Instagram ads for wedding photographers: tips for success

Instagram ads: for wedding photographers they offer an easy way to get big results. Let’s take a look.

When it comes to promoting your photography skills, there is surely a better option than gruelling days slogging it out at wedding fairs.

And there is. Instagram ads can help you generate a steady flow of fresh leads. And where better to promote your photography than the original photography sharing social network?

Skip to the bit where you’re making more money

What if we told you it was possible to use pay per click advertising (PPC) to enhance lead volumes by 1,400% in as little as one month – all while driving ROI? We are PPC experts – and we specialise in driving transformative returns for our clients. Ask for a free, no obligation proposal and we will lay out a three-month plan showing how we could get big results for your business too.

“Since working with Adbetter, our digital paid media channels have grown to be one of our most consistent generators of high-quality leads. Our lead volumes from paid media channels have increased over 1,400% whilst maintaining a low cost per lead.”

– Matthew Fawl, Director, Alesco Investment Property

Why we love PPC for wedding lead generation

There are dozens of wedding lead generation strategies. But for us, pay per click advertising trumps them all.

Here’s why.

• It’s accountable. As the name suggests, with pay per click you only pay when someone clicks your ad. And why would someone click unless they were at least partially interested in your services?

• Capture demand, nurture demand. The breadth of pay per click gives you many options as a marketer. You can use Google Ads to capture leads at the precise moment they are searching for products or services that you provide. And you can use Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms to spread the word about your brand among an audience that is likely to be interested in your expertise.

• It’s easy to control your spend. Expect options to automate daily, weekly, monthly or maximum budgets per campaign. You can hit the pause button at any time. And every penny is accounted for in the performance data.

Find your next leads

All pay per click platforms put sophisticated audience targeting tools at your fingertips. But it doesn’t get much more efficient than going to Facebook (which you use to run Instagram Ads) and specifying that you want your ads served only to people who are engaged to be married. Just go to Audience > Demographics > Relationship > Relationship Status > Engaged.

Quick. Easy. Effective.

Location targeting

For the meantime at least, weddings are events that very much take place in the physical realm – rather than cyberspace. And while there are obviously products associated with weddings that can be searched for and purchased online, you may not be willing to travel to shoot a wedding in Kendal if you live in Cornwall.

With pay per click, you decide the geographic regions in which your ad displays. Think about how far you are willing to travel for a wedding and set the location parameters for your ad accordingly.

Your photography has to be great

With some businesses it’s the lofi PPC ads that succeed. You cannot follow that rationale. As a wedding photographer it goes without saying that any photography used in your campaign should be exceptional. Your ad is an extension of your product. Take care.

What type of Instagram ad is best for wedding photography lead generation?

Speaking of great photography, you’ve got it. So flaunt it. The best ad type to go for is a carousel, which allows users to swipe across up to ten of your photos. To repeat: your ad is your product; your product is your ad. Carousel ads allow you to demonstrate your skills.

Know your numbers

A creative eye, a commercial head. You’ll need both to succeed with pay per click advertising. Knowing your business numbers is essential. You must balance your day rate with the amount you are willing to spend on ads – factoring in the variability in demand for wedding photography across the calendar year. 

Watch your margins.

Go corporate?

Of course, you could use pay per click to subvert your regular marketing model and experiment with a new way of landing business: partnering with a wedding venue and letting them sell your services. You may have to take a hit on your day rate. But in return you could get a busy diary.

Landing page best practice

When you’re paying for every click, you’d better think carefully about where that click goes. While it’s tempting to simply drive traffic to the homepage of your website, that’s a missed opportunity.

Each of your wedding lead generation campaigns should link to a specific, unique landing page. Landing page design is a specialist subject in its own right. But here’s a brief rundown of some key considerations.

• Design and copywriting. Your landing page should feel like a continuation of the ad your visitor clicked. Same overarching message. Same look. Same feel. Your design should be optimised for mobile and feature a compelling proposition above the fold.
• Create a closed journey. Single-mindedness is a strength when it comes to landing pages. Limit navigation options and stay focused on one clear call to action.
• Gather data. The main aim of a landing page is to gather information on your lead. Create a form that allows you to start the marketing conversation.
• Remember your GDPR obligations. For your forms that means having a tick box that gets people to actively opt in to your comms. Be clear about who will be contacting your lead and how they will be contacted. You must also provide a link to your privacy policy.

Landing pages aren’t your only option

With Instagram you can add a form to your ad that allows users to give you their email address without having to leave the app. This simplicity can be great for enhancing the number of leads you gather. But the trade off is they may not be quite as hungry for your services than people who are willing to click through to a landing page.

Experiment and be led by your data. Just select lead generation as your ad goal when creating your Instagram campaign.

Retargeting: get on the front foot

Acquiring a lead is great. But how are you going to turn them into a customer? The most important thing is to act fast. With wedding planning, there’s no time to waste. A good tip is to ask on your landing when the big day is. That way you create a pipeline of leads that you can attack in terms of proximity to their wedding day.

Let us take care of everything for you

Pay per click is our specialism. Day in, day out, we help clients drive revenue from paid media. From creating your ads and sending them to the right people to setting up comprehensive campaign tracking, we can take care of everything – giving you a detailed monthly report into how our efforts are driving revenue for your business.

Sounds good? Ask for a free proposal. We’ll work up a strategy laying out what you can expect within the first three months of working together. Let’s go.

You might be interested in these articles too:

>> Wedding photography lead generation: top tips for success
>> Wedding lead generation: is this the most effective tactic?
>> Wedding industry lead generation: how to grow revenue with PPC?