to blog or not to blog

[sevillafox]

Hello everyone,

I see that a lot of photographers/studios have a blog. What is the advantage to having a blog? Does it help your business? I guess I'm just asking for a little understanding of why people use blogs.

Thank you!

[liza]

The main reason I use one is to show up to date work. It's easier to make a blog post showcasing your current work than it is to update your website. Blogs are also chattier and give your customers a little insight into your personality and what's going on with your studio.

[jra]

I started a blog a couple of months ago on my site and I've found that it has driven up my site traffic. I put it off for a long time thinking that no one would really read it or care but I've actually gotten a large response from it....much more than I expected. The upside is that people like it, read it and enjoy looking through my recent pics....the down side is that I'm now obligated to keep it updated It seems that if I let it go much past a week people start asking questions.

[Armin]

My blog has worked well for me, and other photogs I know, generating buzz. There have been a few instances where people would recognize me or my clients out in public... seriously! One of my current clients actually recognized one of my past clients when she saw her at the mall. She actually approached her and asked about me and what I'm like to work with. Of course the feedback was positive and I eventually booked her wedding. I like to share personal and professional work on my blog because it gives my clients and potential clients insight into who I am, which seems to help sell "me". It has driven more traffic to my website as well. I also link to other vendors and other blogs which really helps to get my name out there. My business is strictly referral/word-of-mouth from happy brides which all leads others to my blog. A few found me & my blog on MySpace or Facebook. All of the 12 weddings I booked for 2008 were driven by me blogging. After going over my blog posts, they said they've made up their mind for the most part and just want to meet me in person. They each enjoyed seeing my updates and learning more about my personal life, of course they loved my work too! I already have 5 more potential clients to meet within the next 2 weeks, plus 6 more inquiries for this year and 2 for 2009 - all have mentioned my blog. My goal is to book 20-25 weddings per year. Blogging isn't an exact science, but the benefits are clear enough for my business. It's hard to find a bad reason for blogging.

Hope that helps!

[sfaust]

I blog as a creative outlet for showing my work, giving back a little, behind the scenes stuff, etc, and sprinkle it with info that clients and other photographers might find interesting. I don't have any schedule on when I update it, but let that be dictated by when things of interest happen.

I took an older blog that I had not updated in about a year, revamped it, moved it to a new hosting platform, and started to announce that it was available. Its doubled each month for the last 4 months. I can't say if its helped business at all, but I do receive references to it, some from clients. I do see incoming traffic from my blog to my commercial website, and the reverse, as well as traffic from forums to the blog, all good things to see. But for the most part, I can't say its helped me win any business with any certainty. It's not a primary marketing vehicle for me, and I rely on other internet marketing, traditional printed materials, networking, and word of mouth.

[notapro]

I wasn't sure whether my blog was working for me until people started saying I saw so-and-so's pictures on your website (my blog being the only place they were) and I realized that people really are clicking over there to check out the latest work. I think blogs are still something of a novelty and are of interest to potential clients.