MARKETING FOR EQUINE PHOTOGRAPHERS
If Your Marketing Feels Random, It Probably Is.
You post on social media.
Send an email when you remember.
Run a promotion when the calendar starts looking a little emptier than you'd like.
Write a blog post because you know you're supposed to be doing something with SEO.
Talk to a barn. Sponsor a horse show. Make a Reel. Decide you should probably make more Reels.
And every once in a while you think, I really should have a marketing plan.
The problem usually isn't that you aren't doing enough marketing.
It's that all those things you're doing aren't working together.
Good marketing starts with knowing who you're trying to reach, what you want those people to know about you, and where you're most likely to get in front of them.
Then you can decide what actually deserves your time instead of doing all the different marketing things and hoping one of them works.
WHERE IS YOUR MARKETING GETTING STUCK?
What's Not Working?
Marketing gets frustrating pretty quickly when you're putting time into it and can't tell whether any of it is actually doing anything.
Usually, though, “my marketing isn't working” isn't the whole problem.
You could be talking to everybody with a horse instead of the people most likely to hire you.
You could know exactly who you want to reach but have no real plan for getting in front of them.
You could be getting plenty of attention, but not enough inquiries.
Or you could be staring at a few open dates on the calendar thinking, I should run a promotion. Followed immediately by, Okay...for what?
Those are different problems.
So before you decide the answer is posting more, let's figure out which part actually needs work.
I Don't Know Who I'm Marketing To
If you're trying to market to every person who has ever looked in the general direction of a horse, figuring out what to say gets difficult pretty quickly.
Let's figure out who is most likely to value what you offer, what matters to them, and what they need to hear from you.
I Don't Have a Marketing Plan
You have plenty of things you could be doing.
Social media. Email. Blogging. Barn relationships. Horse shows. Partnerships. Promotions. SEO.
The problem is deciding which ones make sense for your business and how they're supposed to work together.
You don't need all the marketing strategies. You need a few that make sense.
I'm Not Getting Enough Inquires
You're marketing. People just aren't reaching out.
Before you decide you need to do more, let's figure out where they're getting stuck.
Are the right horse owners finding you? Do they understand what you offer? Is your website doing its job? Is there enough of a reason for them to take the next step?
If you can't tell where the disconnect is, that's a good problem to bring to mentoring.
I Never Know What to Promote
You need bookings, so you throw together a mini session, discount something, post it a few times, and cross your fingers.
There is a better way.
A good promotion starts with a reason, the right offer for the right people, and an actual plan for getting it in front of them.
BEFORE YOU DECIDE WHAT TO POST
You Need to Know Who You're Talking To
One of the hardest parts of marketing is figuring out what to say. And that's a whole lot harder when you're trying to say it to everybody.
Your best clients probably have some things in common.
They care about certain things.
They have questions before they hire you.
They worry about certain things.
They have reasons they choose one photographer over another.
Understanding those things makes it a whole lot easier to market to them.
And no, this does not mean inventing an imaginary woman named Charlotte who drives a white SUV, drinks a caramel macchiato, and spends Saturday mornings at Target.
Unless one of those things somehow helps you sell horse photography, I really don't care.
What I care about is understanding the people who are most likely to value what you offer.
What matters to them?
Why do they want photographs of their horse in the first place?
What worries them about hiring a photographer?
What might keep them from booking?
What do they need to understand before they're ready to say yes?
And where are they actually looking when they need someone like you?
Once you know who you're talking to, it gets a whole lot easier to figure out what your marketing needs to say and where you need to say it.
Understanding those things makes it a whole lot easier to market to them.
And no, this does not mean inventing an imaginary woman named Charlotte who drives a white SUV, drinks a caramel macchiato, and spends Saturday mornings at Target.
Unless one of those things somehow helps you sell horse photography, I really don't care.
What I care about is understanding the people who are most likely to value what you offer.
What matters to them?
Why do they want photographs of their horse in the first place?
What worries them about hiring a photographer?
What might keep them from booking?
What do they need to understand before they're ready to say yes?
And where are they actually looking when they need someone like you?
Once you know who you're talking to, it gets a whole lot easier to figure out what your marketing needs to say and where you need to say it.
NOT SURE WHO YOU'RE TALKING TO?
Avatars Without Anxiety helps you figure out who your best clients actually are and what you need to understand about them, without creating an imaginary best friend with a name, a favorite coffee order, and an oddly detailed household income.
