It’s likely that if you're reading this, you are interested in some aspect of photography. If you are interested in making an income from your photography, something you may be struggling with is marketing yourself and your work. This video from Don Giannatti will give you the kick in the pants you need to get yourself out there and get paying clients.
Marketing strategies have not changed that much over the last few decades. Mail, magazine ads, and face-to-face interaction are all just as relevant to your photography marketing today as they were 10 years ago. Add to that social media and other Internet methods, and you’ve potentially got more reach than you ever thought possible.
Take Advantage of Social Media and Internet Interaction
As Giannatti discusses in this video, social media and Internet interaction has changed the way we live, as both creators and consumers. Through email and text messaging, we are able to reach potential clients instantly. We are able to share images, which convey feelings, much more quickly than worded explanations. Photographs get the attention that a person in today’s world will not take the time to give to a paragraph full of words. And as Giannatti emphasizes here, “time is the most potent asset we have.” Images are how we express an entire story in a single moment. Getting those images out there for the world to see is a must when it comes to marketing your work.
Giannatti suggests becoming an active member of a community in which you can network. He also explains how being involved in sharing and even in free economy, such as submitting to stock photography databases, can be a way to get your work seen, and make sure that it has a useful life outside of your computer’s hard drive.
When it comes to social media, Giannatti says you should definitely be taking advantage of it. Instagram, Facebook Live, LinkedIn, Behance, and YouTube are all great tools for photographers to reach prospective clients.
Stay on Top of Your Photography Game
So what happens if you are just not staying busy with client work? Shoot anyway! Giannatti suggests that you should be constantly assigning yourself your own projects, so that you can stay fresh, have fresh content to show potential clients, and it’s a great way to work on things that you might be challenged by.
Get Your Name Everywhere
One of the greatest takeaways from this video is Giannatti’s idea of “three contacts a day.” He says that it takes about 5 minutes to mail, email, or text a potential client. There are so many different ways to do this, and we should be doing it every single day. This will help get your name in front of people who might not even know they need you. Get yourself out there and get known!
What are your best marketing strategies? Share them in the comments!
49 minute video. Don't start it on your break at work. Save it for home.
Good one Don ! Thanks for sharing. Agree on most of what you say, except that part abt Facebook not being that useful for commercial photographers. You talk about the importance of networking. FB groups are at the moment proly one of the hottest places to network... But that are just my two cents and of course, your mileage may vary.