While an engagement session is technically a pre-wedding photo shoot, to better your portfolio and to increase cash inflow, you could also consider including another photo shoot that couples can get done before the wedding. But the trick is to convince couples about how this photo shoot is going to be different from the usual engagement session. Just like all your other services, even this service will need a specific marketing plan. However, the most important part is how you are going to show your potential couples that this is something they need in their lives (especially those who are already investing in an engagement session). If you are new to the concept of such shoots, in this blog, we offer you some ways in which you could market this service and also attract clients.
How Are Pre-Wedding Photos Different From Engagement Images?
Pre-wedding shoots and engagement sessions are often used synonymously but they differ in many aspects. Engagement images are taken any time after the proposal or the engagement whereas the pre-wedding photos are taken just a few days or even a day before the wedding date. They are meant to celebrate a couple’s emotions, feelings, and love just before they officially become husband and wife. These images are not focused on ring shots, proposal recreations, or getting images for save-the-date cards but are meant to bring out a couple’s personality, how they engage with each other in their daily lives, or build their love story around a theme.
While engagement sessions are usually more casual, pre-wedding sessions can be anything from casual to glamorous to formal and the couple can choose to wear their wedding attire or something similar for a pre-wedding photo shoot. Also, this photo shoot is more likely to be more elaborate, therefore, it can take a couple of hours more than an engagement shoot.
5 Ways to Market & Sell Pre-Wedding Photo Shoots to Couples
1. Market Pre-Wedding Shoots Digitally
Your website and social media platforms are like the face of your wedding photography business. Through your website, you can showcase your portfolio and give your potential clients a glimpse of all that you can do. In order to market pre-wedding shoots through your website, you could simply add a new pre-wedding photo shoot tab or section. In this section, you could write a few lines on this concept, explaining to couples how it is different from an engagement session and why they need to go for it. And don’t forget to add photos as proof of what these sessions can look like. If you haven’t done a pre-wedding shoot, you could use some of your elaborate engagement images that can fit the bill or organize a styled shoot.
For social media platforms such as Instagram or Facebook, you could post pre-wedding shoot photos or other photos that have the same vibe and explain their concept in the caption. You could also create and share short stories explaining these sessions in entertaining and educational ways. Add some text as bullet points, use stunning visuals and you could also add music that goes with the video. Alternatively, you could also go live during a pre-wedding shoot and show your audience what goes on at such a shoot through some behind-the-scenes visuals.
Related Read: 8 Amazing Wedding Photography Giveaway Ideas
2. Blog About Pre-Wedding Shoots
Informing your couples about your new offering with the help of your blogs could be one of the best ways to market your photography. You could write blog posts about what pre-wedding photography is and how it is different from engagement photos. You could also share some pre-wedding photo shoot ideas, tips, showcase the images you have, and talk about the experience you and your clients had during the shoot.
You could also do a guest post where one of your couples talks about having done the pre-wedding photo shoot with you. Upload posts that entice the photography-loving couples to get different types of photos done by you and book you for both, the engagement shoot and pre-wedding photos. You could use your writing to inspire them and use your original visuals to convince them that they need you and a pre-wedding shoot in their lives!
Related Read: 201 Creative Blog Post Ideas For Wedding Photographers
3. Shoot a Teaser
While text and images could help you market your pre-wedding photo shoot services through a blog, a video on the same could also create the desired impact or perhaps even more. You could add this video to the pre-wedding shoots section on your website and also share it through your social media platforms. In the video, you could give your target audience a peek at what the pre-wedding session could look like and what they can expect when they hire you as their photographer.
Related Read: How To Boost Your Photography Business With Video Marketing
4. Try Advertising The Package
You could also pay to advertise your brand and pre-wedding photography both offline and online. You could advertise your new service in bridal or lifestyle magazines or even put up posters and brochures at different locations where you know they would reach your target audience. You could also use Google Ads, Facebook Ads, or Instagram Ads. These social media platforms also give you the option to narrow down your target audience based on age, geographical locations and other factors that ensure that your ad is seen only by the people who you want it to reach.
Related Read: How To Create Social Media Ads To Book More Weddings
5. Sell the Dressing Up Part of the Shoot
Pre-wedding shoots are more likely to be booked by couples who love taking photos and can’t get enough of them. For these couples, the glamor and drama of the photos is what matters! So even though couples do change outfits during their engagement sessions, you could still market your pre-wedding photo shoot services by emphasizing on the fact that the couple can actually wear their wedding attire or something equally grand for the shoot. If they want, they could also change their outfits and even have a theme for the shoot. But it doesn’t have to be all about the grandeur! In the end, the choice of clothing and theme is entirely up to them. Depending on the kind of couple they are, you could just suggest a couple of looks that they could try during the shoot. If they already have a vision of what they want their shoot to look like, you could collaborate with them and if practical, help them turn their pre-wedding photography dreams into reality.
Market Your Pre-Wedding Shoots Right
Staying competitive and coming up with new services is a great way to stay relevant in the wedding photography industry. There’s no doubt that adding pre-wedding photo shoots to your list of services could open up a new market and expand your clientele. However, that’s not where the work ends. Your competitors might also add this new service to their offerings, but the difference between you and them lies in how you market these services and what you offer. So, try to do some research on what other photographers in your area are offering under this section, and then market and sell this package by carefully planning your strategies using the tips stated above.
At ShootDotEdit, we are passionate about making your life easier and one of the ways we do that is by offering professional photo editing services that match your style. To learn more about how we can help your wedding photography business, you can check out our pricing plans.
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