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In the Press

Baby & Child Photography: How social media can be a building block for successful marketing

TRAVERSE CITY, MI, May 26, 2010: Little Joey is turning one soon and Mom and Dad have decided to capture the moment with professional portraits. They talk to co-workers, inquire with friends on Facebook, and armed with recommendations, take to their computer to find their photographer.

The Internet plays an immense role in the consumer shopping experience. Moms, especially, spend a lot of time online researching, socializing and obtaining the advice and recommendations of other moms. One recent study, in fact, reveals that more than eight in 10 moms log on daily to their Facebook page. What are they doing? Interacting and sharing experiences with other moms as well as to talking about the products and services that play important roles in their lives.

For the professional photographer, this means a simple website is no longer enough to attract potential customers. Rather, a photographer’s online presence needs to be engaging. It needs to tell a story. Consumers’ expectations are high, and they want to see unique, clear portfolio images that illustrate a photographer’s style. But photographers that go beyond that in their online presence are the ones that really stand out – and today’s social media platforms are the perfect means by which to do this.

Given the online behavior of moms, this is especially true for photographers who specialize in capturing babies and children.

Bill Biandi of biandiarts.com, for example, is a full-service photographer who loves baby, child and family photography among other things. As the father of a young daughter, Biandi knows what parents want and works hard to capture the personalities of his young subjects.

In addition to an elaborate online portfolio, Biandi engages current and potential customers online via the social media website, Facebook – which in March 2010, surpassed Google in website traffic.

On his studio’s Facebook page, Biandi posts images from recent sessions to share with his fan-base of nearly 700, often telling the story behind a shoot or particular shot, giving his fans further insight into his creative vision. He also uses Facebook to announce upcoming specials or features, such as his “Family Day in the Forest,” to encourage parents to book sessions. By capitalizing on the social networking of Facebook, Biandi is marketing not just to his fans, but to friends, family and acquaintances of those fans.

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“Facebook has allowed us to display our images to a larger audience on a regular basis,” says Biandi. “It allows us to be more personal with our fans, giving them a chance to see who they are dealing with and if we fit within their comfort zone.” Biandi makes a point to post new images to his page once or twice a week – enough to keep things fresh, but not too much as to tire out his fans, he says.

But has it worked? Biandi thinks so. “We’ve had multiple families contact us about a future session, Biandi answers. “Beyond that, there is no better feeling than absolute strangers commenting on the street on how precious the images are.”

Photographer Steve Lucas of lucasphoto.com is another good example. Lucas is nationally recognized for innovation in photography and marketing. A 22-year master photographer, Lucas specializes in children, family and senior portraits.

Lucas’ online portfolios speak volumes of his style and personality. He updates the images twice a year to keep it fresh. But Lucas goes one step further through the creation and use of his blog, which he utilizes to share recent images as well as the stories and inspiration behind his award-winning work. He features “slide show videos” to keep clients updated with his latest endeavors and to reach out to potential clients.

Another online marketing note: Both photographers allow their clients to proof and order images from their photo sessions online.

“Our clients love the ability to review their images online,” says Lucas. “The online viewing allows them to share with friends and family, and we often will get an order from the grandparents in addition to the parents.”

Biandi and Lucas utilize MorePhotos to offer their customers the ability to proof session photos online. Clients can go in to their sites and, through a streamlined process, proof, crop and order directly from the photographer’s website. Family and friends can too. And when tied to social networking and blogging, as both these photographers have found, it is a way to generate more clients and orders." “Photographers need to be excited about the viral nature of social media,” says Suzan Moody, a 16-year Internet marketing veteran and operations officer at MorePhotos. “With just a little time investment, maybe 10 minutes a day, photographers can reach young families with this type of marketing in a big way.”

About MorePhotos: MorePhotos is an online business solution for professional photographers, providing them with all the tools to create and manage a professional website – including on-line proofing and sales, and website hosting – as well as email. A division of WDWeb, an Internet marketing and design firm based in Traverse City, Michigan, MorePhotos services over 31,000 photographers in 30 countries. WDWeb is the parent company to LabImages, an e-commerce solution for photography labs.

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