As a wedding photographer, it’s necessary to book more clients each year to grow your business. But have you ever wondered how to book the weddings that you want with the current wedding images that you have?
In our Skyrocket your Bookings with just your Images Webinar, wedding photographers Amy and Jordan Demos discussed how to utilize the images you already have to grow your business. With your own images, you can book more clients and increase your overall profit. Together they discussed how to use compelling images to aid you in creating dynamic content for your website and blog. They also shared effective photography strategies to enhance the imagery within your galleries. Here are the top 5 tips to skyrocket your bookings.
1. Shoot Your Photos Like You’re “At the World Series”
Having the right mindset is an important factor when it comes to increasing your client bookings. During every wedding, always give your photos your best, creative effort. Regardless of the venue or your client’s budget, shoot your photos as if you were you were hired to shoot for the World Series. This will bring you closer to your goals, and over time, will increase your profit and bookings. When Amy and Jordan flipped their mentality to think like this, it was very powerful for them. When you shoot every wedding as if you are shooting for your ideal client, you will begin to attract more of your target market to your wedding photography business.
“Perception isn’t reality, it’s the only reality.” – Amy and Jordan Demos
2. Showcase your Best Images
On your blog and website, you only want to show your best work. Rather than showing too many images from each wedding that may not be the best representation of your work, be selective. Remember, potential clients are going to constantly review your website and blog, so it is crucial that your images showcase the types of weddings that you shoot. During a wedding, you may not always be in the most ideal location or have the best lighting available – this is not uncommon! When this happens, try to find a simple background or small area to work with. Then, showcase some of the details from the wedding and closer up portraits of the bride and groom. Use these images to highlight the wedding day – remember, less is more when displaying your images on your blog for potential clients.
The first image that you place on your website and blog should be the “wow” image of the shoot. This is the image that sets the tone for the rest of the wedding, and will show potential clients who you are as a wedding photographer. Don’t forget to outsource your images to a wedding photography post production company so that you can spend more time adding your signature style!
3. Mix Up the order of your photos
A common thought that photographers have when organizing images on their blog is thinking that they should follow the chronological order of the wedding day. Though you shoot the getting ready photos at the beginning of the day, your most stunning photos may come later during the ceremony or as you take portraits of the bride. Remember, you want the first images that viewers see to be your “wow” images!
Related: Learn how to quickly create a Signature Style for your images with Lightroom Presets
As you are organizing your images, be sure to pair each carefully – placing two images next to one another can look stronger, making your posts more visually attractive! When choosing the images that you want to place together, select two that have unique elements. Pair two images that are completely different – they are different in the composition, pose, and subject matter. Organizing your images in this way will make them look more valuable.
Tip: During the process of choosing your best images for your website and blog, make sure to ask yourself: “Does this image make it stronger or weaker?” If it makes it weaker, remove it! Regardless of how much you may like the couple in the image, Amy and Jordan recommend only featuring images that show your strengths as a photographer.
4. Blog Photos from Every Wedding
Amy and Jordan believe that blogging photos from every wedding will make you a better photographer, and it will allow all of your clients to feel special. Blogging every wedding keeps your blog current and consistent, while also speaking to future and ideal clients.
“We want to always showcase images that speak to our ideal client. But our blog is about the future clients.” – Amy and Jordan Demos
Most importantly, blogging all weddings makes every client feel special. By not including certain weddings on your blog, it could result in insecurities for your client, as they may wonder why their wedding was not showcased on your blog. As a photographer, your goal is to uplift, encourage, and highlight your client’s wedding through beautiful imagery. When your clients feel special, they will refer your business to other friends and family, which will bring you closer to booking more ideal clients.
5. Use the Same Techniques for Every Platform
As you work to only include your best images on your blog, make sure you are using the same curating techniques for every platform you use to optimize your wedding photography business. Review your website, Facebook galleries, Pinterest boards, and other platforms that you might upload images to. You want your strongest images to be showcased, regardless of where couples are looking! It only takes a few seconds for potential clients to look at your photos before they move on to the next photographer, so you want your images to stand out.
Tip: Use Showit to quickly and easily update your image portfolios. This way, you can ensure you make a strong first impressions with potential ideal clients.
Related: Are you sharing images with vendors to reach a larger audience?
First impressions are everything, especially in wedding photography. By strategically using your collection of images, you can reach your booking goals each year. To avoid losing out on your ideal clients with the images on you have, check out the tips in our Guide to Marketing for Wedding Photographers!
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