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By Madison Lockwood
As a photographer, you are up against stiff competition when
it
comes to getting gigs or jobs. Newspapers, magazines,
weddings,
family and student photos – how do you reach the multitude of
people who may be interested in hiring you? Portfolios are
expensive and targeting the many different segments of the
population who would benefit from your services is no simple
marketing feat.
By building your own photography website to showcase your work
and your services, you handle all these problems in one fell
swoop.
Digital photography offers you the ability to share your work
with the world. Many magazines and newspapers will only take
submissions in .jpeg or .gif formats. The days of negatives,
proof sheets, and slides are over. Though you may still choose
to offer 35 millimeter prints or other specialty photo
services, digital photography is where the money is in the
industry.
Lucky for you! Digital photographs take less than a minute to
upload to your web host. At variable qualities, you can
showcase the different styles of photography at which you are
proficient. Other things you can do with your photography site
include:
- List hours and services and prices. If you are only
available
to work at night and on weekends, list this on your site.
Also,
list different services that you provide including wedding
photography, baby and pregnancy pictures, family portraits,
student photos, pet photography, and more. Listing prices is
not a requirement, but something that is highly recommended.
Offering a variety of packages with the option to customize
will help potential customers know right away whether or not
they can afford your services.
- Special deals or discounts. Monthly discounts or special
deals for first time customers, discounts for repeat customers
or multiple packages can also be displayed on your photography
website. They may also be a good 'time clock' incentive if
they
are updated frequently and set to change within a week or
less.
- Offer a subscription service. Another option you may
consider
is offering a subscription service for your photography
through
your site. Many need stock photography for their websites,
brochures, flyers, et cetera. Some may even need these on a
regular basis. Offering one time downloads and a subscription
service with a wide net of types of photography may be one way
to increase your sales revenue while shooting whatever you
like
and increasing your portfolio.
- Order prints. Opt for a shopping cart on your site and allow
those who may have just stopped by to check you out to
purchase
a print for download instantly.
- Commission order forms. For customized orders or packages or
to set up special shoots, you can design an order form for
your
photography website that will allow them to be as specific as
they like about what exactly it is that they're looking for.
- Offer photographic services. List and define your services
in
detail. Some may not even realize that they are looking for
the
exact photographic service that only you can provide.
- Contact info. Include everything that a potential customer
may need: email address, land line, cell phone, studio
address.
- Part of the community. Connect to the rest of the
photography
community by offering a link page: photo supply sites,
framers,
videographers, et cetera.
- Be creative. Show your diversity, talent, and imagination.
Inspire your clients to inspire you.
About The Author: Madison Lockwood is a customer relations
associate for ApolloHosting.com,
www.apollohosting.com. As a small business consultant,
she helps prospective clients understand how a website may
benefit them both personally and professionally. Apollo
Hosting
provides website hosting, ecommerce hosting, & vps hosting to
a
wide range of customers.
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