Video Marketing for Photographers
Marketing a photography business can be a challenge. In the
digital age it is difficult to stand out because everyone is a photographer.
The best way to gain valuable clients is to express the importance of your
skills. The one marketing tool that will transform your success is video.
Forbes calls 2015 “the year of video marketing”. Online
videos have played a crucial role in business marketing across the globe. These are a few statistics about online video
provided by Hubspot :
52% Professionals say best ROI
- 93% of Marketing professionals use video
- #3 most effective social media marketing
- 70% of Marketers report video converts best
- Having a video on landing page increases
conversions by 80%
55% of people watch videos everyday
Target Audience
Where do you start with a video marketing plan? The first
step understands your target audience. Know exactly whom you are trying to
reach. You should be able to describe your target audience’s specific
demographics. Age and gender is important to creating a successful video
marketing plan. If you have a younger audience their attention span may be
shorter. Understanding your audience entirely is the single most important step
in a marketing plan. Spend the most amounts of time getting to know who your target
market is, what they like to do, how they shop, age, race, location, income,
religion, and ethics.
Objectives
Remember that each video needs to serve a purpose. Make a
list of objectives that you are achieving through the video. Are you trying to
explain your style, the photographic process, or establishing a brand
image? The video needs to be about the
audience but also achieve a goal.
For your photography business you should be posting videos
of your process to help make potential clients feel more familiar. Post videos
of you photographing and talking to clients to get a good feel for how the
sessions will go. If you are passionate
about a cause, make a video about it. Your work outside of work speaks loudly
about your brand. Make a video of
testimonials from past clients. Clients will most likely be honored to share
their opinions and the videos are more likely to be shared. The more people you
have in a video, the more views and share you can expect. To stay relevant, add
some tutorials on how to take the best action shots with your phone. Make sure
the videos are always providing information that is valuable to the viewer.
“Be brief, be bright, be gone” Content
We see advertising so frequently that we are numb to it. Videos
should be interesting enough to get the attention of the audience and keep
their attention for 60 seconds. Creating an emotion is crucial to the message
success. When the viewer feels something they are moved to take action, share
the video, or book a session. Videos are successful because they appeal to the
senses. Take your time in creating the best audio and video to generate the
emotional response you wish to achieve. Connect with the audience, pull them in, make
them feel like they know you and trust you. Video allows you to build a
relationship with your audience.
The content needs to benefit the viewer in some way. If the
video is valuable to the viewer they are more likely to share it, which is
ideal. The two factors that make a video go viral are psychological response
(emotion) and social motivation (sharing).
As a photographer your target market is most likely a 30
year old working mother, middle income, busy, and values family. Relate to this
audience using emotion. Create a video of a busy mom’s life so they can relate
and feel normal. Then show this epic experience of being photographed by you.
Everyone is happy and smiling, it’s a wonderful family event. Include shots of
you photographing the family, make sure you are smiling and interacting in a
positive way. At the end of the video
the mom is hanging these beautiful prints of the lasting memories that she has
forever. The viewer is going to be so
excited about family pictures she books a session on the spot, then shares the
video with her friends. Those friends trust her judgment and watch the video
because she saw value in it. The busy mom has very little time so make this
video less than 60 seconds. Julia Kelleher, a newborn photographer, has a perfect example of an emotional video on her homepage. The video appeals to emotions and doesn't feel like an advertisement. http://www.jewel-images.com/
Technical
Keep in mind that most videos are viewed on a mobile device.
Make sure your video is easy to watch, loads quickly, and is easy to share.
Optimize your video’ search ability using search engine keywords. Create a
video site map, make a transcript, and generate a catchy title and
description. Think like your audience;
use words that they are more likely to use when searching.
YouTube is the second
most used search engine. You want your video to be found easily and linked to
other channels, platforms and accounts. Try to release your video on a
Wednesday to increase the viewings. Link the video to an many people as
possible to increase views. If you have a hair and makeup artist, videographer,
stylist, client, assistant, link them to your video.
Viewers are impatient. Streaming or downloading speed is
important. Use a Content Delivery Network, HTTP, or HLS for steaming. 90% of
people do not return to a site if they have a bad experience (For Video
Marketing, 2015). Keep the videos short, easy to watch, and easy to share.
Experiment
See what your viewers respond best to. If you have the equipment
to shoot video it isn’t costing you anything try new things. Get creative, be
artistic, and learn from others. Video
creates a sense of transparency within the business. Make yourself vulnerable
and relatable to connect with viewers. When experimenting, keep your brand
image consistent, the videos short, and always find a way to educate or inform
the audience.
Analyze
After your video is published for the world to enjoy,
analyze the metrics. You can use platforms to gain insights or social media
data. Find out what videos got the best response and why. Encourage feedback
from your audience. Do your homework, study videos that you enjoy and pick
apart why you enjoy them. Share the videos on multiple channels, platforms, and
social media sites. To increase the views on your channel interact with others,
comment, and like videos to get others to do the same for yours. Establish a timeline for publishing your
videos. Pace the videos in a way that isn’t overwhelming. The content should be
relevant at the time it is posted. Giving seniors tips on how to pose would be
a great video to post in May/June.
Video marketing is extremely affordable; take advantage of
all the free sites. The top four sites you must start with are YouTube,
Facebook, and Instagram. Start your video marketing plan today and watch your
business grow.
Bibliography
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