Promoting Your Wedding Photography Business
Tuesday, August 5, 2008 @ 05:05
Okay, so you've finally decided to take the plunge and see if there is some way you can make some money with this rather expensive photography hobby. So, you've decided the simplest way to do this would be by shooting weddings.
Well, how do you get started? You don't have your own studio and advertising/marketing budgets are tight. How do you get your name out there so that you can get the jobs?
Well, first and foremost, make sure you have the equipment and the skill to do the job. Don't even think about soliciting for someone's wedding business if you can't fill the bill for what's needed. You want to build a business here, and the only way you can do that if you are on a shoestring budget is by word-of-mouth advertising. Do a great job and the referrals you'll get will be priceless. The bride will show her wedding book around and then tell her friends about the great photographer who took all those wonderful shots. That word-of-mouth advertising will lead to more jobs and hopefully things will balloon and you will become very busy. But word-of-mouth advertising goes both ways. A bad review, especially from a popular bride or groom, can kill your business before it even gets off the ground. Remember, the bride and groom will show those pictures you took to all of their friends. Do you really want poor work being circulated so widely?
So, first and foremost, make sure you have the equipment and skill to fill the bill. If the wedding is going to be a rather small affair, and the bride and groom are on a tight budget, you may be just what they need ... a photographer who won't charge them an arm and a leg, that will give them good service and a small number of excellent shots of their special day. The equipment you have available and the current level of your skills may be fine for that kind of an assignment. But if you find that what the customer is looking for is far more than you can comfortably deliver, don't hesitate to refer them to a colleague – someone more suitable for the job. Both the clients, not to mention the colleague, will be appreciative and such will bode well for your referrals in the future as well.
