I’m a new photographer and want to get my work out there! How should I do it? Do I really need a website, blog and a Facebook page? Will just one work? Which one?
I’ve been getting this question a lot lately. And it’s a GREAT question. I once asked this myself. It’s a common question, especially as we’re just starting out and have limited funds. It’s maybe not that we don’t want everything, we just can’t afford it at the time. And that’s ok. We all start somewhere.
Facebook.
Get yourself a Facebook page. Social media is the easiest way to get your work out and have it spread quickly. It’s as easy as posting up a photo, then tagging your client in it. It’s then shared on their own profle for all of their friends and family to see. This can bring them back to you. It’s an easy way to share. And to have conversation. People can comment and you can comment directly back to them, or others can comment to them. Making it a great place for conversation, which is usually about you or your work. If you have people talking, that’s usually a good sign. 😉
There are some downfalls.  It’s not the best first impression for a client. It’s not organized in a way that they can quickly view your portfolio, get information on booking you or contacting you. It’s disorganized when a client is looking for specifics about you. Facebook is best for sharing images, quick statements. Not so much telling a story with words. People are moving through it quickly and long posts don’t grab  peoples attention. And you have no control over it. Facebook changes and updates a lot. At times feels like constantly. Making it something you can’t always rely on to work a certain way.
A Blog.
This is where you get to tell your story.  If you have limited funds grab yourself a Facebook Page and set up a blog.  And when I say set up a blog… that’s much easier said than done. I’d recommend a wordpress blog. I started my own with hosting through GoDaddy and honestly I don’t  even know how I got the blog up. As I look back everything about it was and is confusing… to me.  But there are some great resources out there now. I’d recommend checking out ProPhoto and Squarespace for a blog. This is how I started, with a blog and Facebook page.  It was much more affordable than paying for a website each month. A blog allows you to tell a story with words. Share images. And have more control over how it’s organized. You can have a page specifically with info about booking a session with you. And an actual contact page.
A blog still doesn’t give that professional looking first impression. People still have to scroll through posts, or look through categories. But it definitely offers more organization than just a Facebook page. And allows room to share more about you, clients, business, your dog, whatever.
A Website.
A website is the best way to professionally present your business. You can control what people see, and how they view it. Give them exactly what they need to see. Info. You. A collection of images that represents your body of work. Contact information. Directly guide them to your blog, if you have one, for more images and stories. Or to your Facebook to connect. There are SOOOOO many options out there for websites. I struggled when I first started as everything was a template and nothing that I really really liked. I waited until I could afford a Showit site. I wanted the freedom it offered to customize to what I wanted in an easy drop and drag sort of way. I still use Showit to this day and beyond just using (and loving) their software I’m involved in the community that they’ve built. Community is so important, but we’ll talk about that another day 😉
A website will simply present the best you. It’s not going to be used for conversation and it’s not so much used to tell stories and share lots of images. Just what people need.
To sum it up.
If you can manage to have all 3 of these, that’s amazing. You’re covering every avenue and that’s great. If you have have no funds to invest into a blog or website definitely get yourself a Facebook Fanpage. I started with a blog and Facebook as I couldn’t afford the website I wanted right off the bat. *it only took  me 4 months to make a Showit site work 😉 So if you absolutely can’t afford a website go for a blog. However if you can afford one or the other I’d recommend going with a website over a blog. My opinion is that having that professional face, giving people the exact information they need, and then facebook where they can connect with you and others is better than just a blog and Facebook page. Probably why I worked to get a website real fast 😉 Clients go out looking and you have to quickly grab their attention or they move on. It’s easier to do that with a website.
This of course is my personal opinion. We all start somewhere. Do what you can and keep working towards more. You’ll get there! I believe in you!
Also.. winter is coming 😀
