Hey everyone,  we are slowly approaching the weekend . . . yay!!!

I’ve been getting some questions about how to attract new clients as a brand new photographer.

 I thought that it was finally time  that I would do  a post about just that !

I’m excited to share some of my secrets as well who’s ready?

* Advertise on Facebook –  Now, I don’t actually advertise on Facebook that often… so I can’t totally

say that this method works. However, the times that I have posted ad’s on Facebook  I had  gained likes and comments and a few interested clients.

TIP: Facebook is a great platform because you can target a very specific audience, which helps ensure that you’re putting your images in front of the right people.  

When you advertise make sure that you are leading people to a page where they can enter their e-mail address so you can contact them later.

 You’ll likely need to offer them something for free in exchange for their e-mail address.  This could be a free guide with tips for their photo session or a free consultation with you.

*  Advertise in Magazines – When I first started into wedding photography I got asked to do a free advertisement into

the Illinois Times for their spring/ summer issue. I’m not 100% positive it generated any leads to my business or not . . .

but shortly after they had been published I had started getting more inquiries for weddings ! That could’ve resulted

from Facebook ads or  just word of mouth. Now that I’m a little bit more established as a business

I can track leads down to who they are, and how they found me (:

TIP: If you decide to go this route, make sure that the ad package you purchase offers access to a lead list

because having an ad in a magazine alone is not going to get you all the business you need.

* Attend Bridal / Trade Shows – This is a great option if you’re an outgoing person who loves to talk to others

because trade shows require you to engage with people.  If you’re more of an introvert, I wouldn’t recommend this as an avenue for finding new clients.

 We attend Bridal Shows twice a year and actually book brides the same day as the show or even sometimes right at the show !!

The show allows us to be in front of over 500+ brides ( typically ) who have either gotten engaged recently or

brides who only have a few more vendors to mark off their to do lists!  The great thing about this is that

most of the time vendors offer a great deal for booking that same day or within a week of the show !

Also,  the brides who are looking to cross vendors off their lists. . . if they decide you’re business is a perfect fit

they are more likely to book you based on your personality and if they feel they’ve made a connection with you .

TIP:  Just Be YOU !!!  they are booking YOU!  and if they find out you’re not who they think they booked that can end badly.. 

On a side note, if you’re paying to advertise in a magazine that will be distributed at a trade show, you might want to focus your

marketing efforts elsewhere as your brand will already have a presence at the show. It’s an added bonus if the magazine collects names and emails at the 

trade show that are then distributed to advertisers. Think of all the time this will save you. It’s like having your own marketing assistant. 

*  Network with Vendors –  this is actually my favorite part I am such an outgoing person that this method works really well for me.

Overtime, building relationships with vendors you work with will lead to more word of mouth referrals ! If that happens,

you will need to make sure you repay your “friendors” which is what I call my lovely group of vendors I prefer to work with!

Some examples of repayment include referring their services to your clients, We’ve even gone as far as sending an

8×10 canvas print of the work one of our vendors did so she could hang it up in her shop! Since then we’ve created

long lasting friendships and they do truly make this job easier when you have a community of loving and supporting people behind you !

TIP:  If you’re more of an introvert, you may want to stick to sending a brief email.

I do think that in-person networking is more effective because they can put a face to your name.

Another way to network with other vendors is to get on their social media pages and

start commenting and engaging with their posts. You can also choose to attend networking events in your area.

* Facebook Live –   I think this one’s really effective. Surprisingly, I haven’t seen a lot of photographers use this to get clients and to be honest,

I haven’t even tried it myself yet, but I think it’s a great way to connect with prospective customers. It helps them to get to know, like and trust you.

TIP: You can use Facebook Live to talk about how you prepare for a photo shoot or have a Q&A session.

You could even go live at one of your photo shoots and let people see you in action. Tell them to follow

you to see the finished images from the session they just watched.

* Offer great customer service –  Give each customer great service and soon you’ll be getting more business than you know what to do with.

at ANP we believe in going above and beyond for each of our couples !  We treat them as if they are apart of our family . . .

We give them gifts to ensure they know they are loved and we’re just thinking of them while they are planning their special day!

We also encourage them to contact us at ANY time if they run into a snag or if something with their situation changes.

Our wedding experience is a one of kind for each of our couples no wedding is the same as the last one we ensure this by

focusing on what makes each couple truly unique and customize their coverage and experience based on that.

Our clients are more than a transaction or a way to make money for us they are our WHY for our company

we do everything with them in mind ! We constantly ask ourselves  ” How is this going to make things easier for our brides? “

” If we do this will it have a positive impact on our clients? ” .  Our relationships we’ve built with our clients are

one of a kind and definitely the best part of being a wedding photographer is meeting amazing new people who

truly hold their  love & respect for marriage near and dear to their hearts which will capture in our photographs!

TIP: This approach might take a while since you’ll only have a few clients to begin with

but use that extra time to give them an amazing experience in order to get the word-of-mouth ball rolling.

* Get NEW clients from CURRENT clients –  Offer referral incentives. This could be anything from credits towards an album or canvas to a free photo session.

You could even develop a rewards system or a frequent customer punch card.

TIP: Get creative with it and maybe offer something like the fifth photo session for free.

This will not only encourage them to refer friends but keep them coming back too.

Thanks so much for all of you who continue to read our blog posts we truly appreciate it ! If you are

interested in more posts like this one check out these recommended posts:

What Should Photographer’s Wear at Weddings

How To Stay Productive All Day

Until next time,