An online photography business has several advantages over a strictly retail-based business. You can share your portfolio in front of millions of users across the world, expand your target audience, and market your services with ease. There are several platforms that allow you to curate your photography content and tools that let you freely edit your work during post-production. Just because your business is online doesn’t mean you don’t need some level of insurance to protect your business. Check out photographers insurance to find the right level of cover for you business and protect your assets.
If you want your photography business to really succeed, you should consider taking your business online. There are several benefits to running an online photography business, such as:
- You can build and curate your portfolio with the help of several photography platforms like Flickr and Instagram.
- You can reach a larger target market and gain new clients who you otherwise might not have access to.
- You can become a subject matter expert within your niche with the help of a blog, tutorial videos, and other content designed to help people learn about photography.
- You can join online communities that help grow your influence.
- You can use social media to expand your business and increase your profits.
- You can put your photographs up for sale through platforms like iStock, Shutter Stock, and more.
If you haven’t already taken your photography business online, now is the time to do it. Here’s how you can improve your business growth opportunities by taking your photography business online.
1. Build Your Portfolio
Your online portfolio will be the biggest draw for clients. To create the perfect portfolio for your digital photography business, provide your best samples. Focus on photographs within your niche, that is, photographs that might induce people to hire you for your services.
As you take more photographs and find better samples to showcase in your portfolio, you can add and remove samples from your existing portfolio. This helps you consistently showcase your best work.
Your portfolio should be up on your website, but other social media platforms also let you post your work. Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest are three platforms that are both widely used by millions of people across the world, and they also allow you to post your photographs online.
2. Build a Website
Every business needs a website, especially an online business. Your website needs to be easy to navigate. Your prospective clients should be able to locate navigation links to your portfolio, as well as to your contact information page with no problem.
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You can also add a blog to your website. Provide useful information about either your industry or nifty photography tips and hacks to get people to view your content. Sharing your content on your social media platforms, and providing backlinks to your website will help generate more traffic to your website.
3. Consider Your Options
As a digital photography business, various new ways to sell your photographs will become available to you.
You can choose to work with clients exclusively through photoshoots. You can also sell great quality images through stock photo websites.
Participating in online photography contests can help you create brand awareness. You can also start your own contest. Offering cash rewards, or offering to showcase the winning photograph online through your platform can be exciting prizes for new and hobbyist photographers. And most importantly, this will create buzz for your brand.
4. Set Your Rates and Get a Payment Gateway
A digital photography business should ideally have digital payment options available as well. Payment gateways like PayPal, Google Pay and others can help you create an easy avenue to receive payments from your customers.
The rates you set for you digital photography business should be decided after you do a competition analysis. Find out what rates your competition are selling their photographs at, and set your prices in a similar manner.
5. Create a Digital Marketing Strategy
The best way to get your digital photography business noticed online is to market aggressively. Tailor your marketing strategy to your target market. Which social media platforms do they visit most often?
You should create profiles on those social media platforms. Post regular content and reply to any consumers that message you or address your content.
You can also create a content bucket at the start of every month. This will help you keep track of all the content you need to upload and ensure that you don’t miss a post.
You can also consider making use of online tools for picture editing, accounting, bookkeeping and analytics to strategize how you’ll push your digital photography business forward.
From developing your website to attracting new clients, running a digital photography business takes the same kind of effort as a retail business. As long as you regularly commit yourself to build your online business, you can expect it to consistently grow into a lucrative path. Also read more informative stories at the right news network.
