Marketing Yourself as a Photographer

As a student photographer, I'm already looking for ways to get myself and my business "out there" when I graduate. I've already started my website, www.kimjo.smugmug.com and I'm tweaking it to help it rank better. I'm going to Randolph Community College majoring in photographic technology.

Education alone is something that many photographers don't have. Some will probably say that if they're making money as a professional photographer that's all they need but that is not true. Professionals are constantly learning more about their study and passion and want to learn.

I also plan on becoming a certified photographer by the Professional Photographic Certification Commission. If you would like more information on this please visit www.certifiedphotographer.com. Certification sets you a part from others and shows that you have the technical and design skills to produce quality images.

Being a resident in the state of NC, I plan on becoming a member of PPNC(Professional Photographers of NC). This does a few things for photographers. It helps you network with other photographers and will hopefully get you involved in print competitions, which is another thing that is important to set you a part. Become an "award winning" photographer! Can you imagine what that will do for your advertising to be able to add "Award winning photographer" to your business cards and newsletters? It proves that you're competent as a photographer and it assures the client that you're capable of giving them the best quality photographs.

Finally, you need to learn how to effectively market! All of the things mentioned above are great things to add to your resume but now that you have the education and experience you need to get the word out! What good is it to have all these great qualities and not have the customers? I got involved with www.nobsphotosuccess.com and they have helped me out tremendously in understanding marketing and show you all the steps to get your name out there. I joined this site, but they still have a free newsletter that you can receive to see if you like their strategies. It will take some work, but their marketing helps you give that personal touch that is absent from so many marketing skills now. Making the client feel like you know them on a personal level and knowing they're not just a number will keep them coming back and using your services over and over again. I will go into some of these things in more detail in future blogs, but for now check out the sites I mentioned and keep these things in mind. You may not have the time to go back to school for a degree, but you can still become certified and compete in print competitions so make it happen!