Mon, Feb 7, 20111. Notify Your Clients & Get Them to Forward The Link When you blog a shoot, send an e-mail and say: “I loved your photos so much. I just had to post them on my Blog! Here is the link: … Feel free to pass this onto your family and friends!”
That last line, “Pass it on!” can account for a LARGE portion of traffic to your site. Not everyone will think to pass the link around, this is a surefire way to make it happen. Chances are, your bride is sending it to friends who may be marrying soon as well.
An important note: Don’t include extra stuff in the e-mail, things like payments, their next appointment, etc. If the e-mail is fairly plain, they’ll feel comfortable just hitting the forward button.
2. Ask For Comments In that same e-mail, say, “P.S. — Don’t forget to comment on the pictures!” This will get them to say something nice about the photos, giving you a testimonial on the spot.
If your client does just hit the forward button, they’ll see the note about comments and get the idea that they should post comments, too! Think about that, their friends and family members will also add compliments. I had one couple get 51 comments on their wedding pictures. That was AT LEAST 51 people who saw the images. How do you think the couple felt about their pictures after 51 people told them how great they were? What about prospective brides who see 51 unsolicited testimonials from friends and family? Powerful stuff.
3. Update Often. Sounds like a no brainer, right? I see lots of blogs that don’t get updated more than once a month. Blogs are great at creating repeat site traffic, but if you don’t always have something fresh and new, chances are, people will lose the habit of visiting often.
Twice a week is the bare minimum. Four to five times a week is ideal. If you don’t have anything to blog, write about something personal.
4. Be Yourself. When I first drafted this tip sheet a few years ago, I warned about getting too personal. These days, it seems like the more personal you get, the better. Granted, it’s better to show personality than it is to let your clients know more than they should about you. Posting things like your kids’ birthdays and fun vacations make you more human and less corporate. On the other hand, writing about your personal struggles, or pouring your heart out on a political issue might be a little “too real” and may not be completely comfortable for your readers. Do get personal, but do have taste.
5. Beware Double Meanings. Every piece of communication has two meanings: an intended meaning and an interpreted meaning. For example: If you blog about getting images published in a magazine, you might be intending just to share how you’re excited about it. People might interpret that you’re a good enough photographer to be published. It also can work against you. Say you splurge for a $200 pair of jeans and blog about it. If not properly worded, you might sound snobby. Know that what you write, and what others read can be two different things.
6. Link Back To Your Site. Be certain to link back to your site. Your blog link often can get passed around more than your main Web address. If Aunt Betty sees your blog and wants to hire you for a family shoot will she know where to go? Make it DEAD OBVIOUS.
Better yet, if you can, use a blog system that is fully integrated into your site. Then people can go straight from a post to your pricing page and right onto contacting you. The FundySOS site is an example of this, and many photographers these days are even moving straight to having blogs only.
7. Anti-Perfectionism. Another departure from my original writing. I absolutely believe spelling and grammar are critical to portraying yourself as knowledgeable. It’s not something you should just gloss over. That said, perfectionism breeds procrastination. It’s better to get it done with a typo or two, then to never finish it because you hate proofreading.
8. Blog About Other Vendors This was something we covered in an earlier blog post, but this list wouldn’t be complete without it. Take time to blog about other vendors. They love it when you do and it’s a great tool for networking or introducing yourself to them. If they’re running a special event, say something about it. If you just did a wedding with them, mention it. If it’s well written, your brides will appreciate it, too!
Post Author: Timothy John
