Top 7 Bare Bones Marketing Tips

Image by osde8info via FlickrSo, outside of a camera, what are the top 7 items you need to start marketing your photography business? That question comes up fairly frequently so I'll address it here. So here are my 7 Bare Bone Marketing tips.
1. Don't spend any money on marketing until you have your first client. As a visual business you need to be able to show off your work. You can't do it if you don't have a paying client. Your first customer will usually come from your personal network.
2. Come up with a name that fits your business but one that is already being searched on by Google. Type "Google AdWords Keyword Tool" into your search browser. The keyword tool will let you know what keywords are being searched on.
3. Sign up for a free blog with blogger or Word Press. Show off your photos with lots of copy. If you want a cheap domain name, go to my favorite site: Go-danny.com  The best part of buying a domain here is they have 24/7 world class customer service. You can get help with whatever questions you may have. Keep in mind, you don't have to buy a domain name for you blog, but it helps by keeping the name short with only your branding on it. You are talking around $5 to $10 for a domain name for a year.
4. Get 250 business cards for free at VistaPrint or you can print you own on you home computer. You will need a business card for networking.
5. A Facebook business page is Free. It helps to have a personal Facebook page first so you can let they know you have a business page. The cool thing about a Facebook business page is once someone "likes" you, you can then advertise to them for free as long as they stay connected to you. If you don't annoy them with a lot of posts, that shouldn't happen. Also Twitter is free too.
6. Networking and Referrals are your best source for leads. Make sure you get leads from your clients by offering them an incentive to help you. Also attend as many face to face networking events as you can in your market area. Get to know people and make sure you help other business owners out too. People helping people is where it's at.
7. Linkedin is a free professional business networking site. It is the professional version of Facebook. It is a great tool, I highly recommend it.
If you can focus your efforts on these items for your first year in the business, you'll do well, I promise, but you can't give up. As I like to say, be persistent and consistent and above all, never give up.