Do I really need a blog?

[98kellrs]

I am not a pro, nor do I run a business, however here are my humble opinions; If you are shooting mainly newborn/family then your primary demographic will be fairly young. A website is critical for the reasons Xenedis stated, but for the sake of 10 minutes setup time, a facebook page can also be very useful. As your client base expands they will likely show your facebook page to their friends (because everybody is on facebook 24/7 nowadays) and that will in turn lead them to your website. Also keep an eye on Google+ in the future, it hasn't taken off in Australia fully yet, but in the states and europe it's rapidly increasing in popularity and will likely make it to our shores eventually.

Also worth remembering regarding websites is your SEO (search engine optimisation), basically this envolves setting up your site so it appears as high as possible on a search engine page. If you are not too tech savvy, perhaps ask a friend to help, but there are heaps of tutorials out there. This is useful for times when a client has forgotten your exact web address, but can remember part of your business name.

Good luck with it all! Keen to see some of your work also!

[William]

Interesting reading Guys, I'm in the middle of all this right now We are planing a daily blog and new images every day(4) , Well Mon-Fri is the plan so far , Linked to a Facebook page , Not rushing, Just making sure we get it right , As well as getting prints done and framed for Galleries, Markets etc

[Lianne]

Here's my two cents. Given the prevalence of social media these days, any exposure online is good for your business as long as you know how to manage it (easier said than done). Yes - you NEED your own website/domain and associated email addresses as it looks more professional. As for blogs, facebook, twitter, etc, these are all methods you employ to keep your website active so search engines rank your site higher than others. Regardless of what level of internet exposure you use/employ the main thing is make your website easy to navigate; choose a domain name that is relevant; keep it up-to-date and if you are going to run a blog/facebook page, make your contributions regularly eg every Tuesday.
The other trick with facebook/twitter etc is create a persona to advertise your website. EG your website is Baby Photos Inc and your facebook persona is Baby Bella and it is Baby Bella that discusses your website - (some of my mates came in for some photos yesterday. check them out at "website") That way your followers will know when to come back and check for updates. BTW - given your preferred market of newborn photography, I think that Facebook is worth a try but only for business - no playing games, joining groups not related to photography/newborns etc. Good luck with whichever method you choose.

[Dan Cripps]

I'd consider online marketing to be as important, if not more so, as offline marketing.

Remember, there are people out there who have probably never looked in a printed copy of the Yellow Pages. It's much more convenient for many these days to search online, and if you're easy to find, your chances of landing business are arguably better.

That's not to say that traditional print-based marketing should be excluded; but online marketing is the way of the present and the future.

I didn't mention print advertising at all. In most markets it's a monumental waste of money.

When I say offline marketing methods, I mean a more direct targeted approach. Anyone can fire up a website/blog and go crazy on facebook.

[TasEric]

By all means use Facebook, twitter, and other social networks.
But use them to direct visitors to your own website.
One where YOU own the domain name, buy the web hosting, and are in control of the content.

Don't rely on ANY other website to be there forever.
Your accounts can be removed for all sorts of reasons, or the entire site might just disappear.

I've seen the unfortunate results of many people who thought that all they would ever need was Blogger. Or Facebook. or even (shudder) Myspace.
And they kept thinking that right up until the time that their site disappeared - never to be seen again.


cheers,
Eric G.

[beau]

I reckon things like Wedding/Bridal Expo's are probably more important these days than print, and possibly more so than online. Directed marketing that is targeted towards the clients you want seems to me, to be the best form of marketing. In the yellow pages (paper or online), or online at all, you are competing against every other wedding photographer (and wanna-be) in your area. Your best marketing tool, is yourself, getting out there and getting your name, face and photography known in the demographic you are targeting. Whatever price you decide to charge is not worth a cent, if people do not know who you are, or how to contact you.

I agree about the expo's mate, but they're hard to get into. Pretty much every expo in Sydney is booked out for photographers already for next year. That includes the two big shows and the 10 or so smaller suburban ones.

[beau]

Blogs are well worth the effort, if for no other reason than GOOGLE LOVES BLOGS.

Set up a website, and a blog and make sure the two carry links to each other.

A dedicated facebook page is good too, but it's just social media and will give you a limited exposure, depending on your friends network and how often you update it.

[maccaroneski]

There's a book called The Linked Photographers' Guide to Online Marketing and Social Media by Lindsay Adler and Rosh Sillars and whilst I didn't agree with everything that it was putting forth it was certainty very informative, and gave a good insight into the benefits of coming up with an overall strategy.

[flame70]

I have a website, facebook and a blog but to be honest the blog can take a lot of time up so mostly I use the facebook as a blog as it uploads very quickly and once you are getting liked the word spreads. However you must have a website for sales and info presented in your own way not facebooks and also so you can be easily found.

[Mark L]

^ So Jez, as a member of AP, how do I find your website and facebook page?

[flame70]

As a member of AP there's nowhere really to find it is there. There's no place in AP's contact page and about yourself to fill in so like virtually everyone else on AP we don't get to see each others page. I can't see yours, Kyms or Darrens for instance. However if it intrigues you, you'll find it at www.7000degrees.com Its nothing special and i'm just considering a complete overhaul but like everything else it takes time and just when you think you've got some, more editing or film work comes in. What it really needs is an overhaul of the way pictures are presented so i'll need to spend some time in flash. Though it seems to pay for itself i'm sure theres a lot of room for improvement.

[SamNabz]

I think having a website (not blog) is one of the best ways to advertise your business. Whether it is for a store/boutique, or to showcase your artwork/photography etc.

No matter what line of work you are in, clients or potential clients will almost always ask if you have a website for them to visit and see what you or your company is all about and what you can offer them.

I do web and graphic design as a side job and have done a few photography websites (for hobbyist), all of which do not incorporate a blog. The client feels that a blog is unnecessary for a photography site.

Instead of a blog, I implement a gallery where the client can upload their images, and is able to put a little story behind each image, describing where it was taken and/or with what gear and so on (if they prefer/desire) - then they can enable comments for viewers to offer CC and so on.

If you are a professional tog' then your website should only be to showcase your portfolio and give potential clients a glimpse of why they should be hiring you for their next event. It should also have a short blurb on the company, the services you offer (inc. price list), and contact details which should always be kept up to date.

[Sobriquet]

These days you really do need a website, a blog and an active fb page if you are doing family and babies and don't have a shop front. I get so much action after I post a brides sneakpeek, watermark your images and they are fantastic advertising, make it a pretty one and use lightroom to put it in the right place. I didn't realise how important the fb was until recently. I also twitter but thing are set up to be as automated as possible and my posts are generally upload and image and give it a title, share it around, so it doesn't take up much time. I use Blogspot as it is free and easy, I have two separate sides to my business one Boudoir and then the family, wedding stuff so I keep them separate and have both blogs in the same place. Both my websites are also hosting on the same server (I have a mathematics background so programming and web development is easy for me) and I have 3 fb pages to promote different areas of my work. I use blogspot but some photographers use wordpress and prophoto for web and blog, you can make a blog look like a website and have it all integrated quite nicely.

[Plonk]

Thank-you everyone for your advice on this. I very much appreciate it all. I have things on the back burn at the moment as I have had a few drams pop into my life.