I have been a professional photographer for over 40 years. I received my Masters degree over 30 years ago. I have been very careful over the years to stay in contact with my customer base. I have over 7000 people in my email data base and I send out emails at least monthly. I also sell space on my eblast to commercial customers of mine who are interested in reaching my audience. I use Constant Contact for this service. I also use Send Out cards to send targeted direct mail to my customers on birthdays and anniversaries. About 25 years ago, I also started a publication that has grown
exponentially. It is now a 48 page magazine that is mailed to over 40,000 homes. That might be a bit much for most people to take on, but a newsletter is always a good way to start. Contact a few of your commercial clients and add a few small ads from them to help pay for the project. Be selective of your mailing area. We target homes with incomes starting at $80,000 a year. The post office can help you with a list.
In regards to boudoir photography, I think one of the best ways to market that is by word of mouth. Sometimes print or internet marketing can bring you clients that you don't want, I joined several women's groups (check out the American Business Women Association in your area). That allows me to be selective about my clientele and I stay extremely busy. Good luck. Contact me if you have any further questions. I am happy to help.
Hi Katie! I do boudoir photography and have for years. I find that I get a lot of hits online from non-clients (if you know what I mean). The real clients come from a phone call and building up trust. You need a great portfolio online to start. I have also found facebook and google will ban you if you are not careful what you post based on their rules. I've had numerous warnings so tread carefully. I often get bookings from regular shoots (business headshots) once they "trust" you...they are willing to do so something more personal and risque. Good luck!
Your question is a form of the most often asked question in photography. I do not know where you are located, so I would not know your specific market.What works for some does not necessarily work for all. We can assume for the moment you are good at your craft. Your typical boudoir customer is usually very mainstream and older. That is the experience we have found in this market. For some, Facebook ads work, for others Instagram, still others direct mail or an email blast. In some markets, personal networking is effective. It depends upon your market. Its size. Its sophistication. Its age distribution. If you send me more detail, I am happy provide a more precise answer.
I use very targeted direct mail and then follow up with contact via phone, email or rarely, an in person cold call. I don't do business with the general public so it's a bit different for me. My clients are companies - businesses large and small, not individuals, so what works for me might not be a good fit for you.
To be honest, Instagram ads. And also create some Valentines flyers with some examples of your work as organic posts on IG, boost some other boudoir images that have great engagement from your past posts. Not sure how often you're posting but if you can in IG Stories at least once a day that also helps greatly.
I try my best to stay visible on the first page of google search. A blog is also a great way. I don’t blog as regularly as I should but was contacted about a shoot because they google a particular place and found my blog from there due to my search words. Hope this helps.
I participate in network meetings. Today a high school asked me to participate I a job fair. The whole community will be opening their doors to me from this.
Especially with boudoir, your clients need to know they'll be taken care of, so you need to build up word of mouth in that area. Like you seem to have, I have two sides of my photography business: the boudoir side and everything else. I finally realized it would be good for me to have two separate Yelp pages so that I could focus just on building the boudoir side.
I initially began with friends and models (but not models who looked too "model-y" -- as someone else mentioned, I want my clients to see themselves in the women I show on social media and my website). One of the benefits to using models (or friends-as-models) is that (with a photo release) you can show their faces. About 1/3 of my clients are ok with my using some of their photos publicly, but very few of them are ok showing their face. BUT potential clients need to know that you'll show their face in a flattering way, so you also need some photos that show faces.
After the initial wave of getting sample photos and reviews (Yelp hint: make sure your friends/models don't mention that they know you, and make sure they have other reviews on Yelp so their review of you doesn't get hidden), I started getting clients through Thumbtack and later Yelp. If you have a lot of great reviews on those two sites, that will contribute to your name coming up in a good position on Google searches. Your friends and models can also review you on Thumbtack, and that will boost your overall visibility and SEO, but only reviews from clients who hired you through Thumbtack will contribute to Thumbtack's Top Pro program -- just something to note.
I personally find Instagram to be more trouble than it's worth -- I've put a ton of effort into it, but Instagram and Facebook are ever more wary of images that show what they consider to be too much skin. Eventually IG targeted me and hid my posts on hashtag searches if its bot detected too much skin (I did systematic testing to prove my hypothesis). This is a particularly tough area of photography to market, because advertising platforms, especially in the age of FOSTA/SESTA, are extremely sensitive to anything that hints of sex. I had to dump my first IG account and start another so I could post again. It's incredibly frustrating.
In my case I had a wide assortment of clients over a number of years being in business. It takes time to build a network of friends and customers and your reputation is your best bet. Happy and satisfied customers will recommend you and your business will grow with it. Marketing yourself is the hardest part of the photo business.
