Content marketing is a marketing approach that focuses on adding value for potential clients. “Adding value” can look different depending on your industry. For photographers and other creative entrepreneurs, content marketing includes providing information that helps potential clients and builds a relationship with them. The truth is that many people need time to become aware of a brand and build familiarity before they’re willing to reach out and make an inquiry or purchase something. Blogging is one of the best ways to create content that connects with an organic audience and builds their trust. 

Types of Content Marketing 

The many types of content marketing include:

• Infographics: It may take some imagination to see how creative entrepreneurs could implement this, but it’s possible! Think how you can make any sort of data visual for website visitors. (Google also loves quantifiable metrics, so it could help SEO too!)
• Podcasts: If you’re a faithful podcast listener, you know how effectively they can move listeners to make purchases. We can’t get enough of Maintenance Phase. You can bet we grabbed a copy of Aubrey Gordon’s book.
• Social media: This is more of an umbrella category because social media allows you to share videos, infographics, helpful tips, and more.
• Ebooks and freebies: Yes, those sales funnels count as content marketing! You are, after all, building a relationship with future customers through the content you’re providing.
• Blog posts and web pages: Good blog posts are Google gold. Nothing will get you found faster than an established library of blog posts optimized for strategic keywords.

Effective Content Marketing with Blogging

With so many options for content marketing, it’s helpful to start with a few things to see what works for you. In our experience, consistent blogging can be really impactful for photographers and creative entrepreneurs. It allows you to target easy-to-rank-for keywords that your ideal clients will be searching. You’d be surprised how many people find their wedding photographers through blog posts about venues as opposed to straight up Googling “city + photographer.” A blog gives people space to get to know your brand and your work. They can get a sense of your client experience before they ever find your services page. 

Consider what your ideal clients need when they’re hiring you. Blog something that will be meaningful and helpful to them at this point in their process. For example, if your potential clients are planning a wedding, they might want inspiration for florals or tips on organizing wedding parties. Skip the clickbait and focus on what really matters for them.

Blogging roundups, tips, and advice establishes a relationship with visitors who find your website organically, and it helps build your SEO. As you provide more informational posts, Google will view you as increasingly authoritative in your field. This means that your blog posts and overall website should rank better in Google’s search results.

Using Your Blog to Connect with Ideal Clients 

Any number of types of blog posts can add value for your potential clients. For photographers, sessions and articles are especially helpful. You can either blog a single wedding, for example, or provide advice on something related to wedding planning. Make sure that whatever you choose will resonate with your dream clients. If you want to photograph adventure elopements, you’re probably not going to attract that crowd with an article about floral installations.

In addition to asking what your dream clients want to know, ask what will keep them clicking through your site. User engagement accounts for a notable percentage of Google’s algorithm as well. An engaging website will help SEO. It will also show potential clients how much you can offer in terms of expertise. If they feel taken care of just by looking through your blog and website, they’ll feel even more confident about reaching out to you about your services.

Although you should assume that any visitor to your blog is unfamiliar with your blog, remember that content marketing is a long-term approach to building trust and loyalty. There’s no reason that, if you go to the trouble of creating a robust and helpful blog, you can’t make it part of the client experience. Even if you sell one-off services, such as photography sessions, people can become repeat customers if they continue to see value in what you offer. 

Are you looking for help creating effective content marketing on your blog? Brandcendent specializes in SEO-driven blogging that connects entrepreneurs with their dream clients. Reach out for more information about our blogging services!