Having been a photographer now for almost 10 years, a question i get a lot from new aspiring photographers is, how do I find prospective clients? How do you convert them? This is a great question, and one that I have been slowly discovering for myself over the course of my career. For me, it has been multiple factors that have contributed to my success in not only gaining clients, but retaining them, which, I argue, is vastly more important.

A client and her daughter celebrating graduation in Orlando, Fl

Networking/Word of Mouth

One of the most effective ways to gain a loyal client base is to have a strong network of people who not only value your work, but also give positive feedback to their friends and family. I can’t tell you how many families have adopted me as their official family photographer because my initial client was so thrilled with not just the results, but also from how I gave them a great experience. I started out by just asking people on the internet if I could photograph them for my portfolio, and from there they started to recognize the true value of my work, and they started to utilize me more and more, and even started telling their friends about me as well. This is where being consistent comes in. The same level of work you give to your initial clients, be prepared to give that same level of dedication to those the refer to you. This will make or break your continued business recommendations from that source, so make sure that they get that same world class experience.

Another aspect of networking is to attend networking events. Anything can be a networking event, parties, baby-showers, weddings, etc. Always have business cards on you at any events you attend, as you never know who you may meet. As a matter of fact, its good to carry them with you everywhere you go! I recently had a situation where I was just making a routine run to Publix to buy some groceries when a young man who happened to park next to me asked me if I could give him a jump start to his SUV. While we were doing that we got to talking about hair stylist since we both have dreadlocks, and he mentioned that he has a fiancee’. This was the perfect opportunity for me to mention that I was a photographer and that turned into a point of first contact. Any time can be a time to make a connection that can lead to a client booking you!

Maternity session at Newton Park in Winter Garden, Fl

Social Media

Ah yes, the big one. Social media is hands down your most valuable tool in this day and age if you want to reach the maximum amount of people. Simply by consistently posting and interacting with your followers can be a great way to reach prospective clients. Make sure you are posting only your best work, and make sure you are consistent in your posting. Another important aspect of this is to tag people in your posts. I you do an engagement session, make sure you tag the couple on your social media page, and encourage them to tag you when they share on their page. This allows for people to see your work that otherwise might not see it, and it allows for them to contact you about work that they need done. A new aspect of sharing on social media is video in the form of reels. Reels make for entertaining content that allow you showcase who you are more effectively than just posting photos. People are more likely to respond to you if you show who YOU are and not just what your work looks like. They can already tell the quality of your work just from your image, but what they really want to know is, who you are as a person, and what are you like to work with?

Car branding session in Altamonte Springs, FL

Ads

And finally, we come to that last one, that most controversial one, advertisements. A lot of people question the effectiveness of ads and if they are worth the investment. The answer really depends on how strategic you are with them. Ads can be a huge boon to your business if used correctly, but you have to be smart about it and have a plan. Don’t just spray and pray ads and hope something sticks, you have to be targeted in your application of them. Research the target area and your target audience, see what type of ads really resonate with them, then tailor your content to meet those specifications. With the right ad campaign and a smart plan, you can reach a ton of potential clients on a very minimal ad budget running on Facebook Ads or Instagram

Sample ad that I created for this year’s graduation campaign

By following these practices and staying consistent with them, there is no reason that we cannot be successful at booking clients. Putting your best foot forward, having great customer service, and developing relationships with your clients will go a long way in helping to spread the word of your business, and it will bring you that much closer to success. So get out there and make 2023 great!

How I reach my Clients!