Get the Most Out of Your Interior Photography Investment
Tell me if this scenario sounds familiar:
You’ve put blood, sweat, and tears into your project. You’ve booked the best photographer and stylist, and you know you’re making a sizable financial investment for the session day. You’ve asked the homeowner to let us take over their house (after a lengthy renovation), who has also made sure the space is clean and ready to go for us to do our thing. We shoot the session. You select the images you want. And they are BEAUTIFUL.
You post a couple of the images to Instagram over the span of a week or two. And then you start the whole process over.
Your imagery then sits on your hard drive to collect digital dust.
Y’ALL. STOP THIS MADNESS.
You have invested too many of you resources into the imagery (and your life’s work!) to use them only once on an Instagram post.
I believe you would agree with me, even if you consistently live out the above scenario. But sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know. That’s why I want to suggest all the various ways you can get the most out of your interior photos.
First things first:
Hire The Right Creative Team
Yes. A team, which you and your business are apart of, because sessions days are a collaboration. We can all agree that the photographer is a must, but don’t forget a few others:
To clarify, hire an interior photographer who focuses on interiors. Interior photography presents all kinds of nuances and problems to be solved that just don’t occur in the portrait world.
Budget for a stylist and/or florist—a good photographer will either recommend or coordinate these roles. You can expect to budget about $1,200 for a stylist for a full day session, plus the cost of perishable goods they bring. Budget for a florist similarly.
If you are DIYing the styling, do NOT wait until the last minute to plan or haphazardly bring items. It will be evident in the photos. Use homeowner’s items only when they make sense for the space, project, and your aesthetic.
Exploit Your Interior Photos
The images we create together are a representation of your work, yes. But in their most base form, your interior photos are visual marketing. And the images should be woven throughout your marketing efforts so you get the biggest return on your investment.
So make the images work for your business at every possible point.
The list below is not exhaustive, but it’s a DANG good start and will help expand your own understanding and spark new ideas for how your business can use your images at their full capacity.
Website portfolio
Organized by project (Andrea Marino Designs does it beautifully)
Organized by category (BONUS: make them searchable for potential clients to find what they want)
Scrolling banner or dedicated page to client reviews along with one of your images
PRO TIP: Use key words in the ALT text and filenames evertime you upload and image (e.g., green kitchen with brass hardware and pendants, Dallas interior designer). Easy and super effective way to boost your Google ranking.
Blog (No It’s not dead, and don’t let anyone tell you that.)
Project reveals in a problem solving or story format
Roundup posts (e.g., “bold wallpapers we love”, “kitchen pendant top picks”, “top five paint colors for kids’ rooms”)
Educational posts (the problem your client presented and what you did to solve it; your philosophy on designing XYZ that results in consistent choices you make)
Publication placements or awards you’ve won (show the digital and print form of the image)
Social Media
See all suggestions for Blog, just make them more brief!
Alert followers of new blog posts and new project reveals (providing a link in your profile for quick access).
Post the same image more than once—not all of your followers saw it the first time, and there’s likely more than one way you can talk about the design in the image.
Fight the inclination to spread out your content by posting only one image at a time—create carousel posts (i.e., multiple images in one post) to increase the chances your followers will see the images and like/interact with your content.
Publication Submissions
Make sure the publication does not require exclusives before posting to social or website (and tell your photographer so they don’t either!).
Do not discount the power of digital publication (readers can access your website in a quick, simple click).
Market all media placements on your blog and social media.
PRO TIP:
It’s best to go into an interior photography session knowing who you’re pitching to and, most importantly, the story you’re pitching. That way we can photograph the space to align with that story.
Award Submissions
Make sure you tell your photographer ahead of time so the imagery meets requirements of the awarding organization.
Client Consultations
Show examples of how you designed spaces they want to renovate or how you’ve previously solved the same problem they’re dealing.
Service guides (before or after they sign the contract)
Publication (shelter magazines for notoriety; local publications for generating more business)
Mailers to specific zip codes for either service guides, ads, or holiday cards
Advertisements
Printed ads in hyper local publications
Social media ads
Take Your Interior Photos to the Next Next Level
Hire a PR agent or social media manager
Both roles can propel your business forward and remove some of the marketing burden off you
Sarah is an interior photographer in Dallas, Texas. She helps residential (and some commercial) interior designers build stunning portfolios that attract ideal clients. Wanna work with Sarah?