If you are an aspiring photographer trying to become a professional, there is no better time to get started than today. The market is more competitive than ever and there are thousands of new photographers offering their services each month, but the demand is high and you can separate yourself from the competition by showing passion and character.

Digital marketing will be a crucial tool to use as you venture into the world of professional photography. It is important to keep in mind that you need to use digital marketing the right way to set yourself apart. Here are five tips that will get you started with marketing your photography services online.

Create a Website

You can post samples of your work on Instagram, Flickr, 500px, and other platforms, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need a website. Your site will tie all social media and online marketing activities together. It gives potential clients somewhere to go to when they want to learn more about you.

It doesn’t have to be a particularly complicated site. However, you want the site to reflect your characters and creative style for it to be effective.

Share More

There is always the risk of your photos being used without permission when you share them online, especially on social media. You must not let that stop you from sharing more of your work.

The more – and the better – you can show what you can do, the more potential clients will look at your profile and be interested. You can even take it a step further and share some of your work under Creative Commons Licensing.

Stay Generic

The most difficult part of getting started with digital marketing is gaining traction. After the changes to Instagram’s algorithm and other platforms now taking a similar approach, attracting followers is harder than ever.

Don’t let the extra challenges fool you into inorganically boosting your presence. Buying followers and faking your online growth may seem like a good idea at first, but you will lose the opportunity to get genuine exposure as soon as you take that route.

Use Ads

Instead of buying followers and faking it, it is actually much better to invest in ads. Most social media platforms have their own advertising network through which you can reach real users that are interested in your work. This is a better way to gain traction early.

Don’t Forget Craigslist

While you work on your online presence, you can start attracting clients and doing photography work. What you need to do is place carefully-crafted ads on Craigslist. The site is still at the top when it comes to classified ads and there are millions of potential clients on there.

Thanks to tools like Zoom the List, users can even use advanced parameters and search allofcraigslist. You can choose to target specific cities and audience segments for maximum success.

With these tips in mind, getting started with digital marketing will be easier than you think. Start today, establish yourself as a professional photographer, and start attracting clients and commissioned work.