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Business relocation could be a tough move for everyone, especially when you have spent years studying your market and building your business around a specific location. Shifting to an area where no brides, venues, or vendors have an idea about you can feel like stepping into uncharted territory. But even though it may affect some aspects of your business, there are things you can do to minimize those effects. In this blog, we take you through what could be a plausible action plan when relocating your photography business.

Your Wedding Photography Business Relocation Plan

1. Study the New Market

As soon as you decide on moving your business to a different location, start researching about your selected location. Getting familiar with the new market is of utmost importance. The latest trends, the target demographic, the busy and off seasons – take some time to get acquainted with all these factors that impact your business. One way you can do this is by looking up The Wedding Report for that area on Google. You can also check local wedding or wedding photographer blogs and read local magazines to get a more in-depth analysis. Try learning more about your competition too. Look up the top photographers in the area, study their trends and styles to get a better idea of what’s selling and what’s not.

2. Build a Location-Specific Portfolio

Imagine you were a Hawaii wedding photographer, but now you are moving to New York. Even though you might have some amazing photographs to display in your portfolio, they might not attract a New York bride. So whether you hire someone as a model or take pictures of your friends or family, try to go out and take some photos at popular locations in your new area. Make sure that when you do step out, you have all the proper permits, if required.

3. Update Your Social Media

It’s no secret that your social media platforms could play a significant role when it comes to getting more leads and expanding your business presence. Therefore, they should reflect information as per your new market, i.e., link of the new portfolio, new location, new address. And most importantly, new posts. Start uploading the photos you have taken in your new place along with your previous work, and don’t forget to tag the venues. Add local hashtags and enticing captions. You could even ask your new location’s local residents to give you recommendations on popular places for photography. If you want, you could even use your social media platforms to let your followers know that you are moving before you even shift. That way, they will be looking forward to photos from your new address!

Suggested Read: How To Create Social Media Ads To Book More Weddings

4. Join Local Wedding Vendor Groups

Building new connections can be time-consuming, but one of the ways to expedite that process is by joining local wedding vendor groups and checking vendor directories. These groups are perfect for learning more about the venues and the wedding vendors and interacting with them. Start making a list of people you are interested in and once you have a few people on your list, try reaching out to them via e-mails or asking them out for coffee. Sometimes, one thing can lead to another, which could be a start to future collaboration and referrals.

Another way to build a connection with vendors is by interacting with them on social media platforms. This could mean commenting on their posts and blog posts. However, for your comments to have an impact, be genuine and show honest appreciation. You could also try becoming a part of Facebook groups with local vendors.

5. Use SEO to Target New Market

When you are moving your business physically, remember that the same applies to your digital presence. So, your website and your online presence should also cater to the new market, to the new location, to the new clients. You cannot simply expect leads when your website is still targeting your previous location. Here’s where SEO can help you.

Start working on your on-page SEO and create content with new keywords that work for your new location. Update your website, page titles, tags, categories, contact information, and anything else that has something to do with your location. You could also start blogging about new content ideas that might be relevant to your new target market. At the same time, start working on your off-page SEO as well. If in the middle of shifting and networking you don’t have the time for this, you could consider outsourcing this part.

Suggested Read: SEO Tips For Wedding Photographers: The Complete Guide

6. Create a Marketing Plan

Marketing is one of the most critical aspects of your photography business relocation plan. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Organize a styled shoot: You could try contacting a modeling agency and a few vendors to do a styled wedding shoot. This may not only help you build your portfolio but also give you a chance to network with new vendors. You could add these images to your new wedding blogs, social media platforms, and your website too.
• Host a giveaway: People love giveaways! Therefore, they can be a way for you to make some noise in the market and, at the same time, get some warm leads. But to make it work, it’s important to strategize when you want to host them and what you want to offer.

We understand that business relocation can be a big move. It requires careful analysis of many business aspects and, of course, a lot of work. But with a clear headspace and a solid action plan, you could be off to a great start. We hope you found this blog helpful. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us in the comments section below.

At ShootDotEdit, we are passionate about bringing you resourceful tips. To help you focus more on what you love, we help to speed up your post-production workflow by taking editing off your plate. Learn more about how we can help your wedding photography business here.