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Building your client base as a photographer is a job that continues whether you’re just starting out or have been in the business for 30 years. You should constantly be seeking out new projects, work, and clients to fill out your portfolios give you a well-rounded client base. We thought it would be a good idea to offer some tips on the best ways to build your client base – that you can use as a new photographer or as a seasoned pro.

Utilize Social Media

Social media (when used correctly) will be your best friend when building up a client base. Figure out where your target client base spends their time and then get on those platforms. Are you a wedding or family portrait photographer? Get on Facebook and Instagram. Are you a lifestyle or commercial photographer? Make sure you blog about relevant topics to show your expertise and professionalism and then post on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc to drive people back to your blog.

Don’t be afraid to follow or “like” plenty of other photographers in your industry so that you can get ideas, see their work, engage with their projects, and ultimately network and prove yourself a reputable person for them to refer clients to.

Also – make sure to always tag your clients in the things you post on social media. It keeps engagement high and allows their network to also see your work and become familiar with your name and business.

Set Your Pricing – But Run Specials or Promotions

Yo-yo pricing is never a good idea, especially if you want to build credibility in the industry. Know your worth as a photographer, set your pricing, and stick to it. If you’re a new photographer and want to book more clients, run specials or promotions to get people in the door – but make sure once you have a solid client base to make your pricing consistent with what your time and talent is worth. New clients will be attracted to your confidence in yourself and your work – and that will benefit you greatly in the long run.

Referral Program

Having some sort of referral program in place is a wonderful way to not only allow your clients to help market for you, but to reward them for doing so. Depending on how much you want to increase your client base, you can decide the type of program you want to offer. If you’re just starting out and really want to gain new clients, being more aggressive in the type of “rewards” you offer (such as a free session, 50% price discount) might be appropriate. If you’re a seasoned pro and are just looking to expand your current base a little bit, you can be more choosy in the type of program that you offer (maybe an electronic Starbucks gift card).

Much like setting your pricing and sticking to it – always make sure to crunch the numbers before you begin any sort of referral program so that you can make sure you won’t be losing money.

Network With Local Businesses

Networking with local businesses is a fantastic way to get your name out there in the community, and depending on the type of photography that you do can be extremely helpful in finding new clients.  Bartering your services can be mutually beneficial because it allows you to build your portfolio, gives local businesses an opportunity to have professional-quality photos for marketing purposes, and will serve as a good way for them to refer you to clients or even let you advertise your services in their place of business.

Make sure you choose businesses that are relevant to the type of photography you do or would like to do. If you’re a wedding photographer, consider networking with a local hair salon or makeup studio that typically gets a lot of bridal clients. If you’re a lifestyle or sports photographer try making connections at your local sporting goods or running shop.

Focus on Your Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search engine optimization (SEO) should always, always, ALWAYS be a focus no matter where you’re at in your photography career. However, when you’re trying to build or expand your client base, putting more time, effort, and resources into SEO will be well worth it. Who is your target client base? Make sure that your website, blog, and any other content on the web mentions those keywords in an appropriate manner.

Caption all of your photos with descriptions and keywords, and make sure your website is optimized for search engines to crawl. The new liveBooks8 platform offers SEO Everything tools to ensure that your website performs the best that it can on search engines and walks you through where and how to input all of the important aspects of SEO.

Do you have any other tips we should know about?

Fine art photographer Michael Zide has some of the most thought-provoking and calming photographs that we’ve ever seen – and his website design follows much the same theme. We wanted to feature his website this week to show off all the gorgeous black and white aesthetics he employs, as well as his clean-cut navigation.

Read on to see what he had to say specifically about his site – and head on over to www.michaelzide.com for more gorgeous shots!

Q: How would you describe the aesthetic of your website in three words?

MZ: Elegant, Persuasive, Striking

Q: How do you choose the images that you display on your homepage?

MZ: Currently my homepage has only one large image, a night time photography conveying some of the feelings of wonder, mystery, and surprise that I felt when I made this photograph.

Q: How often do you update your website?

MZ: I update my website as I find new photographs to feature or have things of interest to share. Its ease of use allows me the freedom to make changes as frequently as needed.

Q: What is your favorite feature that liveBooks offers?

MZ: What drew me to liveBooks was the simplicity and the “smartness” of its designs. It enhances the look of professionalism like no other website design I know.

Q: What’s one piece of advice you’d offer to someone designing their website?

MZ: Keep things simple. It can be a very challenging and daunting task to create a website that supports the quality of your work and is an accurate reflection of how you wish to be perceived. I cannot speak highly enough of the help the liveBooks staff gave me at every turn.

Have a website you’d like us to feature? Email us at social@livebooks.com!

Things are extremely busy these days here at liveBooks. The other week we announced the launch of our new liveBooks8 HTML5 platform and we are hard at work migrating our clients over. Last week, we completely re-branded and re-launched liveBooks.com – and we hope you’ve taken a look and love what you see!

The new homepage features some amazing video content from our fantastic clients, as well as a cleaner, easy-to-navigate menu.

You also now have the opportunity to see all the new features of liveBooks8 and get a sneak peek of how the website editor functions.

Plus, you can preview all the new templates that are available with the platform via the website templates page so you get a feel for some of the beautiful new designs.

Let us know in the comments what you think of our new website – and feel free to email us at social@livebooks.com!

Photographer Mimi Haddon has one of the most eclectic, colorful, and eye-popping sites we’ve ever seen. We absolutely love the simplicity and intrigue that comes with every new page – which is why we chose her as our featured website this week.

Check out what she had to say about her site and make sure to head to www.mimihaddon.com to see more beautiful photos!

Q: How would you describe the aesthetic of your website in three words?

MH: Color, Costume, Life.

Q: How do you choose the photos that you display on your homepage?

MH: My cover image on my homepage is a notebook, which I really love. My work is a sort of diary of my life, my thoughts, my fantasies – the notebook is my attempt to convey that.

Q: How often do you update your website?

MH: I go through waves. Sometimes I go months without updating it. When I have a solid project to upload then I will add it. I try to keep the site as edited and simple as possible so it is easy to navigate. I have many artistic interests, so it’s easy for me to want to throw everything up on the site, but I had an excellent professor in college who said, “you’re only as good as your worst piece.” This was in terms of putting your portfolio together. It’s a way to force an artist into editing their work, which is perhaps the most difficult but important process in presentation.

Q: What is your favorite feature that liveBooks offers?

MH: I love the ease with which I can upload my work. It’s a clean and beautifully designed platform. I  also love how easy it is to create a quality web gallery. I use this often to shoot quick portfolios of a specific work to clients.

Q: What’s one piece of advice you’d offer to someone designing their website?

MH: Less is more. I started off as a graphic designer and studied the art of visual communication for many years. When a client looks at your site, you want to show a confident, solid body of work. This of course ties back to the art of editing. If you have someone you trust, ask for help in the culling process.

Have a website you’d like us to feature? Email us at social@livebooks.com!