Much of your job as a photographer is spent reaching out to clients who will help you grow your business. One of the top ways to do that is to create and use a strategic marketing plan, which can provide you with more opportunities to share about your brand with ideal clients. The more effort you place into your marketing plan, the easier it becomes to attract clients and book more weddings.
In our Secrets to Getting Booked Guide, we asked top industry leaders what techniques worked in their business last year to book more weddings. Below, 3 wedding pros share marketing tips you need to know to help you book the clients you desire this year.
1. Set Specific Goals
As with every plan you create, you must set specific goals for your marketing efforts. When you have the specific goals set, you can then create a detailed marketing plan that allows you to reach ideal clients. Those are the clients you should spend time marketing to, so you can reach your goal for the weddings you need to book.
ShootDotEdit Customer, Vanessa Joy Photography, recommends being specific in the goals you set for the weddings you want to book. This means looking at your financial goals to decide how many weddings should be on your schedule. The more specific you are with your goals, the more detail you can include in your marketing plan to achieve those bookings.
Image Compliments of Vanessa Joy Photography
“To reach your goals, you need to know what they are. It’s no use to throw a number out there like ‘15 weddings’ when 5 of those could be $5,000 weddings and the others are $2,000. When making and attempting to reach booking goals, be as specific as possible, breaking down the numbers and doing the math to come up with a concrete target in numbers and dollars.” -Vanessa Joy Photography
Tip: Find out how you can save more time in your business to work on specific goals for your photography marketing when you outsource wedding photo editing and eliminate hours from your workflow.
2. Discover Your Target Market
To maximize your marketing, discover who your target market is. This requires you to do some research into your ideal client and the specific details about them. The reason you should know your target market is so you can use a marketing strategy that caters directly to them, rather than spending your efforts on clients who may not be ideal for you.
Salt and Pine Photography, a ShootDotEdit Wedding Pro, suggests taking the time to get to know your clients. Use the important details about them to guide your marketing strategy and allow you to book the clients you desire.
“Know your clients, not just the clients you have, but the clients you want to have. You need to know how they think, what they are willing to spend, how they shop, what they love and hate, and how they use the Internet. Everyone’s ideal client is different, and trying to put your ideal client into someone else’s box isn’t going to work. You need to tailor your brand to them and only them.” – Salt and Pine Photography
3. Be Intentional in Your Marketing
Because there are many ways to market to ideal clients, be intentional with your marketing plan. Every time you share something on social media or update your website, make sure there is a specific reason behind it that relates back to your strategy. Your time is valuable, so everything you put into your marketing plan should help you attract and book clients.
ShootDotEdit Pro, Donal Doherty, recommends for you to have intention behind every decision you make for your marketing efforts. This allows you to stay top of mind with ideal clients, so they look to you when they are ready to book a photographer for their wedding day.
“Be at the front of people’s mind. Be intentional and constant in your marketing approach, both online and offline. The more people see you and your brand associated with great work and content, the greater your chances are they will go to you as the first port of call when they need to book a wedding photographer.” – Donal Doherty
Related: How can you use these top 5 tips to maximize your marketing for your business?
Marketing for your business is essential to your growth and longevity in the wedding photography industry. When you create specific goals, discover your target market, and use intention in your marketing, your efforts can lead you to clients who are perfect for you. Take the tips listed above by these 3 photographers and implement them into your marketing strategy to help book more weddings.
How else can you use marketing for your photography business? Grab our free Guide to Marketing for Wedding Photographers to learn from industry leaders on strategies that work best for them!
