Five Ways to Establish Your Online Presence as a Photographer
In the digital world, if you don’t have an online presence, it is the right time to establish one for yourself. Here are few strategies to ensure you have an online presence that can be gainful to you in the long run.
1. Woo Customers with a Website
A website is the first and foremost element to establish your digital presence. Buy a domain name that works for your niche market. Ensure you work with a template that favors rich visual content. You need to introduce yourself to your customers and therefore start with an About Us page. Just remember that you give a very genuine picture of your talent and do not come across as overly boisterous. A timeline infographic can succinctly inform your customers about your experience as a photographer. Participating in reputed photography contests and listing few awards garnered along the way can help to prove your mettle as a photographer. Your website should also have a portfolio, and if you have a niche theme or style, make sure you have a separate section and significant photographs in that section. If you have a couple of decades of experience in your field, you can start a blog that can share tips with those that are just starting venturing out into the field of photography. Try to also include a monthly newsletter to engage your readers and followers so that you will be able to start an email list based on the subscriptions for your newsletter. Lastly, don’t forget to leave your contact details for your seekers. While a form fill contact page can help you get some email addresses, having your telephone number or email address will help your customers to get in touch with you immediately if they are in urgency. Also make sure your website includes your social media profiles such as your Instagram profile, Twitter handles, etc.
2. Get Going with a Google My Business Account
Having a Google My Business account will help you to get a business listing as well as easily connect with customers across Google Search and Maps. It allows you to offer directions to your customers, help them call you, or text you. It offers you a link to your website as well and therefore it becomes imperative that you already have a website that helps your customers to understand your work better.
3. Promote your Photographs through Instagram
After website and Google listing, social media presence is important. The most suitable social media channel for photographers is Instagram. So set up an Instagram profile for yourself, keep posting your photos regularly, and use a liberal list of hashtags that are relevant to your niche. For example, for contemporary photography, you can use the following hashtags:
#contemporaryphoto #contemporaryphotography #photography #art #contemporaryart #fineartphotography #photo #streetphotography #abstractphotography #conceptualphotography #artphotography #photooftheday #artphoto #abstract #contemporary #abstractart #portrait #contemporaryphotoart #contemporaryphotographer #lensculture #abstractphoto #colorphotography #photographer #fineart #bnw #nature #experimentalphotography #blackandwhitephotography #minimalism #bhfyp
While you are at it, try to follow other photographers in your niche as well as other complementary areas, interact with them by liking their photographs and commenting on them. This way, you can build a professional community of followers and keep the interactivity quotient going by liking your followers’ comments about your photographers. Once you earn 1000 followers, there are brands that will look for influencers like you to promote their products and you can get some paid opportunities as well.
4. Interact with Influencer
If you are just starting out with your photography career, it will help you to have some credible influencers in the field talk about your work. The first step will be to be noticed by such influencers and for that, you will need to follow them, interact with them and establish that rapport for them to take cognizance of your work. For example, here are a few influencers with who you can interact with:
Wildlife photography - @varun.aditya; @davidyarrow; @davidlloyd
Travel photography - @jordhammond; @samhorine; @muradosmann
5. Associate with Affiliates
Lastly getting to know other professionals who are not competitors, but operate in the same niche as yourself can be gainful. Including referral links to their profession on your website or in Instagram posts will make them return your favor and if they are influencers in their profession or enjoy a significant clientele, then you could be making a lot of business from your association with them. For example, if your specialty is photographing architecture, you could associate yourself with interior designers or real estate developers and gain from their customers. If you are a wedding or an event photographer, you can similarly give links to event management companies on your website and make them link to your website from their website or social media profiles. If you are a travel or food photographer, you can work in association with reputed hospitality groups or travel planners.
Opportunities are galore and if you don’t have the time to market yourself, you can even employ agencies to do all these for you or buy some tools to automate some of these tasks as regular posting on social media. Now could be the right time to venture from the offline business that you are familiar with and test waters with the online world out there.
If you like to sell your works on Jugaad Foto Bazaar portal, send your bio and 10 select artworks in small res (1000 pix | 72 dpi) to jugaadfotobazaar@gmail.com