Since we live in a world in which just about everyone has a camera in their pocket and social media accounts to show off their photos, it can be a daunting task to make a name for yourself.
That isn't to say that you're competing with every single person with a camera for customers, but it does mean that there's a lot of "photography noise" out there that you need to help potential clients sift through to find you.
Part of your business strategy needs to focus on building your brand so that you're a recognizable asset for people searching for photography services.
The question is, how do you build your photography brand?
You Need a Good Website
One of the most visible aspects of your photography business is your website.
It's your window to the world and will serve as the primary point of contact for a large number of potential customers.
Yet, some photographers neglect this aspect of their branding strategy in lieu of simply having a Facebook page or a Flickr profile.
In this day and age in which everyone seems to have a Facebook page and a Flickr profile, that's just not going to cut it for you.
Having a gorgeous, professional-looking photography website doesn't have to be hard to create or expensive, either.
Photler was designed with photographers in mind because it allows you to build your brand quickly and easily...
"Being a designer myself I'm picky about which tools I use. Thanks to Photler I can customize every detail of the design!" - Raoul Korzuschek
Not only does it allow you to create a beautiful portfolio to show off your photos, but you also get blogging tools (more on that in a minute) as well as a complete photo-selling platform so you can start making money off your images. There's no commissions on your sales, either, so you keep 100 percent of what you earn.
Not bad, right?!
Perhaps the best part is that there is absolutely no coding required.
That means you don't have to hire a programmer or spend countless, frustrating hours trying to figure out how to build a website yourself.
Photler has beautiful, professionally-designed website themes that put a face to your business name, each of which is easily updated in an intuitive content management system.
And adding images is a breeze, too - just import the images you want to show off from Instagram, Flickr, Dropbox, and other locations online, and you can populate your website galleries with your gorgeous photos.
Photler really is a feature-rich branding solution for photographers...
"An awesome website builder that helps you create a unique online space to share your travels and to also sell. I really love the simple, yet unique, templates that you can customise to your liking. I especially love the World Map feature! The team at Photler are also an amazing bunch. Whatever problem there is, big or small, they always are there to help in the best way they can. I highly recommend the team at Photler to anybody looking to share their world adventures to the online world!" - Michelle Foong
You get a beautiful website with a custom domain name, a portfolio, a blog, and image galleries, contact forms for capturing leads, and even social media integration to connect your site to all your existing social media channels.
There's even analytics tools built right in so you get a better idea of what content is successful and what content needs more work.
If you want to build your photography brand, Photler should be on your radar as one of the most comprehensive (and easiest!) ways to do so.
Put Valuable Content Out There
As I noted earlier, one of the great things about Photler is that it includes blogging tools.
That's a huge benefit for you because another avenue you can take to build your photography brand is to put valuable content out there.
Again, this seems to be something that's lost on some photographers.
Sure, they might share content that other people have created or do a good job of posting new images they take to their portfolio or social media channels, but consumers want more than that.
Valuable content can take many forms, too.
You might start a weekly blog post in which you give advice to consumers about purchasing camera gear.
You can start a YouTube channel and give video tutorials on photography tips and tricks.
Start a monthly or quarterly on-location photography class so you can interact with photography enthusiasts in person.
The point is that when people search online for a photographer (or any other service provider, for that matter), they want someone that has demonstrated their knowledge and abilities in their field of work.
What better way to say, "Hey, I know what I'm doing!" than by consistently offering the public tips, tricks, and secrets to success in photography?
Figure Out Why You're Unique
Having a website and putting valuable content out there for potential clients to consume are certainly important steps in building your business.
But you can't undertake those tasks until you figure out what makes you unique in a sea of photographers.
When you start out as a photographer, your inclination might be to try to be everything to everyone.
But if you approach branding that way, you'll quickly find that you're more of a "yes man" than someone that actually has something of value to offer.
In other words, by trying to please everyone, you'll have a branding message that's muddled and confusing, and you'll end up pleasing no one!
Instead, focus on something that makes your approach to photography one that's different from all the rest.
This might be the type of photography you do, the manner in which you approach working with clients, or even the way you price your images for sale.
The point is that you need to ensure that the branding materials you put out there - be that on your website, in the local newspaper, or someplace else - need to be unique, fun, eye-catching, and valuable to potential clients.
Make sure that your branding materials aren't just on-message, but that they also reflect who you are as a person and your personality.
There's not many ways to better convey your uniqueness than saturating your branding with your unique personality!