You'll use what you learn to make better decisions about your messaging, content, promotions, and the rest of your marketing.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO ALL THE THINGS
You Don't Need to Market Everywhere
Instagram. Facebook. Email. Blogging. SEO. Horse shows. Barns. Trainers. Equestrian businesses. Sponsorships. Partnerships.
There are a lot of places you could market your photography business. That doesn't mean you need to be on all of them.
And it definitely doesn't mean you need to spend every waking moment feeding social media because the algorithm has apparently decided it would like another Reel.
The better question is: Where are the horse owners I want to work with actually paying attention?
For one equine photographer, Instagram may be a big part of the answer.
For another, relationships with trainers and barns may bring in far more business.
Your email list might be incredibly valuable. Horse shows might put you directly in front of exactly the people you want to meet. Blog posts and search can help horse owners find you when they're actively looking for information.
Most likely, it's some combination.
The goal isn't to market everywhere.
It's to choose a few places that make sense for your clients and your business, decide what you're going to do there, and do it consistently enough to find out whether it actually works.
Because posting something because it's Tuesday and you haven't posted since Thursday isn't really a marketing strategy.
BEFORE YOU DO MORE
More Marketing Isn't Always the Answer
Bookings are slow.
The immediate reaction is usually, I need to do more marketing.
So you post more. Send another email. Make another Reel. Start thinking about a promotion.
But before you add more marketing to your to-do list, it's worth figuring out whether marketing is actually where things are getting stuck.
Are enough of the right horse owners finding you?
When they do find you, do they understand what you offer?
Does your work appeal to the people you want to hire you?
Does your website give them enough information to take the next step?
Are you giving people a reason to stay connected if they're not ready to book today?
Are people actually inquiring, but not booking?
Because those are very different problems.
If nobody knows you exist, that's a marketing problem.
If plenty of people are finding you but they're not taking the next step, doing more of the same marketing probably isn't going to fix it.
Before you add another more things to do you to do list, figure out where people are actually getting stuck.
CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHERE THE PROBLEM IS?
Sometimes you're simply too close to your own business to see where the disconnect is.
That's a good time to bring in another set of eyes.
BEFORE YOU PUT SOMETHING ON SALE
A Promotion Needs a Reason to Exist
You look at your calendar and see a few more openings than you'd like.
And suddenly you're thinking: I should run a promotion.
So you come up with some mini sessions. Or a discount. Or a limited-time offer.
Then you make a graphic, post it everywhere, send an email, and wait for the bookings to roll in.
Sometimes they do.
Sometimes you get three likes, one of them is your mother, and absolutely nothing happens.
The problem isn't necessarily the promotion.
It's that “I need bookings” isn't enough of a plan.
A good promotion needs a reason to exist.
Who is it for?
What are you offering?
Why would those particular horse owners want it?
Why should they book it now instead of six months from now?
How are they going to hear about it?
And what actually needs to happen between I've got an idea and people are booking it?
A promotion can be a fantastic way to fill a specific need in your equine photography business.
But throwing an offer onto social media and hoping the internet handles the rest is asking an awful lot from one Canva graphic.
HAVE AN IDEA BUT NEED AN ACTUAL PLAN?
Promotions Without Panic walks you through building a photography promotion from the idea all the way through actually marketing it, so you're not inventing the whole thing as you go.
MARKETING THAT KEEPS WORKING
Not All Marketing Has to Disappear in 24 Hours
Social media can absolutely be part of your marketing. But there's something a little painful about spending an hour creating a post that eleven people see before it disappears into the internet forever.
A good blog post can do something different.
It can answer a question a horse owner is already asking.
It can help someone find you through Google or AI search.
It can show potential clients that you understand horses, the people who love them, and what goes into photographing them.
And it can keep bringing people to your website long after you hit publish.
For an equine photographer, that might mean answering questions like:
What should I wear for my horse and rider photography session?
How should I prepare my horse for a photography session?
What's the best time of year to schedule equine portraits?
Those aren't just topics to write about because somebody told you your website needs a blog.
They're questions your potential clients are already asking.
And if your website is where they find the answer, they're also getting a chance to know you before they ever send an inquiry.
The hard part is usually figuring out what to write, what will actually be useful, and how to do it without sounding like you're submitting a term paper.
KNOW YOU SHOULD BE BLOGGING BUT HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO WRITE?
