How do you attract the attention of potential clients?

Saturday 28 September 2019, 13:31 by Huub Keulers | 5,158 views | 0 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

For years, I thought that sharing a photo portfolio was enough to attract enough attention to build a successful photography business.

I would publish portraits, sports photos and event photos that I thought would demonstrate my skills and be more than enough to build a network of potential clients.

Unfortunately, I was completely wrong. Why?

Because posting my work on various channels and my website was simply about me, and there was nothing for the audience to connect with other than comments such as: oh, that’s a lovely photo ....

However kind and justified this may have been. Over the years, and after countless hours creating social posts and blog articles, I realised one important fact: If you want to build a beautiful and successful photography business, you need to use your content in a way that inspires potential clients to hire you.

A potential client wants to feel a connection and always asks themselves: does their way of working appeal to me, and do I like their photography style? Only once you have their attention do they ask themselves: ‘does the requested fee fit my budget?’

Build relationships with your audience through your online content

Instead of hoping that your skills behind the camera are enough for people to contact you for a job, commit to creating consistent social posts and blog articles that appeal to your audience, regardless of the photos themselves.

One of the many ways you can build a connection with the people you serve is by creating online content that, for example, shows your working process, so they know what to expect when they hire you.
Describe the experiences and possibilities you offer your clients, step by step, from beginning to end.

You illustrate how you guide them through the entire process, from the initial conversation to the delivery of the images. This is an extremely powerful way to shape expectations in their minds and interest them in more than what you have to say alone.

Give your audience tips they can use. Show that you want to help them and are not afraid of competition. Good competition only makes you stronger in my view. Share your knowledge.

When you create this kind of content, you make it about them, not you. This approach will undoubtedly make your audience prick up their ears and draw their eyes to your content.

The added value of expectations

Showing your audience what they can expect before, during and after their sessions is not only a way to attract their attention and start a conversation with them. It also helps them form an opinion in their minds about whether or not you are the answer to their need for photographs.

If they like what they see and read, they will continue to follow you online, your content will appeal to them and they will hopefully eventually contact you. If not, they will leave because they are looking for another photographer who appeals to them more.

Above all, let your previous clients have their say and share their experiences with you. They are your best ambassadors.

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