How do you create a blog that wins you plenty of business?

How do you create a blog that wins you plenty of business?
By Fiona Humberstone

I probably won't be telling you anything earth shattering when I share the idea that blogging can be great for photographers. Most savvy photographers know that a blog alongside their website is a good thing. But does your blog win you enough business? Or is it more a a time-drain with very little return? Read on for my top tips on how you can turn your blog into a client magnet.

1. Post regularly.

The best blogs have fresh content - that means posting ideally 2-3 times a week, but once is great if that's all you can manage.

2. Post little and often:

Your posts don't all need to be 24 picture epics - try just taking your top 12 images and maybe splitting into multiple posts. One of my favourite tricks I like to borrow from party plan bloggers is to blog one post with the people and events and another of all the delicious details. Guess which post is more popular!

3. Post about things you want to be known for:

We all take work that's not core to what we're doing - it doesn't mean that you need to put every single piece of work you do on your blog mind! Think about your brand: how do you want people to perceive you? Which leads me neatly on to...

4. Put your editorial spin on your posts.

Your job as a photographer is generally to make things and people look as beautiful and enticing as possible. Your blog is there not as a showcase to your current clients but as an insight into what you can do for others - so you don't need to clog it up with anything that isn't beautiful or enticing (or edgy, or cool, or whatever your brand is about...). There's no need to showcase 20 line-up pictures on your blog - it's boring to your repeat visitors and your client can see them all in the viewing.

5. Brand your blog as you would your website.

We create a lot of blogs for photographers and I love the creativity that we're able to pour into them to help the photographs stand out to the max. Each one is different because each photographer is different. Resist the temptation to simply download a standard template and invest in your blog like your website. Love her or loathe her (I'm in the former camp!) Jasmine Star's blog is a great example of what's possible with a bit of vision

6. Introduce regular features to keep readers interested:

On my blog we have In the studio this week... posts featuring work that we're particularly proud of (I only tend to showcase 20-30% of what we've been up to simply because I want to blog about other things too!). Spend some time brainstorming ideas for  categories and titles when you're feeling particularly creative (after a walk is good) and then you'll never be stuck for what to post about

7. Showcase the sort of work you'd like to be doing.

Try taking one photo a day/ one a week depending on your time that showcases the sort of work you want to get into. You might do a bride of the week or a simple pleasure of the day... It's a great opportunity to showcase your own personal style without the interruption of a client brief!

8. Encourage your clients and your readers to comment by introducing articles that provoke some debate!

And don't forget to tell your clients that you'll be blogging about them and that you'd love a comment - what could be better than a live testimonial?

9. Make sure you invite people to visit your website and also have something on there that advertises your sessions with a direct link back to your site to sell them the benefits of a shoot with you.

So those are a few quick and dirty tips specifically to photographers but I'd love to hear your thoughts. What else do you do with your blog to make sure you win plenty of business? Have you tried anything that really didn't work? I'll be running a workshop on how to create a blog that'll win you more business in February and it would be great to see you there - full details on our website.
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Fiona Humberstone | Managing Director
Flourish Design & Marketing and Guildford printing.com | 5 Millmead | Guildford | GU2 4BE
t: 01483 401 818 http://www.flourishstudios.co.uk/
http://www.flourishstudios.co.uk/blog  
http://twitter.com/fionahumberston

Fiona Humberstone runs design and marketing agency, Flourish, based in Guildford. Flourish specialise in creating engaging brand identities, gorgeous websites and compelling marketing collateral that helps their clients win more business.