Your Aesthetic Instagram Doesn’t Pay Your Bills – Your Actual Clients Do

As a photographer, there’s no denying that you have a LOT of photos to work with. Compared to many business owners, you have pictures for dayssss, and that can come in handy when planning your social media content. 

While many business owners (myself included) have to create graphics on Canva, film reels and craft other types of content, you have the luxury of scrolling through your client galleries to create a picture perfect Instagram post and call it a day. 

(Of course, there’s more that goes into a social post, but you know what I mean!)

While having endless amounts of photos to display as a photographer can be a GREAT thing and can serve as a way for potential clients to see your work in action, I want you to remember this one thing: just like your portfolio on your website isn’t enough, your aesthetically pleasing Instagram grid doesn’t pay your bills. 

YOUR ACTUAL CLIENTS DO. 

I know you might read that and think, “well duh, Sara!”

And I don’t say that because I think that you actually think your Instagram grid pays your bills – I say that because too often, I see photographers treating it like it does, and I don’t want YOU to fall into the same trap.

Trust me, I get it – I also love having an aesthetic feed.

As a business owner, you naturally want your stuff to look good, and having pretty photos on display seems like the best way to capture your ideal clients and get them to book. 

But aesthetics aren’t everything, my friend. I know that might hurt your photographer heart, but I only say it because I love ya! 💛

While your pretty photos *might* grab their attention, they won’t necessarily be the thing that gets them to click “purchase.”

For potential clients to take REAL action (aka put REAL money into your bank account), they need an additional place to land so they can get to know you, get more information, and ultimately be guided into a buying decision that is best for them. 

And that, my friend, is where your website comes in!

As a photographer, believing that pictures of your work will do the selling for you is one of the most risky things you can believe.

So, if you want to make sure your business is set up for ultimate success, I encourage you to have BOTH – a beautiful Instagram grid AND a website that moves people past the pretty and into a real purchase.

5 Reasons You Need a Website as a Photographer 

• Build Your Brand

Having a website for your business is one of the best ways to establish and strengthen your brand identity, which are the visuals of your brand as a whole. 

Your brand identity includes your logo, color palette, and typography and is an extension of your brand strategy as a whole. 

Your brand strategy is essentially different components that dig into the heart behind your business and clearly convey what you do, why you do it, who you serve, and what makes you different.

Having an established brand like this is important so that people start to recognize you and get to know you, beyond just the 15 seconds of an Instagram story or a quick scroll through your feed.

By customizing your design, color scheme, and overall aesthetics, as a photographer, you can create a visually cohesive representation of your unique style and vision.

Not only will this build your brand, but it also enhances your professionalism and leaves a lasting impression on your audience!

• Easily Display Your Prices

Next, having a website allows you to easily display your prices!

Making your prices public is a common hesitation that I hear and see from people, so if you’re among the group that isn’t so sure about this, just hear me out…

Before people buy ANYTHING – whether it be a soda from the convenience store, a new shirt from a cute boutique down the street, a photography session like you offer, or a course that could help them scale their business – they typically ask the question, “well, how much is it?”

If you already know that potential clients are going to ask this question, why not get ahead of it and make this information readily available for them so you have the opportunity to build the value along with it?

Many people fear that if they list their prices publicly then someone won’t book with them if it’s out of budget. And, while it’s true that people do have budgets, many people are willing to adjust when they recognize the value that comes along with the price tag. 

When you display your prices up front on your website, you:

✔️ build a deeper level of trust and transparency with potential clients;

✔️ save time and effort on your end by pre-qualifying leads;

✔️ manage customer expectations; and

✔️ set yourself apart in the industry, especially if your competitors don’t list their prices!

• Strategic Portfolio Display

Another reason that I’m a huge advocate for websites for service providers, especially for photographers, is because it gives you the opportunity to strategically display your portfolio.

Like I mentioned earlier, you have a TON of photos at your disposal, thanks to all of your sessions from previous clients. As a photographer, it’s normal to want to display your work so that future clients can know what to expect.

And while I’m all for your website including a portfolio, what I don’t want is for you to simply upload galleries to your site and call it quits.

It’s important that you display your work in an organized, appealing, and strategic way, so that people are actually inspired by the work you’ve done, instead of just viewing it as another pretty picture.

When you have a website, you are able to designate a page solely to your portfolio and use storytelling as a technique alongside the photos.

Overall, the portfolio page on your website is walking the walk, instead of just talking the talk, meaning you are showing people what you’re capable of (instead of simply telling them), all while you’re inspiring them every step of the way.

• SEO and Online Visibility

If you’re unfamiliar, SEO stands for search engine optimization, and it plays a crucial role in increasing your online visibility. 

When you have a well-optimized website that’s full of rich content (like this blog, for example!), you can rank higher in search engine results, which means you can potentially attract more traffic to your website and boost your leads and sales.

Many people feel overwhelmed optimizing their website SEO and put all of their focus into social media instead, and while social media can be a great way to attract new people to your business, you want to make sure you have BOTH working for you!

As a photographer, your location and your niche are both crucial aspects of your brand, which is why it’s important for your website to clearly display who you serve and what areas you serve. I call this a Positioning Statement.

(P.S. Not naming your location or niche on your website as a photographer is one of the 5 website copy mistakes that I see people making!)

This information alone can act as powerful SEO keywords and ensure that you populate in searches that match those tags. 

I’m not an SEO wizard, but I do know the importance of it, which is why I learn everything I need to know about SEO from Duo Collective, so I can make sure I’m incorporating this in my own business as well! 

• Direct Communication and Client Booking

Lastly, having a website allows you to have direct communication with potential clients and have instant booking options easily available for your clients.

We all know what it’s like to try to keep up with Instagram DMs or email threads, where you send booking links back and forth in conversation. 

Things get messy and lost, and it becomes a complicated scenario that isn’t fun for you or your potential client. 

By designing your website to be the home base for communication and bookings, you eliminate confusion and create a seamless and easy experience for your clients – which ultimately makes them love you even more!

Fun fact: many CRMs (client relationship managers) like HoneyBook or Dubsado offer contact forms, scheduler links, and more that allow you to streamline your process even more.

Need Help With Words for Your Website?

In today’s business world, a website is truly a non-negotiable in my book, and as a photographer, it needs to function as MORE than just your online portfolio.

It’s where your potential clients can go to learn more about you, what you do, who you serve, and how you can help them specifically. 

It’s where you can foster real connection that leads to real sales, but that doesn’t just happen from creating a mediocre site with generic copy and just clicking “publish” and forgetting about it.

It happens from being intentional with the words that you use and the stories that you tell, and that’s exactly what I help people do!

If you’re ready to create word-magic that moves people into action, but you need a little extra help doing it, I’m your girl. 🤝

With my done-for-you and done-with-you service options, you can have personality-packed copy that sets you apart from others in your industry and allows you to show up authentically online while attracting ideal clients along the way!

Click here to connect, and let’s work together to create your very own word-magic in your business. ✨