Let me tell you a story.
In the past month, I signed on two new clients. It's too early to tell yet if they'll be lifelong clients or not, but they both came directly to me via Instagram. No outreach needed. Well, sorta.
One client sent an inquiry through my contact form and an email, both asking me to reply with some rate information. I saw that she had been following me on IG and, after a quick search in my inbox, I saw that I had reached out to her with an introduction email TWO YEARS ago. Yep, two years! I had never gotten a reply to that email, but she seems to have started following me after that.
I set up an intro call with her to learn about her business and needs, and to tell her a bit about my process. In that call I learned that she's worked with several other photographers in the past few years, but none of them produced the quality she was looking for (I know of the photographers that she worked with and they're all either mainly wedding photographers or very new to the interiors field). Before our call ended, she was enthusiastically on board and we had scheduled a shoot.
The other new client also reached out to me through IG! I recognized her name because I have been following her for some time, but hadn't noticed that she was also following me. I again asked for a quick phone call, where she then told me that she's been following me for SEVERAL YEARS! I had no idea! Again, by the end of the call we were setting plans for the first shoot together.
I tell you these stories because in both cases they felt like a big win for the long-game marketing approach. You know, the approach of building genuine connections with a focus on REAL relationship-building. More relationship-based, less transactional. The downside to this approach is that it's not fast. The upside to this approach is that it builds stronger bonds that have a better chance of lasting for years to come (and that means your business will have ongoing, loyal clients!).
So yes, send those emails to introduce yourself.
Comment on that IG photo by a local designer.
Reply to that designer's IG story about her dog or the great local restaurant.
Post regularly to your account and share a bit about your life in the stories.
Because I promise you – clients are watching!
As always, be kind,
xo
