I was talking to one of my friends the other day about using Pinterest for wedding photography, and she kind of brushed off the whole idea. Instagram is where it’s at for photographers; it’s a visual social media platform, easy to engage with potential brides and location specific searches are a breeze. Sure, I’m not going to disagree, because I don’t. Instagram is a huge asset for photographers, and there’s no denying that. But is Instagram and Pinterest mutually exclusive? No. Having one doesn’t mean you can’t have the other, it just means you can increase your reach and approach things with a different strategy.
In this post, I will discuss the reasons why I think photographers can benefit from a Pinterest strategy and how you can implement one today!
Who’s on Pinterest
A lot of entrepreneurs worry that their target market just simply doesn’t exist on Pinterest. With over 250 million users each month, I think it’s safe to say that that’s a myth.
As a wedding photographer, chances are part of your ideal audience is women. Women on Pinterest are actively searching for ideas from how to pop the question themselves to creating online businesses and work from home ideas. Pinterest is an endless sea of opportunity, all you have to do is find the right people.
You may already be following along with some of the current Pinterest trends. DIY tips, beauty and outfit inspirations seem to be some of the most popular topics on Pinterest, but did you know 85% of women users find inspiration for their life moments on their platform? If you’re a wedding photographer, birth/newborn photographer or anything of the like, your ideal clients are literally out there, searching for your content to plan their next big life event!
Prep Content for your clients
Knowing that your ideal clients are out there, the question shifts to how you can actually reach them. If you’ve created your ideal client avatar, chances are you know what she likes to do, what she likes to wear, where she shops or even what type of coffee shop she enjoys. Now you’ve just got to figure out how to show up in her searches!
But how do you share your content in a way that makes sense with these people? Like we’ve discussed before, Pinterest is not a social media platform, so you have to approach it a little bit differently. Think of Pinterest as an opportunity for you to serve your clients, to help them find what they are looking for, and by making their lives easier you are appearing in their search results and building your trust. A couple of ideas for Pinterest boards for photographers include outfit inspirations for engagement shoots, summer wedding inspiration, beach weddings, mountain weddings, elopements, etc. More specifically, you could use Pinterest to share examples of your work either through photos or photo collages, and you can also share tips and tricks for brides planning a wedding. There’s obviously way more that you can share, but these are just a couple ideas to get you thinking about the kind of content your ideal client would want to see!
Picture your ideal client – what kind of problems does she have? What is she trying to learn from her Pinterest search and how can your content inspire and educate her in this process or season?
Scaling your business
What’s next in your photography business? Do you have dreams of opening a studio, connecting with fellow photographers in the area, or maybe scaling to become a mentor or educator? What better way to draw in that side of your client base than through Pinterest?
Do you remember what it was like when you first started your photography business? How many hours did you spend searching for the right equipment, the tools, the secrets of the trade?
If you have goals and dreams of scaling your business, Pinterest is the perfect platform for reaching this audience. With more and more women searching for ideas on how to start and grow their business, providing quality resources in this area can help you connect with potential mentees or students for your courses.
Again, consider their pain points. What are they looking for Pinterest to help them solve, and how can you step in and serve up the content that they are looking for? Don’t forget that Pinterest is a search engine your audience is seeking out to find answers to their problems. Show up where you’re needed – and you’ll see great results!
Not sure where to start with your strategy? Grab the free Pinterest Strategy workbook below!
Building your list
Ok, so you’ve gone through the trouble of understanding your ideal client, created a solid Pinterest strategy, and the traffic is trickling in to your site. Now what? How do you convince these people to buy from you, or even remember you when it comes time to book their wedding photographer? That’s where the email list comes in, my friend! You want to nurture these people, build a friendship and help them see you as a professional in your industry.
While I could probably write (several) separate blog posts about this topic, it boils down to this – what will it take for your audience to give up their emails? Provide the right kind of value so that they can’t turn down your offer, and don’t forget it might take a couple of different touch points for them to give it their treasured email to you!
By driving the right kind of traffic to your site and establishing yourself as an expert in your field, Pinterest can help you grow your list and your client base for future success in your business.
Alright friends, that’s it! The top reasons I believe you need to be on Pinterest as a wedding photographer, and how you can make it happen.
