I’m often asked by other photographers, “Do photographers need to be blogging?” “Should I start a blog?” “Do you think blogging is dead?” “Will having a blog actually help grow my photography business, or is it a waste of my time?” All which are valid questions. And in short, my answer is: no, blogging is NOT dead — and yes, you should be doing it. ??♀️ (I mean, you’re reading this right now aren’t you!?)
In order for me to explain why blogging is useful in growing your photography business, I’ll need to dive into some marketing jargon. So stick with me, because if you do, it’ll help you see far past the basics of throwing a blog post out there. This will help you decide whether it’s truly a worthy investment of your time… and you’ll see that if you do it right – it will be.
When marketing your business, it’s important to have what’s called “pillar content,” (a.k.a. hero content, signature content, etc.)
Your pillar content is an in-depth piece of content that you can expand upon, (and point back to,) throughout the week. It’s what the rest of your content, (social media posts, etc.) will revolve around. Some people choose a blog post as their pillar content, some do youtube videos, and some do podcasts, etc.
Now, if you weren’t a photographer, I’d recommend going with whatever type of content feels the most natural to you to produce. But since you are; doing youtube videos and podcasts won’t make a ton of sense for your strategy, because you’re not in the information-space. (Like a fitness coach or a marketing strategist would be.)
Since you’re a photographer, it only makes sense to choose a type of pillar content that allows your beautiful images to be on display. We want to be showing off your work. Choosing a blog post allows you not only show off your images, but also talk about the experience. (Which gives potential clients insight into what working with you could/would be like.)
You can even repurpose your blog posts, and link back to them when you’re running short on content; or when you’re in a slow season of photography. That way, you’re still showing up — which keeps you top of mind when someone is needing a photographer. (Repurposing your content is much better than ghosting everyone and not showing up at all during your slow season; then expecting to make bookings when spring rolls around again.)
But, you only want to do this if the blog post is what’s considered “evergreen content.” Evergreen content is a type of content that won’t expire. Meaning, it isn’t dependent upon a certain season in your business, or an actual season, (like the Holidays.)
For example, a blog post about what to wear for a fall couples shoot wouldn’t be evergreen (because it only helps your audience in the fall.) But a post like “the best couples shoot locations in okinawa” would be. Another example is a blog post featuring a session you’ve shot — because those are helpful to potential clients year-round!
I’m sure you’re seeing where I’m going with this by now. The pillar content in my business is my blog posts. They’re jam-packed full of value for my target audience, (whether that’s photographers or potential photography clients.)
Here’s an example of what I share on my blog, along with how it helps my business:
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blog posts centered around valuable tips for photographers to grow their business
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- these lead photographers to reach out about my 1-1 mentoring services
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blog posts that feature recent sessions and highlight my clients
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- these market my business, because clients share the blog post — and also help elevate my client experience on the back-end, because clients feel valued and “special” to be on the blog.
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blog posts about personal things/travels
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- help form connection points with potential clients (both for mentoring and photography,) and help me use keywords in destinations I want to shoot in; (in hopes of expanding my work to those areas)
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See how there’s always a “why” behind my blog posts?
I’m never sharing something for the heck of sharing it. That won’t help further my bottom line… so, it’d be a waste of my time and energy. Moral of the story, if you’re gonna add blogging to your workflow — do so with a PLAN.
There’s a strategy behind every single thing I do for my business. I’ll always be able to give you my “why” if you were to ask why I do things a certain way; and you should be able to, too!
So now that you know my strategy, let’s look at it in action. Here’s a bird’s eye view of what an ideal week in “JVP Content Creation Land” looks like!
MONDAY:
- On instagram & facebook: sharing a post about mentoring; either featuring a client or giving a mentoring tip. This tip is usually based on Wednesday’s blog topic (if it’s an educational one)
TUESDAY:
- On instagram & facebook: sharing a personal story that relates to the blog post that’s going to go live on Wednesday, while encouraging people to sign up for my list if they haven’t already to be notified first when the blog post drops
WEDNESDAY:
- Blog post goes live at 8:00am central
- On instagram & facebook: Sharing a quote or empowering line from this week’s blog post, while reminding people the blog post is live and to go check it out
THURSDAY:
- On instagram & facebook: Sharing a recent session or testimonial
FRIDAY:
- Sharing something personal, light, and/or fun, (like recent travels, things people don’t know about me, what I’ve been up to, etc.)
