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Marketing can be expensive, time consuming and sometimes not very effective. If you own your own portrait photography business there are many ways you can reach potential customers with simple advertising techniques.

The easiest and most reliable form of marketing for your photography business is by satisfied customers spreading the word. Word of mouth advertising is achieved by giving your customers the best possible service. Referrals may start slowly but they will build as you continue to offer a great product.

Before you can start to depend on word of mouth advertising you will need to build a client base. You will need to decide who your target client is and where they can be reached. If you primarily photograph children and families you will want to market to parents. If you wish to photograph weddings you need to reach couples and brides to be. Think about what forms of media are reaching your clients and where they "hang out". One of the biggest marketing mistakes is to spend advertising dollars in the wrong places. Try and place ads where they will be the most effective.

Don't underestimate the importance of networking and creating partnerships with other businesses. Many family photographers have become very successful by having a family portrait displayed in a dentist or pediatrician's office. If you are a wedding photographer you should get to know the vendors and staff at the venues of each wedding you shoot. Be polite and offer them pictures of their products or services to use in their own promotional advertising. Forming a good relationship with other businesses will generate leads and help you become well known in the community you work in.

A website is a valuable tool for every type of photographer. It can serve as a portfolio and give clients information and help them contact you. Your website does not need to be fancy. A clean and well organized site is the best and will appear professional. If you are not proficient at website design you will need to hire someone. Consider trading photographic services for a freelance web designer. Many of these are looking for stock photography they can use for other websites. You may also have luck hiring a high school student to design and maintain your site for a minimal fee. Many of these young web-designers-to-be are very talented and will appreciate the practice of working with a real client.

As you can see you don't need to pay big bucks for fancy advertising, branding and all those other things expensive marketing companies make you believe you need. With a little creativity and some leg work you can effectively market your business and maintain its profitability.

Learn more about this author, GinnyPenny.
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