Blogs Without Bland helps you come up with useful blogs and turn them into posts people actually want to read, without staring at a blinking cursor for the next three hours.
Marketing faqs
A Few Things You Might Be Wondering...
Do I really need to be on social media?
No. Social media can be a useful part of your marketing, but it doesn't have to be the center of your entire marketing plan.
For an equine photographer, relationships with barns, trainers, horse shows, equestrian businesses, past clients, referrals, email marketing, blogging, and search can all help people find you.
The question isn't, Do I have to be on Instagram?
It's where are the horse owners I want to reach, and what's the best way for me to get in front of them?
If Instagram is one of those places, great.
If it isn't, you do not have to spend the rest of your life making Reels out of some strange sense of obligation.
What should I do when bookings are slow?
Before you launch a sale, slash your prices, or start posting twice a day, try to figure out why bookings are slow.
Are enough of the right people finding you?
Are people visiting your website but not inquiring?
Are they inquiring but not booking?
Are past clients hearing from you?
Do people understand what you offer and why they would want it?
Is this simply a slower time of year for your business?
Once you know where people are getting stuck, you can decide what to do about it.
Sometimes the answer is more marketing.
Sometimes it's a promotion.
Sometimes it's fixing something elsewhere in the business.
And sometimes you discover the problem isn't actually marketing at all.
How often should I be marketing my photography business?
Consistently enough that people don't forget you exist.
That does not mean you need to market your business every day on every platform.
I'd much rather see you choose a few marketing activities you can realistically maintain than create an elaborate plan requiring seven social posts, three emails, two blog posts, a Reel, a carrier pigeon, and apparently no sleep.
Your marketing also won't look exactly the same every week.
A promotion may need more frequent communication for a short period. A blog post might keep working for months or years. An email newsletter could go out on a regular schedule.
The goal is consistency, not constant activity.
Is social media enough to market an equine photography business?
I wouldn't want my entire business depending on an algorithm I don't control.
Social media is rented space. You don't control the platform, the algorithm, or whether the people following you actually see what you post.
Your website and email list give you much more control.
Social media can absolutely be part of your marketing, but it can also work alongside your website, SEO, email marketing, referrals, partnerships, networking, blogging, and other ways people can discover and remember you.
You don't need to use all of them. But, you do need more of a strategy than post something and hope.
And equine photographers have another enormous marketing opportunity: the horse community itself.
Barns. Trainers. Horse shows. Breed organizations. Equestrian businesses. Past clients. Referrals.
Social media can absolutely help people discover and stay connected with you.
It just shouldn't have to do all the work.
How do I know if my marketing is working?
Don't judge it only by likes, comments, or follower counts. Look at what happens next.
Are more of the right people visiting your website?
Are they joining your email list?
Are they inquiring?
Where did those inquiries come from?
Are those inquiries turning into clients?
Which promotions actually resulted in bookings?
Which blog posts are bringing people to your website?
A post getting a lot of attention can feel fantastic.
But if your goal was to book horse and rider sessions and nobody booked one, that's useful information too.
Measure the thing you actually wanted the marketing to accomplish.
Do I really need an ideal client or customer avatar?
You need to understand who you're trying to reach.
You do not need to know that your imaginary ideal client is 42, drives a white SUV, drinks vanilla lattes, owns two Labradors, and enjoys long walks through Target unless any of that information actually helps you market your photography.
What matters is understanding things like:
Who values what you offer?
Why do they want photographs of their horses?
What matters to them when choosing a photographer?
What questions or concerns do they have before booking?
Where do they spend their time?
What would make them choose you?
That's useful.
Her favorite brand of toothpaste probably isn't.
If you need help figuring out who you are talking to, check out Avatars without Anxiety in the Digital Tools.
MARKETING ISN'T ACTUALLY THE PROBLEM?
Let's Figure Out What Is.
ISometimes you start out thinking you have a marketing problem and discover that people are finding you just fine.
They're just not booking.
Or the bookings are coming in, but you're not making enough money.
Or every new client creates a 47-step process you have to reinvent from scratch.
Or there are several things in your business that need attention and you have absolutely no idea which one should come first.
That's why Unbridled Business isn't just about marketing.
If you're not sure what's actually getting in the way, start here.
We'll figure out which part of the business needs your attention before you spend another three weeks trying to fix the wrong thing.
Rein in the Chaos. Grow Unbridled.
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