Notice how three of my five weekly Instagram posts have to do with pointing people to my blog post? That helps me show up on social media and not freeze up with writer’s block every single time I open up the app. By already knowing what I’m talking about, I’m able to show up — which is helpful when trying to establish a brand presence and get bookings — trust me.
Now that you see how I’m fitting blogging into my marketing strategy on a weekly basis, let’s look a little deeper into the “why” behind it.
5 reasons why you should be blogging as a photographer:
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It helps you to remain consistent and show up for your audience and potential clients.
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- By using a schedule like the one shown above, you’ll be able to start creating your own “content calendar.” Planning out your content in advance allows you to be consistent, and establishes authority and brand recognition.
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It helps boost your SEO, and will get you ranking for keywords on Google that are helpful to your overarching marketing strategy.
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- If you’re wanting to shoot elopements in Queenstown, I’d recommend traveling there, and writing a blog post titled “best places to elope in Queenstown, New Zealand.” Then, add in the keywords you’d like to rank for. That could get you ranking for things like “Queenstown elopement photographer.”
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It establishes you as an expert in your field, which puts you a leg ahead of all the other photographers in your town.
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- It’s likely that the photographers around you aren’t blogging . It’s a lot of work, and most photographers haven’t spent time learning how to master it!
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It opens up other channels for you to share your content on. (Like Pinterest — which you should be on if at all possible, it’s a dreamland for photographers!)
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- Once you’ve posted your blog, you can share the link on facebook, instagram, twitter, and Pinterest. You want to drive as much traffic as possible to your new content — make those hours you’ve spent working on your post count!
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It up-levels your entire client experience.
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- You can “feature” recent client sessions on your blog, and then email your clients when they’re on the blog. This will get them super excited and feel like they’ve gotten their money’s worth with you! You can also educate future clients by sharing helpful blogs, like showing them what to wear.
Before implementing blogging, I struggled to stay consistent online and show up.
Once I started focusing on writing blogs, and committing to publish them; the rest of it started to flow! It became so much easier to show up, because I finally had a plan. Not to mention all the marketing benefits that started to happen once I committed to blogging. ??
Not sure where to begin when it comes to the technical side of blogging? Here’s my top recommendations for the tools necessary to get your blog up and runnin’!
Not sure where to begin when it comes to the technical side of blogging? Here’s my top recommendations for the tools necessary to get your blog up and runnin’!
1. If you don’t yet have a website yet, create one.
- Unsure how to go about getting that done? Check out this blog post of mine all about how to create a website for your photography business. In there, I cover all the steps necessary to actually set up a website for your photography business, along with all the tools I recommend using to do so!
2. Once you have a website domain purchased and a hosting service set up, create a WordPress account.
- If you use Showit for your website hosting service, Showit will set up a blog for you, reach out to them and they’ll get you all taken care of. They’re SO great!
3. Once you have your website domain, website host, and WordPress account setup, you’re good to go to start posting your words and images to the web! I can’t WAIT to see what you create!
Want to throw your hands up in the air because you’re crazy overwhelmed and are ready to just start making real money with this expensive hobby of yours?
I feel you. Did you know you can chat with me for FREE, (no strings attached,) and have me walk you through the process? Then, if you decide you want to have me come alongside you and put in place what we chatted about– we can get you on my books for 1-1 mentoring ASAP!
Click the link below, and I’ll start making the coffee now for our chat! Can’t WAIT!
Struggling with feeling confident while running your photography business? Download the TPP Roadmap” right here! (It’s gold friends!)
Looking for more helpful photography tips? Feel free to binge on these blog posts, or pin ’em on Pinterest for later! ??
If you’re short on time, follow me on Pinterest – and you’ll get these kinda tips delivered straight to your feed! You know… when you’re scrollin’ through Pinterest with coffee in hand, ready to take on the day… or, procrastinate.
Whatevs. Pinterest biz sesh, anybody!? ??
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