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Answers (1-10)
I have been a professional photographer for over 40 years. I received my Masters degree over 30 years ago. I have been very careful over the years to stay in contact with my customer base. I have over 7000 people in my email data base and I send out emails at least monthly. I also sell space on my eblast to commercial customers of mine who are interested in reaching my audience. I use Constant Contact for this service. I also use Send Out cards to send targeted direct mail to my customers on birthdays and anniversaries. About 25 years ago, I also started a publication that has grown exponentially. It is now a 48 page magazine that is mailed to over 40,000 homes. That might be a bit much for most people to take on, but a newsletter is always a good way to start. Contact a few of your commercial clients and add a few small ads from them to help pay for the project. Be selective of your mailing area. We target homes with incomes starting at $80,000 a year. The post office can help you with a list.
In regards to boudoir photography, I think one of the best ways to market that is by word of mouth. Sometimes print or internet marketing can bring you clients that you don't want, I joined several women's groups (check out the American Business Women Association in your area). That allows me to be selective about my clientele and I stay extremely busy. Good luck. Contact me if you have any further questions. I am happy to help.
www.patandray.com
www.forestimage.com
Hi Katie! I do boudoir photography and have for years. I find that I get a lot of hits online from non-clients (if you know what I mean). The real clients come from a phone call and building up trust. You need a great portfolio online to start. I have also found facebook and google will ban you if you are not careful what you post based on their rules. I've had numerous warnings so tread carefully. I often get bookings from regular shoots (business headshots) once they "trust" you...they are willing to do so something more personal and risque. Good luck!
Sample Boudoir photography - https://www.karenvaismanphotog...
Your question is a form of the most often asked question in photography. I do not know where you are located, so I would not know your specific market.What works for some does not necessarily work for all. We can assume for the moment you are good at your craft.
Your typical boudoir customer is usually very mainstream and older. That is the experience we have found in this market. For some, Facebook ads work, for others Instagram, still others direct mail or an email blast. In some markets, personal networking is effective. It depends upon your market. Its size. Its sophistication. Its age distribution.
If you send me more detail, I am happy provide a more precise answer.
I use very targeted direct mail and then follow up with contact via phone, email or rarely, an in person cold call. I don't do business with the general public so it's a bit different for me. My clients are companies - businesses large and small, not individuals, so what works for me might not be a good fit for you.
To be honest, Instagram ads. And also create some Valentines flyers with some examples of your work as organic posts on IG, boost some other boudoir images that have great engagement from your past posts. Not sure how often you're posting but if you can in IG Stories at least once a day that also helps greatly.
I try my best to stay visible on the first page of google search. A blog is also a great way. I don’t blog as regularly as I should but was contacted about a shoot because they google a particular place and found my blog from there due to my search words. Hope this helps.
I participate in network meetings. Today a high school asked me to participate I a job fair. The whole community will be opening their doors to me from this.
Especially with boudoir, your clients need to know they'll be taken care of, so you need to build up word of mouth in that area. Like you seem to have, I have two sides of my photography business: the boudoir side and everything else. I finally realized it would be good for me to have two separate Yelp pages so that I could focus just on building the boudoir side.
I initially began with friends and models (but not models who looked too "model-y" -- as someone else mentioned, I want my clients to see themselves in the women I show on social media and my website). One of the benefits to using models (or friends-as-models) is that (with a photo release) you can show their faces. About 1/3 of my clients are ok with my using some of their photos publicly, but very few of them are ok showing their face. BUT potential clients need to know that you'll show their face in a flattering way, so you also need some photos that show faces.
After the initial wave of getting sample photos and reviews (Yelp hint: make sure your friends/models don't mention that they know you, and make sure they have other reviews on Yelp so their review of you doesn't get hidden), I started getting clients through Thumbtack and later Yelp. If you have a lot of great reviews on those two sites, that will contribute to your name coming up in a good position on Google searches. Your friends and models can also review you on Thumbtack, and that will boost your overall visibility and SEO, but only reviews from clients who hired you through Thumbtack will contribute to Thumbtack's Top Pro program -- just something to note.
I personally find Instagram to be more trouble than it's worth -- I've put a ton of effort into it, but Instagram and Facebook are ever more wary of images that show what they consider to be too much skin. Eventually IG targeted me and hid my posts on hashtag searches if its bot detected too much skin (I did systematic testing to prove my hypothesis). This is a particularly tough area of photography to market, because advertising platforms, especially in the age of FOSTA/SESTA, are extremely sensitive to anything that hints of sex. I had to dump my first IG account and start another so I could post again. It's incredibly frustrating.
Hope this is all helpful!
Cheshire
In my case I had a wide assortment of clients over a number of years being in business. It takes time to build a network of friends and customers and your reputation is your best bet. Happy and satisfied customers will recommend you and your business will grow with it. Marketing yourself is the hardest part of the photo business.