Do wedding photographers really need to blog?

Yes. All professional photographers should blog, but especially wedding photographers. Wedding-related blog content is one of the most popular ways couples search for and find information. There’s no better way to educate your audience and show off your work in one place!

What are the benefits of a blog for photographers?

Bottom line? Having a photography blog saves you time, boosts your traffic, and brings home the money. Blogs are different than social media platforms, because your content lives on your website and is discoverable forever. It doesn’t disappear from the feed in 24 hours!

1. Get More Website Traffic

The best marketing plan for a small business starts with content creation. In fact, Hubspot reports that businesses that focus on blogs as one of their primary sources of marketing see a 13x return on investment (ROI) compared to businesses that don’t.

But how does this work?

Every blog post added to your website offers an additional opportunity for potential clients to find you in a search. The best part about this is that they don’t even need to be looking for your services to find you!

Let’s break this down with an example. Sarah is a wedding photographer. She writes a blog post about the best locations in her area to hold an engagement session. Now any person in the area searching for engagement shoot locations can find her website. If they find her content enjoyable, they trust her and are more likely to reach out. Now Sarah has booked a client by simply adding content to her website.

Sounds great right?

It is, as long as you do it right.

2. Rank Higher on Google

In order for potential clients to find you, you need to be at the top of search engine results pages. But how do you get there?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) needs to be your best friend.

When you post a blog on your site, Google analyzes the content for relevance and authority. To thrive within Google’s algorithm, you need to play by its rules. Posting highly-optimized blogs lets Google know that your site is relevant, knowledgeable, and trustworthy.

The easiest way to achieve success on Google is to create, create, create. Hubspot suggests that smaller, brand-focused businesses should post blog content 1-2 times a week. Larger businesses should post 3-4 times a week.

The higher your search engine rankings are, the more likely couples who are searching for information are to find you.

Blogs are a sure and fast way to get there. With each blog post, you should include keywords that boost visibility. If done correctly, one blog post could offer twenty different ways clients could stumble upon you.

And it doesn’t have to cost you a fortune to get there.

3. Don’t Waste $$$ on Ads

When you market with your website, you can find clients in your sleep. Yes, literally while you sleep.

Instead of giving potential clients one way to find you, they now have hundreds. And you don’t have to pay a cent for advertisements. By posting relevant blog content your ideal clients are searching for, you have given them a fast and painless way to find you and hire you.

Every new blog post is another opportunity to sell your services to potential clients. And the best thing about having blogs on your site? They’re sharable.

People share blogs all over social media. Take a look at your own feed, and you’ll see what I mean.

Even if you don’t receive a client from that single share (which is highly unlikely because, let’s face it, you’re fabulous at what you do), your information has reached everyone in their friends or followers list. Your blog post went from having one set of eyes on it to hundreds, maybe even thousands.

With one share.

And you didn’t have to pay a single thing for it.

Of course, it’s not all about the money. You’re in the business of creating lasting memories for your clients. Brides and grooms want to have full confidence in your ability to make their big day perfect.

4. Build Brand Authority

When a potential client is shopping for wedding services, they don’t just want to know your product is worth it. They want to know you are worth it.

Your clients need to understand your brand and get to know your values. You want to show them that you’re not just in the business of making money, you’re in the business of providing quality services – and the dream wedding experience. But how do you convince potential clients of that?

You use a blog.

The more blog posts you have, the more diverse the content. This means you can reach a much larger audience much faster. 60% of people say they feel much more confident in a brand after interacting with custom content on its site. With a blog, you can tailor your content to meet the needs of your ideal clients, making you look established, knowledgeable, and irresistible.

20 blog post ideas for photographers

1. Explain your wedding photography style and process. How would you describe your style? What about your process makes you unique?

2. Talk about who your ideal client or couple is. What are they looking for in a photographer? Why are you a perfect fit for them?

3. What questions do you get over and over again?

4. What questions do you wish couples asked you during consultations?

5. Make a list of your favorite venues or vendors to work with and why.

6. Round up your best tips for achieving beautiful photos.

7. Make a list of fun places to do engagement photos in your area.

8. Round up some of your past weddings based on a common theme, like “unique wedding exits.”

9. Break down your packages or photography services and help couples self-segment to decide which might be best for them.

10. Create a list of portrait poses or ideas, with your own photos as examples.

11. Provide tips for outdoor photos for every season.

12. Go over how to choose outfits for photo sessions.

13. If you’re a destination photographer (or want to be), round up locations you’d love to shoot at.

14. Provide tips for getting comfortable in front of the camera.

15. Give your best hair and makeup tips for wedding photos.

16. Explain your editing process and outline how much time it takes you to edit.

17. Make a list of potential items couples can give you for wedding day detail shots.

18. Outline ways couples can use their wedding photos after wedding day.

19. Explain how to create a shot list for formals and family portraits.

20. Talk about how long taking photos actually takes.

You can also blog about literally anything related to your industry. Even if your blog isn’t about photography, it can help couples find you. And if your content is good, it establishes you as an authority and couples are likely to consume more content from you.

Now that you know the amazing benefits of a blog for your business, where do you start?

I’m not going to lie to you – creating content on a weekly basis for your photography business is time-consuming and difficult if you don’t know what you’re doing.

Resources:

1. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/business-blogging-in-2015

2. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/blogging-frequency-benchmarks

3. https://www.dailyinfographic.com/state-of-blogging-industry