Marketing Foundations

Marketing isn't about being everywhere—it's about being strategically present where your ideal clients are looking. Most wedding photographers waste money and energy on tactics that don't match their goals.

Know Your Ideal Client

Before any marketing, define who you want to attract:

• Demographics: Age, location, profession, income level
• Values: What do they prioritize? (Quality? Value? Uniqueness?)
• Wedding style: Intimate elopement? Grand celebration? Destination adventure?
• Decision factors: What matters most when choosing a photographer?
• Where they hang out: Instagram? Pinterest? Wedding blogs? Planner referrals?

Your marketing should speak directly to these people. Trying to appeal to everyone means appealing to no one.

The Marketing Funnel

Understand how clients find and choose you:

1. Awareness: They discover you exist (social media, search, referral)
2. Interest: They explore your work (website, portfolio, reviews)
3. Consideration: They compare you to alternatives (pricing, style, reviews)
4. Decision: They choose to inquire and eventually book

Different marketing tactics work at different stages. Instagram creates awareness; your website converts interest into inquiries.

Your Website

Your website is your most important marketing asset. It's where every other marketing channel leads. Get this right first.

Essential Website Elements

• Stunning portfolio: Your best work, curated ruthlessly
• Clear services: What you offer, who it's for
• About page: Your story, personality, why you do this
• Social proof: Reviews, testimonials, featured work
• Contact/inquiry form: Easy to find and use
• Investment information: At least starting prices or "collections from $X"

Website Best Practices

Speed matters: Slow sites lose visitors. Optimize images, use good hosting.

Mobile-first: Most traffic is mobile. Your site must work beautifully on phones.

Clear navigation: Don't make visitors hunt. Portfolio, About, Contact should be obvious.

Call to action: Every page should lead somewhere. Guide visitors toward inquiry.

Website Platforms

• Showit: Most popular among wedding photographers. Flexible, beautiful templates.
• Squarespace: Clean, professional, user-friendly. Good for minimalist aesthetic.
• WordPress: Most powerful, steeper learning curve. Best for SEO.
• Flothemes: WordPress themes designed for photographers.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

When couples Google "Hawaii wedding photographer," you want to appear. SEO is the long game that pays dividends for years.

Local SEO Essentials

Google Business Profile:

• Claim and optimize your Google Business listing
• Choose correct categories (Photographer, Wedding Photographer)
• Add photos regularly
• Collect Google reviews (most important factor)
• Keep information accurate and updated

Location-based keywords:

• Include location in page titles and headers
• "Oahu Wedding Photographer" not just "Wedding Photographer"
• Create content for specific venues and locations
• Blog posts targeting "Wedding at [Venue Name]"

On-Page SEO

• Title tags: Unique, descriptive titles for each page
• Meta descriptions: Compelling summaries that encourage clicks
• Header hierarchy: H1 for main title, H2 for sections, etc.
• Image alt text: Describe images for search engines
• Internal linking: Connect related content within your site

Content Marketing (Blogging)

Regular blog posts build SEO authority and attract organic traffic:

Blog post ideas:

• Full wedding features with venue name in title
• "Best wedding venues in [Location]" guides
• Planning advice (timeline tips, vendor recommendations)
• Behind-the-scenes of your process
• Engagement session features

Social Media Marketing

Instagram Strategy

Instagram remains the dominant platform for wedding photographers. Use it strategically:

Content pillars:

• Portfolio work (your best images)
• Behind the scenes (humanizes your brand)
• Client features (with testimonials)
• Personal content (connection, not just work)
• Educational content (tips, advice)

Instagram best practices:

• Post consistently (quality over quantity—3-4x/week is fine)
• Use Reels for reach, Feed for portfolio, Stories for connection
• Engage with followers—respond to comments and DMs
• Tag vendors and venues for exposure
• Use relevant hashtags (mix of broad and niche)

Pinterest for Wedding Photographers

Pinterest drives significant wedding traffic—couples actively plan there:

• Create boards for different wedding styles, venues, locations
• Pin your blog posts with optimized descriptions
• Use keywords in pin descriptions
• Link pins to your website (not just your homepage)
• Post consistently with scheduling tools

TikTok for Wedding Pros

Growing platform with massive reach potential:

• Behind-the-scenes content performs well
• Quick tips and education
• Trending sounds with wedding content
• Raw, authentic content over polished production
• Links drive traffic once you have 1,000 followers

What to Skip

Not every platform deserves your energy:

• Twitter/X: Not where couples search for wedding vendors
• LinkedIn: Wrong audience for B2C wedding services
• Facebook personal: Declining reach; focus energy elsewhere

Vendor Relationships

Referrals from planners, venues, and other vendors are often your highest-converting leads. These couples come pre-qualified and trusting.

