We know how tempting it can be to curate a diverse collection of photos, ranging from natural landscapes to contemporary portraits and maybe even ones sharing a funny gimmick when building an online portfolio. But, while that may sound good on paper and shows off your flexibility in photo opportunities, it’s not doing you any favors for growing your business and transforming your current side gig into a stable replacement for your current full-time job.
You see, even if you’re covering more ground with a multiform approach, simply getting your foot in the door is but the first step, and making multiple first steps in all sorts of categories isn’t much progress at all. So, instead of trying your best to please everybody and everyone you could reach, we recommend focusing on a niche that you can slowly expand tailor-design over time.
You Attract More People, but Only a Select Few Become Clients
Now, we won’t deny that multiform online portfolios, especially the more famous ones you find on Instagram, are some of the most popular accounts out there, boasting hundreds of thousands of followers on the low-end and nearing the millions for celebrity personalities. However, despite being good for attracting more people to your account, the real issue is that barely any of these followers ever become clients, which is extremely disheartening for anyone new to the photography industry.
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Niche Photography Accounts Display Consistency
One of the most significant advantages a niche photography style has over a more diversified approach is its ability to display consistency in looks and genres. As a result, your followers will get to view more than one photo or album that might interest them, helping with the decision process of availing your services or reaching out to you to learn a bit more about how you work with clients. And recurring themes such as vinyl patterns, futuristic set pieces, or even baby showers serve as a strong foundation for loyal customers.
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Streamlines Marketing Plan and Branding Message
Although photography side gigs can start out as a hobby first and work second, once you start building your brand and receive referrals from previous clients, marketing becomes your next immediate target. And while a multitude of different photos that feature varying aesthetics gives you a substantial pool of assets to work with, streamlining a plan and brand message becomes difficult. In contrast, a niche approach doesn’t experience any of these setbacks and shortfalls because all your featured photos, albums, and stories follow a shared appeal and meaning behind them.
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Helps With Scalability and Future Innovation
Lastly, in terms of long-term scalability and incorporating future innovation, multiform portfolios and photography accounts will struggle to decide which way to move forward because they’ll have to cut off underperforming packages. But when you’re working on a singular niche, scaling operations and automating the process for your photography business becomes seamless. And while others would say demand will inevitably waver from time to time, extending your reach to new platforms is also an option, especially with all the buzz around investing in the metaverse.
Maximize Your Social Media Presence ASAP
Likewise, given that multiform portfolios will always manage to come out ahead in mere clicks and views, that doesn’t mean niche photography accounts can’t leverage their social media presence to maximize the number of people viewing and scrolling through their content. And while it may not rack up the same trends and results as its counterpart, the likelihood of conversions and sustainability of customer reach is more than enough to keep afloat and grow.
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Connect With Your Community Through Trends
Firstly, one of the best ways to keep the spotlight on you and customer satisfaction high is by connecting with your community through trends and maintaining engagement. What people want and the current demand for style can change with the wind, and any smart photographer will know how to adapt and match their niche with their surroundings. Just remember to keep things authentic, and you’re ready to go.
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Share Customer Testimonials and Feedback
Secondly, nothing beats transparency and putting actual evidence to back up your skills and branding message. And while the albums and long list of photos should be more than enough to attest to your talents, seeing other previous clients’ comments and feedback can help put the nail in the coffin and finally turn those so-so leads into paying customers. Plus, it’s becoming increasingly easy to narrow down your target audience with TikTok advertising.
Plan Ahead and Reap the Benefits
A lot of effort, love, and time goes into every photo taken, edited, and uploaded for the world to see. But if you want your online portfolio to be something more and represent your artistic talents better, planning ahead is necessary to reap the benefits. So, take the advice mentioned above with a grain of salt and discern which suggestion works best for your current niche now.
