opportunities for you guys to collaborate so that they can refer you and speak to their personal experiences.
Speaker 1:
Wedding expos and bridal shows is another one that I often get asked about, especially inside of our Wedding Photography Society. That's a membership that we have created for aspiring and full-time wedding photographers. If you want more information on that, you can check that out at weddingphotographysocietycom, which we'll talk about collaborating with other photographers in a minute. But bridal shows and expos come up often and I think this is one of those things that it really also just depends on your business right, like where you are. If you're more in the luxury market, you might not be as focused on that type of event. However, if you're in the earlier stages of your business maybe like year one to five expos are a great way for you to display your work to a large volume of people, get email addresses, meet and even book some events. I have one photographer in particular that I'm thinking of who has participated in a multitude of wedding expos this year and booked several weddings through those shows, and so definitely don't write these things off. Try to get information about who they serve. Maybe you could even attend one to kind of see how many people come and what other vendors you're participating, just to get a little intel, and then you can participate. But do your research and try to get into the expos that are a good fit for your business and it is a great way to potentially get those bookings and also get your name out.
Speaker 1:
Okay, so I mentioned that I would talk a little bit more about collaborating with other photographers. Photographers are so instrumental to the growth and marketing of our businesses because not only do they know exactly what we do, but also there are going to be times when they are unavailable or booked, and what happens when they are unavailable or booked is that they're gonna refer their friends, people they trust and the ones that they think do a good job. So in the same way that you're collaborating with other vendors, you want to try to meet and maybe even collaborate with other photographers. I mentioned the Wedding Photography Society. That is an amazing community that we've created for people to meet has given them the opportunity to connect and second shoot together or refer out or swap for things like family sessions of one another or headshots. But when you are meeting with these other photographers, use that as an opportunity to grow your friendship, grow your relationship, swap notes and just connect. Photographers are going to be the ones that help get you through your business in those hard times and in those good times, and so I really just encourage you to collaborate with others in the industry while you're in that growth journey, which ultimately never ends right.
Speaker 1:
And the last thing that I want to talk about is gonna be the client testimonials and referrals. So, when it comes to marketing, people love to know that others who were in their shoes had a great experience. So if you haven't yet create a Google profile for your business, ask clients that you know have had amazing seller experiences with you and would probably be willing to share if they would be willing to hop online and write a few words about you and your business. Some people will do this without asking, but some people don't necessarily think about it. I know I've personally even had people ask me to write a review and as soon as they do, I'm like, yeah, no problem, I just didn't even think about it. So don't hesitate to ask. Just ask for that review. Ask them to share a little bit about their experience and their images. This goes so far. If you can get video testimonials, great. But at a minimum take the text or whatever they've written email, put it on your website, use a photo of theirs so we can put a face to the name and give that to your future clients so that they can see and hear from people that were in their shoes.
Speaker 1:
Marketing is big. We can't just continue to create amazing images as photographers and expect that others are gonna just magically know about the art that we're creating. A big part of that is how we're getting our name out, how we're getting more bookings and sharing about ourselves. I know it can be uncomfortable because a lot of us are introverts and prefer to be on the other side of the camera, but if you market yourself well, that will allow you to open doors and meet people and book the clients that you haven't before. Thank you for listening today. If you found this content and any of the content helpful on our channel, please be sure to subscribe. Thank you so much for listening and I wish you the absolute best on your photography journey. I'll see you in the next episode. I'll see you in the next one.