Photography Marketing Ideas to Jump Start Your Business

photography marketing ideas

AS SEEN IN

Photography Business Institute
Photography Business Institute

Here are some easy ways you can bring 5-10 NEW photography clients into your business with some proven photography marketing ideas to jump start your business!

One of the things I do to make sure I have clients coming in all year is something I do when business is slow.

This activity alone gets me 5-10 NEW clients every year….and it costs me less than $100!

Here’s what I do:

1)   I scour my client database 

Like me, my clients love to give back to their community. So, what I’m trying to find is more clients that are like them!

I’m looking for things like:

  • Where do their kids go to school?

Photography Marketing Ideas to Jump Start Your Business

  • Does their school do a charitable auction that I could donate to?

Photography Marketing Ideas to Jump Start Your Business

  • What activities are their kids in?

Photography Marketing Ideas to Jump Start Your Business

  • Does their daughter’s dance troupe do a fundraiser?

Photography Marketing Ideas to Jump Start Your Business

  • Does mom or dad serve on any local fundraising boards?

Photography Marketing Ideas to Jump Start Your Business

2)  I pick up the phone.

The conversation goes like this:

“Hi Jane. It’s Sarah Petty. I have a quick question for you. Once a year, I plan out my charitable giving. I give preference to helping causes that my clients are involved in.”

“I’ve found what works best for my clients and my business is to donate my services to a charitable silent auction — that way the charity gets a cash donation. Do any of the charities you support have silent auctions that I could possibly participate in? Are The kids’ schools doing any fundraisers this year? Are there any activities I could be involved in?”

See, it’s that simple. You get a list of charities your clients support that you can contact about their silent auctions. Once you get your donation lined up, it’s up to you to put the winner through your selling process.

When your sales process is effective, many clients find they want more photography than their auction prize covers. Your marketing has worked! By donating to auctions where my clients are involved, it shows that I care about what they care about AND I get a new client.

Photography Marketing Ideas to Jump Start Your Business

If you’d like to see my marketing calendar and the twenty-one photography marketing activities every photographer should be doing, grab my Autofocus Marketing Calendar. 

Setting a Path for Growth: Scaling Up Your Photography Business

As photographers, we fill many different roles. We are creative ideas people, business owners, marketing managers, customer service providers, image editors and more. In addition to all the hats we wear as photographers, many of us are also spouses, parents and...

Essential Costs When Starting a Photography Business

While a career in photography will let you showcase your skills and creativity, there are also many, often less glamorous, things to consider when starting a photography business. Financial planning is crucial for any business venture. You must know and budget for all...

Help Your Portrait Subjects Shine with Expert Direction

The best photographic portraits show off their subjects’ personalities. Getting this right can be tricky and will take the knowledge and practice of posing and giving clear direction. Learning how to direct your clients will help them shine through their photographs...