Building Vendor Relationships

With wedding planners:

• Introduce yourself professionally (email with portfolio link)
• Offer to meet for coffee (your treat)
• Be excellent at weddings you share—that's your audition
• Send images quickly for their use
• Always tag and credit them on social

With venues:

• Offer to shoot venue content for their marketing
• Ask to be added to preferred vendor lists
• Treat venue staff with respect (they remember)
• Share content featuring their space

With other photographers:

• Build relationships with photographers in your market
• Refer overflow or weddings that aren't your style
• Assist or second shoot to learn and network
• Collaborate on styled shoots

Styled Shoots

Collaborative styled shoots benefit everyone:

• Build portfolio with specific aesthetic
• Network with vendors
• Create content for publication submissions
• Cost-share expenses across participating vendors

Wedding Directories and Platforms

Worth Considering

The Knot / WeddingWire:

• Large audience of actively planning couples
• Reviews build social proof
• Can be expensive with limited ROI at higher tiers
• Worth testing with free listing first

Junebug Weddings:

• Attracts more creative, editorial clients
• Publication and directory combined
• Higher-end clientele generally

Two Bright Lights:

• Submit work to multiple publications at once
• Build publication portfolio
• SEO benefits from features

Zola:

• Growing wedding platform
• Vendor marketplace included
• Younger demographic

Directory ROI Tracking

Track where inquiries come from to know what's working:

• Ask in inquiry form: "How did you hear about me?"
• Use unique tracking links where possible
• Review quarterly: cost per inquiry, cost per booking
• Cut what doesn't convert after fair testing

Paid Advertising

Google Ads

Target couples actively searching for wedding photographers:

• Bid on location-specific keywords
• Use negative keywords to exclude irrelevant searches
• Create dedicated landing pages for each campaign
• Start small, test, then scale what works

Typical budget: $500-2,000/month for meaningful data

Typical cost per inquiry: $50-200 depending on market

Instagram/Facebook Ads

Reach couples before they start actively searching:

• Target recently engaged, interested in weddings, in your location
• Use your best images/video as creative
• Retarget website visitors
• Test different audiences and creative

Typical budget: $300-1,000/month for testing

When to Advertise

Paid ads make sense when:

• Your website converts well (fix that first)
• You have clear ideal client profile
• You have budget to test for 3-6 months
• You can track ROI accurately

Don't advertise if organic channels aren't maximized first—that's usually cheaper and more sustainable.

Content Strategy

Content That Converts

Not all content is equal. Focus on what drives inquiries:

High-converting content:

• Full wedding features (shows what you deliver)
• Client testimonials with images
• Venue-specific content (couples search for this)
• Behind-the-scenes of actual weddings

Lower-converting but builds brand:

• Personal content (important but doesn't directly sell)
• Generic tips and advice
• Lifestyle content

Content Calendar

Plan content in advance to stay consistent:

• Blog: 2-4 posts per month
• Instagram: 3-5 feed posts per week, daily stories
• Pinterest: 10-20 pins per week (can be automated)
• Email newsletter: Monthly or quarterly to past clients

Repurposing Content

One wedding becomes multiple pieces of content:

1. Full blog post with SEO
2. 10+ Instagram posts (spread over weeks)
3. 20+ Pinterest pins
4. Multiple Reels/TikToks
5. Story highlights
6. Email newsletter feature

Tracking What Works

Key Marketing Metrics

Tools for Tracking

• Google Analytics: Website traffic and behavior
• CRM tracking: Inquiry source in HoneyBook/Dubsado
• Spreadsheet: Simple tracking of inquiries to bookings
• UTM parameters: Track which specific links drive traffic

Key Takeaways