The PhotoBiz Partner Program empowers you to act as an independent website designer and earn money building websites. This is a great opportunity for creative pros to make money on their own time using skills they already have while providing a valuable service for clients.

As a PhotoBiz Partner, you receive help and support from Partner Advocates who provide resources and advice on how to grow your business, revenue, and skills.

One of the biggest questions that people have when they're starting out is “How do I find clients?” Even if you're not a partner yet, this article from Elijah M (originally published on the Partner Portal) has tons of great advice on how to find and win clients, and is definitely worth checking out!

Keep reading to learn how to find your ideal clients, generate word-of-mouth buzz, and incorporate website building into your menu of creative services. And if you’re interested in speaking with a Partner Advocate, please call us! We are invested in your success and can help you start a successful, profitable side hustle that is fun AND rewarding.

By Elijah M.

So you’ve signed up to be a Photobiz Partner and you’re excited to start your web design journey. But there’s still one question on your mind:

“How do I find clients?”

When Photobiz began fifteen years ago, we started out by literally knocking on photographers’ doors and asking if they needed a website. A few things have changed since then, and finding clients often means doing a little more than just knocking on doors. The underlying principle behind that strategy remains the same, though: if you want to find clients, you need to put yourself out there and let people know that you can build them the best website on the best platform. 

“But Elijah,” you ask, “how do I do that?” 

Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with some of our top tips to help you find clients.

As a photographer, you’ve already got a built-in network of prospective website customers: your existing photography clients. The first and most important step to building a great website is having great images, and if you’re photographing someone, you’ve already got that. Now that you’re getting into web design, be sure to include this service in branding and commercial photography packages and mention it to your past clients. These people already trust you and know that you deliver high-quality work, which makes selling them a website that much easier.

Your existing clients are just a start. If you’re expecting new clients to find you, you need somewhere online where they can learn about your services. Sometimes this means building yourself a whole new website to promote yourself as a web designer. Or, it may make more sense to incorporate a web design section into your existing photography site. Either way, you need an online presence that can rank on search engines, generate leads, and show off your work. A great tip for when you’re just starting is to use your Partner dashboard to create a few trial accounts to build mock-ups and link to them as part of your portfolio.

Social media is your big opportunity to show personality, keep leads engaged, and reach new audiences. You’re probably familiar with social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, but as a web designer, you should also explore Behance and Pinterest. You can use these sites to augment your web portfolio, posting examples of your work and driving new leads back to your website, inquiry form, or contact email.

Even in the digital age, word-of-mouth is one of the most powerful tools for marketing your business. When our friends tell us about a service experience, we trust them to tell us the truth and give an accurate review of that service. Plus, just like you have your existing network of clients, every client you work with is going to have a network of their own. When you have a satisfied client for your design services, encourage them to do more than just leave a review on Google or give you a testimonial. (Our SEO Team has covered the importance of reviews previously.) Ask them to tell their friends directly, especially anyone they know who might need a new website. Another great way to get recommendations is to start a “Refer A Friend” program much like the one that we offer at PhotoBiz.

You can build websites for other photographers with PhotoBiz and other small businesses with Zibster. That means you can court potential clients based on how much better their website could be by using this platform. Let them know about all the features that make PhotoBiz and Zibster great, that Lightspeed Hosting will make their website the fastest and most secure in the world, their website will be extremely search engine friendly, and most importantly, if you release control of the site once it’s built, they can call our industry-leading Passionate Support whenever they need help or have questions about the website. These are the same key features that you have available to pair with your powerful images and eye for design.

Building websites is a lot like any other kind of freelance small business, whether you’re a photographer or anything else. Many of the same strategies you already use to find clients will still apply, you just need to tweak them to the industry. Above all, don’t be afraid to get out there and let people know that they need an awesome new website and you’re here to help. And if you need any help or advice as you start this journey, just let us know. We’ll be here for you, the same way that we always have been.