A Photographer’s Guide to Networking with Vendors

Five years ago, when I started my photography business, I turned to social media as a free way to market myself.

Now that I have relocated my business to a new state, I am revisiting some of those old practices.  Starting over is not fun because I feel like I have been there and done that, but I’ve found that being a good resource is the way to go.

One way I make myself a resource is by providing photographs to other vendors, such as wedding venues, florists, wedding planners, and makeup artists.  Many wedding professionals complain that photographers never get them their photos, or that they take too long to do so.  Animoto has allowed me to stand out from the crowd.  Imagine giving them not only their photos, but also a fusion slideshow to showcase their own work.

As I have said in the past, when you promote others, they can’t ignore you.  So instead of emailing a vendor to go out for coffee, promote them online. Here are a few tips to get your work in front of wedding vendors, and how to make that work shine.

1. Offer to photograph special industry events.

If you are new or have just moved, call the venue location and ask if you can stop by to take some photos so you can feature them on your blog. People love to be pampered with free marketing, so the
likelihood they will say no is minimal.

2. Take some photos (and video clips!)

In addition to photos, be sure to turn on your camera’s video setting and capture around 5-7 seconds of video, or up to 10 seconds since Animoto allows for 10-second video clips. It is super easy to turn your video setting on and capture a few seconds of video, and you don’t need to be a video expert or have access to video editing software, since Animoto does the work for you. People love the surprise factor of video even if it is shaky, because it makes the end more nostalgic.  So go ahead and do it!

3. Create a fusion slideshow.

Pick 20-40 photos, if you are doing a venue or person feature, or 50-70 photos if you are doing a wedding. Don’t forget to add the brief video clips! Then let Animoto do it’s magic.

4. Upgrade & Embed

Upgrade your video to the highest quality and embed it into your blog post alongside a few of your favorite photos, and some text about the venue or vendor.

5. Broadcast on Social Media

Tweet the blog post and tag the venue or featured artist on Twitter, and be sure to tag them on Facebook as well. Most likely they will retweet your post, which will in turn market your business to potential clients.

You will find that venues are especially intrigued by fusion slideshows. They may even ask if they can place it on their website, so don’t forget to have your web address at the end of your fusion slideshow. Additionally, ask the venues to link their websites back to yours, if possible.

Ultimately, Animoto Pro pays for itself with the exposure it gives me to fellow wedding industry professionals.