Are you a photographer who is tired of trying to figure out where your next lead will come from? Do you find it hard to make time for marketing your own business between all of your time spent shooting and editing? Does the thought of investing in advertising for your business scare you?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you’re in the right place. At Pandas on Fire, we are here to make your life easier and help you ignite your business growth.

Sure, having a strong brand and a great referral network is a huge part of the industry. However, if you want level up your game and see leads flowing regularly into your inbox, here are a few tips.

#1 Marketing for Photography Tip – Maintain an active online presence

Take your business owner hat off for a minute and think like a customer. If you were going to book something with a business, you’d do some research. You’d probably ask some friends, but then further dig into potential companies online. There are a few things you can do here to ensure you stand out among the crowd.

1. Make sure you have an up-to-date website with sample photos for potential new clients to review. If you shoot multiple types of events (i.e. weddings and family photos), make sure it’s easy for people to find samples of your work in these categories.
2. Make sure you have a Google business profile and/or a Facebook page that includes your reviews. Reviews and testimonials are enormously important
3. Have an active social media profile where clients can get a feel for who you are.
   

#2 Ensure your website SEO is helping you rank higher on Google

Many business owners know that SEO is important, but don’t really know how to make it work for them. Your presence on Google is largely determined by the SEO on your website. If your site hasn’t ever been audited or optimized, here are a few things to consider:

1. Know what keywords you want to rank for and ensure your website copy is written effectively.
2. Have a regularly updated blog that is consistently bringing traffic to your website. The blog is an incredibly versatile tool that is often neglected in favor of other more exciting things (looking at you, Instagram Reels). However, when structured correctly, a regularly updated, SEO-focused blog can make a huge difference in your website traffic.
   
   Your blog content should also further establish your authority and add value to the people who read it. Instead of blogging about a photography session you completed, consider blogging about topics that are constantly being researched.
   
   For instance, “Booking a Wedding Photographer” is a keyword that gets searched for constantly. Creating a guide that explains what people should consider while booking a wedding photographer can drive traffic to your site, while also hopefully funneling clients your way if they find they like what you wrote.
   

#3 Marketing for Photography Tip–Run Google and Facebook Ads

This one drives me crazy! So many photographers are leaving money on the table by being scared of Google or Facebook Ads. I understand the reasons—both platforms can be complicated to navigate, and the nature of pay-per-click advertising means that an incorrectly configured campaign can really hurt your bottom line.

However, I don’t see nearly enough photographers putting effort into creating or running digital ads, and when they do, it tends to be the wrong type of ad. Let’s break down the differences

A Google Ad is essentially a search result that appears at the top of Google’s search results for a given query. You can target customers specifically within your area and refine the keywords to ensure your ad only shows for the services that you offer.

A Meta ad (Facebook/Instagram) appears within someone’s feed if Facebook believes they would be a good fit for your services. You have a lot of input on the audience parameters when running an ad.

The most effective strategy for building leads within the photography industry combines both platforms. If you had to pick one, I think Google Ads tend to work better for photographers because you’re capturing interest at the exact moment someone is looking for a service, whereas Facebook/Instagram ads won’t generate as many immediate leads.

However, there is the ability to re-market to people who clicked your Google Ad/visited your website on Facebook/Instagram and this is where I think you can squeeze as much potential out of a limited budget.

#4 Have a regular email newsletter

The demise of email marketing has been greatly exaggerated. Building an email list is still the most powerful thing a business can do to market itself. If you can draw people on to the list via your blogs or an effective lead magnet, ensure you’re giving them valuable content that they enjoy.

Make sure your email content (like your blog content) is written in an authentic brand voice that reflects you as a business owner. The worst newsletters (besides those written 100% in ChatGPT) are those where the owner is speaking in generic terms and not showcasing any personality. At the end of the day, working with a photographer is a very personal experience and people tend to buy from people that they like and trust. Be yourself!

Want some help marketing your photography business?

If you like the sound of these services but it feels too overwhelming, we can help!

Pandas on Fire is proud to offer a Photography Marketing Bundle that includes Google Ads setup and management, Meta Ads setup and management, 2x monthly SEO optimized blogs and a monthly email newsletter.

Contact us to get started or to see if this is a good fit for your business!