MARKETING TO YOUR IDEAL PHOTOGRAPHY CLIENT
After the last blog (READ HERE) about finding the Ideal Client, I had a ton of questions about marketing to the ideal photography client. Marketing to your ideal photography client is actually easy! You just be your authentic self and market your core values to your Ideal’s core values!
Unlike that photographer from the last post: I have no idea on what my Ideal Client looks like, where they shop, or what gender their partner is… I DO know what my Ideal Client values, since it is similar to what I value, and I speak to that…
This can be done both through your words AND your art itself.
STEP-BY-STEP HOW I MARKET TO AND FIND MY IDEAL PHOTOGRAPHY CLIENT
1: Talk about what you value when it comes to your work…
Have it written down in the copy on your website, in your FAQ section, with your packages, use your captions on social media, discuss it in your initial communications with inquiries, etc. Have your values clearly outlined, so it is obvious to anyone who comes across your website, Instagram, or Facebook!
A visit to my website and you’ll see that I value capturing the way it felt and not the way it just looked (SEE HERE)…
Elopement clients will read on their package page (HERE) that I am excited to adventure alongside trek on their day, however that day looks and to help them dream big…
Wedding clients (HERE) will find me discussing how much planning and effort I know goes into each detail and how I want to be sure to capture the beauty of it all, as well as the happy tears I know they will be crying…
Clients will read (HERE) that they just need to be themself and I will document their perfectly imperfect, magical love story in all its perfectly imperfect, magical ways.
Alllll my clients can see in my FAQ section (HERE) that I place value on the fact that they are committing their life to their best friend, and even if things go awry around their day due to weather or mishap, I will be there to help remind them that ultimately that is all that matters.
They will read that their wedding clothes might get dirty, but that won’t matter in the face of the grand adventure we will share. They know I value their love story and want to tell it!
There will never be a doubt about what sort of session, elopement, commitment ceremony, or wedding day they will have when it comes to the photography portion of their day, because I explicitly state what it will look like and where I, as a photographer, place value. SO, if in reading about my values, they see they align with theirs, they will know I am the person for them!
2: Chat with your clients before you book them!
Get to know them… Just as much as they need to make sure you are the right vibe for them, you need to be certain they are the right fit for you too! I want them to know that if they book me, I’m there for them and am excited to invest in their love story and to be a friend and resource for their wedding needs—I’m not just there to take some quick pics and make a paycheck.
3: Which leads right into this point: Be yourself!
At the end of every phone consult and again on my website (HERE), I tell my clients: “On your day, you’ll spend more time with your photographer than even your new spouse, so think about whether or not I feel like someone you’d be down to get a drink with! If that isn’t me, let’s find you the photographer it is!” And. I mean it! It’s their day. Not mine! So, I make sure I’m totally my weirdo self when we chat, so they know who they’re signing up for!
4: Make sure your work reflects what you value, so it attracts your Ideal Client.
You can do this by posting images that you loved getting to create, whatever they might look like… The tender moments, the grand ones, if inclusivity is important to you, show a diverse range of clients, so NO ONE ever feels uncomfortable approaching you for services! Don’t ONLY post the photos you think will get you likes. Post the ones that made your creative soul stir the second you clicked that shutter. Show. Who. And. What. You. Loved. Shooting.
This week, I will be doing a LIVE in my Facebook Group (HERE) about finding and marketing to the REAL “Ideal Client.” Come join!
