# Wedding Photography Advertising



## Brycycle53 (Feb 5, 2014)

Ive just started my business this year, I work full time so this is just a weekend gig for now. I'm looking into ways to advertise my name. I have a Facebook Page but its seems difficult gaining followers outside my group of friends. The wedding if done to date have all been out of town, at least 4 hours away. So word of mouth through them aren't going to help my local business much it seems. I posted on Craigslist, knowing that it will just generate people looking for good deals really. 
Up til now ive been exploring free advertising online, but i realize i will have to spend money to make money. I was surfing around and found Weddingwire.com it seemed like a great place to start with a reasonable monthly rate. but the reviews for the website were terrible to say the best. 
I'm curious where the best place to invest in some advertising would be. My hopes that to start i spend some money to get a few clients then the word of mouth will kick in. 

I know too that talking to other vendors help as well (cake, planners, venues,etc..) but i'm not sure how to approach them when it seems as though i probably dont have anything different to offer them than anyone else before me. 

Thanks for the help in advance!

-Bryce Randol


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## runnah (Feb 5, 2014)

Get on pinterest, the knot and other such online places that women go on for wedding ideas.


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## KmH (Feb 5, 2014)

What you need is a written business and marketing plan. - How to Write a Business Plan | SBA.gov
Creating a Marketing Action Plan | SBA.gov

Photography Business Secrets: The Savvy Photographer's Guide to Sales, Marketing, and More
How to Start a Home-based Wedding Photography Business (Home-Based Business Series)


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## table1349 (Feb 5, 2014)

Best and worst advertising in the world is word of mouth.  If you are good, people know it and tell others.  If you aren't well same thing in the reverse.  When my daughter was getting married she asked me who I thought should be her wedding photographer?  I told her to pick someone with a style SHE and her future husband liked.  I then gave her the name of several good and mediocre photographers in the area.  She quickly threw out the run of the mill same old shot been done for ages photographers and concentrated on three that had excellent results, excellent reputations and dramatically different styles and approaches.  They settled on the one that seemed to and indeed had a style that they both liked.  They absolutely loved the results.  I know because I paid for all those photos they ordered.  

With that said, develop your style, and your abilities.  Create a portfolio of your best most creative work.  Go back and do what you did before, contact those vendors that specialize in weddings, show them some work and be prepared to leave a small portfolio that they can leave out for those prospective brides to see while waiting to order their flower, cake, buy their gown etc.    That portfolio needs to have a little bio about you and on how to contact you.   Leave plenty of business cards as well.


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## JoeW (Feb 5, 2014)

I'm very big on NCIs--Non-client influentials.  Yes, as a wedding photographer you want to reach perspective brides and grooms.  But also reach wedding planners.  Or people who rent out tuxes or sell wedding dresses.  Or caterers.  Or wedding locations.

For instance, if you've got a website, get a local wedding planner to write a short article with some types for planning a wedding.  Than let her link that article to her website if she'll provide a link to your site.  Do the same with a caterer.  Offer to shoot promo/catalog/website photos for a tux/dress store if they'll put your business cards in the shop and allow your watermark or credit in their catalog or website.

You can "sell" to your potential clients.  But most people are suspicious of being sold to by the person doing the selling.  So you want to find other people who will sell for you...like wedding planners, caterers, sites, wedding shops, etc.


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## Big Mike (Feb 6, 2014)

Think about what you, yourself, would do if looking for a photographer in your area.   I'm guessing that the first step for most people these days, would be to go right to Google and type in "(location)+Photographer".  

So if you want to be seen by the people who are looking for your services, you would want to be very near the top of the list of results that come up when someone types in those keywords.  That's easier said than done.  SEO (search engine optimization) can be rather confusing and it takes time (& likely money) to get to and stay at the top of the list.


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