Need Marketing Advice - Please HELP!!

[SDPhotographer]

Hi. I was wondering if other photographers would share with me what has been successful in promoting their business. So far I've posted ads on Craigslist, handed out nearly a hundred flyers at an Earth Day festival, and ran a deal with Amazon. So far the Amazon deal has been the most successful (by far), but I need to do much more.

Also, I'd also appreciate any feedback on my website. I realize that www.ProfessionalOutdoorPhotographer.com doesn't necessarily scream portrait photographer so I may change my business name at some point if I feel I'd get more business.

Any positive and constructive feedback or criticisms are welcome.

Thanks,

Dan
Professional Outdoor Photography of San Diego - Home

 

[imagemaker46]

Is this a full time job?

 

[tirediron]

Is this a full time job?

Hopefully not.

You're right, your name absolutely does not say anything about retail photography. In fact, when I saw the URL, my first thought was "Landscapes". What you need to do is haul down the shingle and go get your self some edju-ma-kashun! Grab the SD City College calendar and see what they offer for small business and entrepreneurship courses and take every one! You need to get a proper marketing campaign going, social media, print, etc. 100 flyers is nothing... you need to decide what your target market is and advertise to them directly in order to maximize the value of your marketing dollar. I would also overhaul your website. A 'Yahoo' e-mail address does NOT scream "pro", and your portrait is, well... interesting.

 

[runnah]

How is your SEO?
Who is your key demo?
How do you engage them specifically?
Do you use the analytics on your site to adjust content to fit the stats or adjust the content to get your target audience?
Do you add new searchable content to your site often?
What is your social media marketing plan?
What is your competition like?

 

[pixmedic]

not a fan of the slideshows on your page. cant find a way to just scroll through pictures. your forced to sit and watch them go by at the sites pace.
im guessing its outdoor photography because you don't have/use flash?
natural light is fine and all, but not at the expense of proper exposure, and getting rid of shadows.
many of the pictures are underexposed and need fill flash to either soften harsh sunlight, or get rid of shadows.
a lot of the B&W photos look like they were converted because of overexposure (you can still see the bright sun spots)
your composition isn't terrible, but you are unable to compensate for harsh, uneven outdoor sunlight.

your landscape and nature shots are much better than your people shots.

 

[KmH]

It seems you don't have a business and marketing plan.
The business of photography is way more about business than photography.

Color correct the selfie on your web site so your skin tone isn't orange from using an incorrect white balance setting.
It also looks like you hand held the camera instead of putting it on a tripod.
I agree that your web site doesn't convey a sense of being professional and that your landscape shots significantly outpace your people shots.

Being a jack-of-all-trades dilutes each trade you attempt to do.
If you want to do portraiture for pay, do portraiture. If you want to do landscapes for pay, start a second business and put the landscapes on their own web site.

It has been estimated that 85% of all the photographs that get sold have people in them, and are mostly bought by the people in the photographs.
Which is why fine art and landscape photographs that don't have people in them are a tough sell.

If you're capable of self-learning and want to spend less money than formal business and marketing classes;
Photography Business Secrets: The Savvy Photographer's Guide to Sales, Marketing, and More
Start a Successful Photography Business in 34 Days: Actionable steps to plan a portrait or wedding photography business, develop a brand, launch a website, write a marketing plan & more.
Marketing Fine Art Photography
The Photographer's MBA: Everything You Need to Know for Your Photography Business
Profitable Photography in Digital Age: Strategies for Success
The ASMP Guide to New Markets in Photography

Using available lighti:
Chasing the Light: Improving Your Photography with Available Light (Voices That Matter)
Available Light: Photographic Techniques for Using Existing Light Sources
Direction & Quality of Light: Your Key to Better Portrait Photography Anywhere

Web sites:
http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/lighting-101.html
http://neilvn.com/tangents/flash-pho...hy-techniques/

 

[cp1980]

I thought landscape too. I'd say social media marketing should be one of your priorites now, have you got a facebook business page? A twitter account? LinkedIn? A friend, not in photography but a new small business owner used these guys Social Media Marketing - iContact/ as he doesn't know much about social media, they help you track the number of views, likes etc, tell you how certain tweets, facebook posts perform.
Also, think about how often you update your site. Do you know anything about SEO?
You can be the best photographer in the world but if nobody sees your site you're doomed. Good luck.