Blogging for success

Every one of the best opportunities I have had over the last three years, including my book, have come as a result of conversations that were initiated on, or because of, my blog. Without exception. I have booked lectures, workshops, and writing assignments solely from this blog.

David duChemin A world & humanitarian assignment photographer, best-selling author and accidental founder of Craft & Vision (http://davidduchemin.com/)

Why a blog?

Writing is important. Blogging is a great way to build a personal connection with people. A photo blog is your personal hello to showcase your work; it’s a critical cornerstone to marketing and customer service. It gives you the opportunity to introduce yourself, tell people why you are a photographer.

A photo blog helps your web persistence, gives your prospective clients a look into your motivations – information that will be important to their final decision. It lets them see your latest work and be familiar with your current shooting style, which also has a tendency to evolve. Blogging is a way to show your creativity and get your thoughts out into the world for free.

A photo blog is easy to start, easy to maintain. Blogs come in a variety of platforms. You can set up a blog by yourself at no cost (host a free blog at wordpress.com and blogger.com).

Top 5 Reasons to Start Blogging and Keep Your Audience’s Attention

Generate Word-of-Mouth Interest. Blog for Clients

Keep your readers in the know with your business. Convert them into your clients. Blogging about your business, upcoming events, special offers, new projects will help you to keep your clients updated regularly with what’s happening in your photography business. It is a way for you to write about your work and tell the story behind it. It allows others to get involved with your work by leaving comments. Your blog is the best place to receive feedback.

Publish your latest photos regularly. Clients love seeing their own photos. Share why you enjoyed working with them. The practice shows that people will share the link with all their family and friends, and spread the word about you.

Strategic Marketing

A blog is a great personal and professional marketing tool. People can subscribe to your blog via RSS and be automatically informed once you’ve posted a new article or photo.

“My blog is one of the best marketing tools I’ve ever used. My current, past, and future clients all read my blog. People follow it and pass its link along to friends. Potential clients can see I’m working every weekend, and that I’m working in exotic places. They get to read about who I am as a person. “The comfort and confidence this builds is impressive. Says Higa, “It is sort of a pre-qualifier, allowing too-busy-to-stop-in, career-conscious brides to ‘interview’ me… without even meeting me. I’m booking without ever sitting down with the brides.” – wedding photographer Gene Higa

“I began a blog for the sole reason to promote my books and my work as a photographer. Within the first month of blogging, I was featured in a newsletter as the ‘momtreprenuer’ of the month at a highly trafficked shopping blog for moms. With the traffic I received from that write-up alone, I realized that this was a marketing avenue well worth exploring further. Using a blog to help promote your business is like taking an accelerated word-of-mouth approach (hence the commonly used term ‘viral marketing’). The blogosphere is all about Internet links that move faster and more efficiently than the traditional word-of-mouth marketing ever could. One link in the right place can get your Web site thousands of hits. It can happen that fast.” – entrepreneur, publisher and photographer Tracey Clark

Better for SEO

Search engines love blogs since they have frequent updates and lots of content. A frequently updated blog with good content can shoot up the search rankings.

Keep it live and personal

When your audience feels like they know you, they will be more inclined to read your posts. When writing your next blog post, don’t forget to include some personal stories and experiences. Your blog is a different window from which people can get to know me. You can write about your daily life, motivations and ideas, challenges, successful and failed projects, etc. Let people know you personally. Let them be more connected with your work.

Make your blog posts natural. A great way to connect with your audience is to write about something that interests them. Try to link your posts to problems they’re dealing with, to things they know and care about. This will keep their attention and make your posts relevant.

Shoot more… Post new images regularly to keep readers. Post your very best images to be on top of your craft.

Tell stories. People love stories. Use this to grab your readers’ attention. Focus on communicating your ideas and telling your stories. If you travel a lot, meet interesting people, get lots of unknown locations, you definitely have what to tell. Words provide clarity and context, help people to understand photographs. When people see a photograph on the web, they generally look quick and then move on. When words are included, people stay with the photograph just a bit longer.

Social Media Sharing

It’s a fact that social media sharing is one of the most effective means of attracting new people to your website and photography blog.

Once you’ve posted a new blog post, make sure to Tweet about it and repost on your Facebook and/or Google+ page. You should have the appropriate social sharing buttons installed on your blog posts so that your visitors can easily share your content with their friends and contacts.

Photo Blogs You’d Love

www.benjhaisch.com/blog

“I happen to think that photography is one of the most important things to consider when planning your wedding and I love that responsibility” – Benj Haisch, wedding photographer.

www.acoupleofnightowls.com/blog/

“Between us we bring together the combined skills and interest of photography, film/moving image, retouching, design, etc. We love beauty. Connection. The moments in-between. We are A Couple Of Night Owls.” – Danelle and Hook.

www.scarletoneill.com/blog

“Photography is my way of bringing some sweetness to the world.” – Scarlet O’Neill, photographer and artist.

www.thetravelphotographer.blogspot.ru

Based in New York City, I am a freelance photographer specializing in documenting endangered cultures and traditional life ways of Asia, Latin America and Africa.

www.joelrobisonphoto.wordpress.com

Joel Robison, a conceptual portrait photographer living in Cranbrook, British Columbia Canada. He enjoys creating whimsical worlds where size, scale, movement and function don’t play by the rules that we know.