You’ve spent time and effort creating an amazing body of work. You want to grow your online photography business…so, what’s the next step?
Tips for Creating Your Online Store
Whatever platform you choose, if you want to attract viewers and keep them coming back as customers, it’s important that they enjoy visiting your site. Utilize these following tips to ensure you keep your viewers coming back for more.
1. Make It Visually Appealing
Too much or too little design can result in a potential customer leaving before they even see your work. Categories can help them find the type of photographs they are looking for, makes your site easier to use, and increases the appeal.
2. Make It Easy to Navigate
Obvious tabs or buttons that create a call-to-action, or lead customers to your information or work, will keep them coming back. Also, make sure any external links open in a new tab, so they aren’t directed away from your site.
3. Think Like the Customer
Look at sites that you visit frequently. Do you appreciate a lot of bells and whistles, or is a simple, straightforward design more appealing? Can you find what you’re looking for? Think about what you appreciate on your favorite websites and then replicate those same customer-friendly attributes on yours.
Make sure there are easy ways for customers to contact you with questions, comments, or special requests. Include links to your social media and define your online brand. Be consistent with your profile pictures, tag lines, and any other branding.
As an example, look at Scott Papek’s website. Scott is a nature and landscape photographer, who has an excellent photography website. It’s visually appealing, easy-to-navigate, and provides a simple way for visitors to view and purchase his beautiful work.
Tools to Market Your Online Store
Fortunately, having an online presence makes it easy to directly reach potential customers. Here are three effective starting points and we’ll dive deeper into them in upcoming posts.
1. Start a blog
A blog is a great way to record your photo shoots, provide useful information about your creative process, and serves as a record of your journey. It’s also a wonderful way for your potential customers to learn more about you as a photographer.
Not sure what to write about? When you’re on a photo shoot, jot down some notes or explain why you choose that location. Were there any unusual or unexpected events that contributed or detracted from what you hoped for? What equipment did you use and why? Your blog posts don’t have to be very long, just enough for the reader to get to know you.
Nature photographer, Aaron Reed has an interesting and informative blog. It is visually spectacular, including one or more photographs, and he discusses the story behind the shot. Wisely, Aaron has either a call-to-action or encourages comments on each post.
2. Social Media
When planning your social media strategy, consider which platforms you enjoy and focus your initial efforts there. Start with one or two that you either already are on or are familiar with. If you like Facebook, set up a business page for your online photography store.
Or, maybe you already are on a site like 500px. Expand your interaction and include links to your website. Don’t forget, social media is meant to be social. So, make sure you’re not just sharing your own posts. The more you like, comment, and share other people’s posts, the more likely they will do the same for you.
3. Email Marketing
The rumors are wrong and email is still going strong as a favored form of communication. Make sure to ask your customers to share their email and opt-in to receive information from you. Include an email sign up tool on your website. Then provide your email subscribers valuable information, discounts, or other incentives to look forward to receiving your emails.
Got Personality?
Last, but not least, remember to include your unique personality in all of your online photography store marketing efforts.
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About The Author(s)
Jen Gramm
Jen Gramm is the Director of Marketing at Tru Vue®. She has an MBA in Global Sales Management and a B.A in Business with a concentration in Marketing. In addition, she has more than 15 years of experience in marketing, including seven in the custom framing industry. Her diverse experience in marketing, sales, and business development along with her years at Tru Vue gives her insight into the opportunities the industry has to leverage and further engage art-loving and custom-framing consumers. She has been instrumental in shifting the customer approach at Tru Vue to one that builds relationships through the sharing of information and industry best practices.