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How to get photography clients?
04-08-2014, 04:27 AM
Post: #1
How to get photography clients?
I am trying to start my own photography business, family and weddings and glamour portraits. I have yet to get one paying client because I don't know how to market. Everyone just says marketing is the answer, its the most important but what does that really mean? How do I market?

I have a Facebook page, blogsite, and have told all my (small group of) friends to pass the word. It is just SO freaking hard to find people who are willing to pay to get their pictures taken. And yet I see my peers who live near me posting paid sessions on their fb page once or twice or more every week!! Where are they finding these people???

Yes, I am new at this. So please help me out! Smile

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04-08-2014, 04:27 AM
Post: #2
 
Good marketing is art, science, and psychology. Here is the best source on how to market a photography business that I have ever found:

http://www.cjlewis.com/starting-a-photog...sines.html

steve

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04-08-2014, 04:28 AM
Post: #3
 
You need a large portfolio to dispaly your diverse work.
To show off your different styles of photos you can do.
If you need people to photography for the portfolio you can advertise on craigslist.. say something like "free studio pictures from a professional photographer."

then once you have a portfolio to show off, create a website. a nice professional simple website showwing off your work.

I recently was looknoig to hire a photographer for my wedding, I looked at tons of photographer's websites, I choose the one with the best/simplest website. (pay someone to make the website for you.)
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04-08-2014, 04:35 AM
Post: #4
 
get to know the right people.
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04-08-2014, 04:39 AM
Post: #5
 
Notice that Photography Business has 2 words. You need to be excellent at both.

Get some business cards and/or flyers made. Hand them out in the local mall, get them on boards in local shops, push them through people's doors.

You have serious competition. Everybody has a camera these days - everybody with a DSLR thinks they can make it as a pro.

Finally - don't necessarily believe everything you read on Facebook. A large proportion is exaggerated BS from folk trying to impress.
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04-08-2014, 04:45 AM
Post: #6
 
1. build your portfolio- photograph your friends for free
2. get a website- wordpress has template based websites that are easy to start up on, they have a blog attached to the site which gets you more views
3. get business cards
4. blog often!- the more you blog the more links there are to your site, the more people see your work
5. RESEARCH- know your market, read books and legitimate sites about portrait photography, be able to talk about your art, know industry standard pricing, know how to create a variety of good work
5. create packages (different work for different amounts of money)- realize that you are just starting out, you can't charge $2000+/wedding, but don't sell yourself short either, if you price so low you undercut your competition then you are making a lot of people in the industry mad and making little to no profit for your work
7. if you have a little bit of money, advertise- pay for those little annoying sidebar facebook ads, pay to be at the top of the google search, put a classified ad in your local newspaper, see if you can get your business cards in pastry shops, boutiques (anywhere that your prospective clients will see them)
8. If this is something you really want to do, don't give up easily. It takes a LONG time to get anywhere in the industry- you have to be dedicated and constantly working toward your goal
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04-08-2014, 04:50 AM
Post: #7
 
These days, EVERYBODY takes photos and with modern technology, they all turn out very well. So the demand for a professional photographer is no where near as great as it used to be.
Put adverts in local papers and shops.
Advertise in Yellow Pages
Place flyers in wedding venues for prospective clients to see.

A word of warning: your photos will have to be PERFECTLY focussed and exposed with original composition, otherwise no one will buy them.
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04-08-2014, 04:58 AM
Post: #8
 
Marketing is part of the answer. The other part is having an excellent portfolio,
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04-08-2014, 05:05 AM
Post: #9
 
You are no where near ready to start a business yet.

Before you even think about starting then you should have covered this very basic part of it i.e. where will I get customers.

There are a hundred and one ways to market yourself/your business depending on the type of work you will be doing, the sort of client you are aiming for etc etc. and TBH if you don't know where or how to do this then you should spend the next couple of years learning that and business in general before trying to set out on your own.
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