by Steve Bridgwood

When I initially launched my wedding photography business I needed to hit the ground running, so building a strong portfolio and establishing my name in a crowded marketplace became my main priorities. In the beginning, exhibiting at wedding fairs and print advertising helped me to connect with potential clients locally, but it quickly became apparent that to grow a bigger and relevant audience I needed to focus my attention on my website and social media marketing.

Now, I will only ever undertake marketing activity that sends people directly to my website; therefore social media (and in particular Facebook) is one of my most important marketing tools.

Here are some website tips that will help you grow your business:

• People have found you, and if they like what they see they will get in touch! Leads generated from your website are easier to convert to confirmed bookings.
• Your website provides an opportunity to showcase your unique photography style, so even though it’s important to show variety in terms of the types of weddings and locations that you feature, make sure your work is consistent.
• Include your pricing to avoid wasting time for clients who don’t have the budget for your services.
• Make the most of Zenfolio’s blogging functionality: You can easily add fresh content that helps your SEO and Google ranking while encouraging new visitors to your site. I always direct new enquiries to both the blog section of my website and my portfolio page so that they can see examples of my most up to date work.

Since Facebook is my preferred social media tool, I want to share how I use it to gain new clients. Read my article How to Use Facebook to Gain New Clients  to learn more.

Steve Bridgwood is an award-winning wedding photographer based in Staffordshire, UK, and a proud Zenfolio Ambassador. He is considered one the UK’s top 50 wedding photographers according to GoHen and is named one of the world’s best wedding photographers by Junebug.