Do Different Professions Really Require Different Marketing?

Some of you may be wondering why marketing yourself as a wedding photographer is any different than marketing yourself as an electrician (for example). Aside from being completely different professions, there are certain unique nuances that come with being a wedding photographer, and grabbing that perfect audience will be done in a much different fashion than any other profession. Luckily, we will go into all of that below and, if you are actually a photographer (wedding or not) you will hopefully learn a thing or two that can help you out.

So let’s get into it!

What Makes Photography Marketing Different?

It is not exactly “photography” specifically that is different, but it is the profession I chose for the day. Like our previous post, we will pretend to be a local wedding photographer who wants to market their business. First, we will want to look at what our competition is doing and what makes us different from them. This is called a competition analysis and is the first step anyone who wants to market themselves should take. From there it is critical to build out social profiles and brand presence, but this is where photography begins to differ from others.

Due to the level of competition in the photography industry (and the wedding photography industry in particular) it is important to distinguish yourself among everyone else. To do this, you will need a rock solid presence on relevant websites that cater to wedding photographers (Wedding Wire for example). It would also help if you are good enough to have your photo’s featured on authoritative mediums, and to list any awards or accolades you have received for your past work.

Anyone can say they have awards however, so it is equally important to have reviews. A review from a past client can give a prospective customer the boost of confidence they need to hire you, or push them away with one fell swoop. For this reason, photographers and restaurateurs absolutely must ask each and every client how their experience was, and if they could share it on one of the many business review sites. Going back to our local wedding photographer example, you can see the photographer I have linked to has numerous awards, and multiple five star reviews on all of his social media. This is a prime example of what a successfully marketed portfolio should look like.

How to Start From Scratch

If you are just getting into the wedding photography business, you will be up against stiff competition. Every single major city in the United States already has well established and seasoned veterans dominating the market. However, using smart marketing techniques, you can build yourself up and stand with the giants. The best advice for someone just starting out would be to get clients. Not only that, but treat them like they are paying you a million dollars even if they are not. The reason for this is that not only will they put some money in your pocket, but they will build your reputation, refer you clients, and most importantly leave you glowing reviews.