Relevant or Irrelevant?

[K-Laa]

Hypothetically speaking, let’s say I decide to try my hand in event photography. So, I start the process of making that happen, which includes building a website, and due to the highly placed emphasis from multiple resources I’ve come across, I also decide to setup a blog.

My first question is, is a blog a must-have tool for photographers?

My second question is, regardless of necessity, if I choose to have a blog, should it undeniably be centered on event photography from the business aspect, or could the focus be on a more personally level, such as “my photography journey, my passion for photography, etc.”?

 

[cherylynne1]

If you're a good writer, a blog can be a fantastic tool. I would focus on writing a blog that can be seen as a resource. Look at The Strobist or Neil Van Niekirk's Tangents. Both of these blogs are brilliant resources for photographers, and it bolsters their reputation as experts in the field. Therefore, people are willing to pay more for them because they're sort of internet celebrities. So if you have a blog, make it a useful blog.

 

[Overread]

Blogs are a great tool if they are used correctly.

First you have to decide on the focus of your blog; and if that blog is going to be a marketing tool then it needs to have a very specific focus. It needs to tackle a subject/situation/concept in a very direct way. No rambling about your personal day that went great/bad; no rambling into other distantly connected subjects. You might well notice that those who operate dedicated blogs often have two or three separate blogs for different things - that's part of marketing.

In addition the other cornerstone of blogs is that a blog is like a magazine or newspaper. It only works if its regularly and continually updated. That doesn't mean every day; but it means if you post once or twice a week you Always post in that slot. The regular posting is critical as it keeps the impression of activity and of regular normal services. Nothing is worse than a blog that you ignore (or a facebook page for that matter as its a similar beast in that respect); and if anything if you end up not using a blog I'd delete it/remove all links to it. A dead blog suggest business is not going as it should; that something is wrong and its a big red flag to people.

This links back into the first point; if you've got content and a focus that helps structure your posts. Also the magazine comparison is good to keep in mind. Magazines repeat articles each year - get to autumn and they will all have autumnal landscapes; get to summer and they'll all suddenly fill up with wildlife; at some point in the year they'll all do macro (likely summer and then winter ice macro). etc.... So you can repeat similar content each year (not the exact same post but similar content information)

 

[astroNikon]

Just remember what the purpose of the site is for. If a potential customer comes to your website for some service make sure that they can find that service front and center. Otherwise they may not think you provide that service. Everything else just supports your capabilities/knowledge.

 

[table1349]

Personal opinion, set up the website and forget the blog for now. Everyone has a story that can be told, but that does not mean that every story is worthy of being told. If it were we would all be National Book Foundation winners.

 

[Derrel]

Most blogs seem to be show-and-tell vehicles for recent customers, so that said customers have a place they can refer their friends and family to, for a sample of the work they payed to have shot, and for a concise, specific web address they can refer people to.

 

[K-Laa]

Thank you for all your input, everyone. It is greatly appreciated!

 

[TomW]

I use mine for the purpose exactly defined by Derrel above. Its a good way to show what I do, what other clients have thought and what photos they received and somewhere to refer potential clients for a bigger range of shots if they have already seen my portfolio.

I would also agree it needs to be focused and show what you sell or give something back to the reader, or a bit of both. You could even have a separate blog or instagram (if you are into that sort of thing), to show your more 'personal' opinions/shots.