Top Photography Marketing Tips and Ideas for August

Introduction

As the summer break comes to an end, August kicks off the back-to-school season and provides an excellent opportunity for photographers to capture the excitement and nostalgia of this time of year.  August is not only about Back to School.  In this blog post I'll show you a variety of different holidays and talk about 10 different ways ways to market your photography business and unique ideas to spread brand awareness. 

1. Host Fun Themed Mini Sessions

There are a few fun holidays in the month of August that make for great themed mini sessions:

• Back to School Mini Sessions. Offer mini photoshoot sessions that celebrate the back-to-school season. Create a setup resembling a school setting with chalkboards, vintage books, and school supplies. This will appeal to parents who want to capture their children's growth and milestones as they embark on a new academic year. Promote these mini sessions on your website, social media, and email newsletters, emphasizing the limited-time nature of the offer to create a sense of urgency.
• Watermelon Themed Mini Sessions.  August 3rd is National Watermelon Day. Grab some watermelons and kids a have a summer watermelon mini session.  These sessions are fun to set up on the grass or using an old pick up truck as a prop with kids wearing cute jean overalls. 
• Popsicle Themed Mini Sessions.  August 26th is National Cherry Popsicle Day. Popsicles are another fun summer treat that make for great photo props for kids. You could even check into partnering or collaborating with a Kona Ice Truck if they have them in your area.
• Beach Themed Photo Sessions. August 30th is National Beach Day and is a great time to promote family photo sessions on the beach. If you love to travel, pick a destination spot, advertise and book sessions there ahead of time and you have just earned yourself a paid vacation!

2.  Promote Women's Portrait Photography Sessions

There are several holidays in the month of August that provide opportunities for marketing portrait photography. 

• August 1st is National Girlfriend Day.  This special holiday celebrates the bond between friends, sisters, and loved ones, making it an ideal time to promote photo sessions focused on capturing heartwarming moments between girlfriends.
• August 4th is Single Working Women's Day.  Partner with local businesses or even companies and feature single working women.  You can combine this holiday with celebrating single working women over 40 and offer 40 Over 40 Photography Campaigns.
• August 6th is National Sisters Day.  This one might be a challenge, but you can reach out to you email list and post on social media that you are offering a special on photos of sisters for National Sisters Day. 
• August 9th is National Women's Day which brings another chance to promote women's portraits to women over 40 or women at any age. You could even couple National Women's Day and offer a special package for Personal Brand Photos for women. 

3. Offer Photography Coloring Sheets for Kids

August 2nd is National Coloring Book Day. How can you incorporate this into your photography business? Offer these photography coloring sheets to your clients. Use them as a lead magnet to grow your email list. You could offer the bundle  as a bonus for anyone who signs up for a kids photography class that you teach. 

Another way you could use these kids photography worksheets  is to have a coloring contest. Choose a page, put your studio name and content info on it (you might also want to put a scannable QR code to your website).  Offer it to your email list or social media followers. After the kids color the page have their parents take a photo and post on social media and tag your photography business. You could have your social media followers vote on the winner.  This way the parents would share with their networks and help your social pages get even more reach. 

If you want to take this whole coloring contest idea a step further, parter with another local small business owner that would be willing to hang the coloring sheets in their business for a specific amount of time. Think local ice cream shop,  a local camera store or even a local elementary school or pre-school. 

4. Partner with Local Schools

Reach out to schools and educational institutions in your area to collaborate on photography projects. Offer to take their students' portraits, class photos, or special events like sports days and school performances.

You could also offer to teach an afterschool photography club. Teaching photography to kids is a fun and profitable way to share your love of photography with future generations. 

If you want more tips on how to host your own photography club, read this blog post on how to teach a kids photography club. 

Providing professional photography services to schools can lead to repeat business and referrals from both teachers and parents.

5. Host School-Themed Contests

Organize a back-to-school-themed photography contest on your website or social media platforms. Encourage participants to submit their best school-related photos, whether it's students getting ready for the first day, teachers preparing classrooms, or friends reuniting after the summer break. Offer a prize (maybe a complimentary session fee) for the winning entry to motivate more people to participate and share the contest with their friends, to increase visibility to your photography business. 

6. Show Off Your Expertise

Create blog posts or create videos from blog post content with tips for parents and students on how to prepare for a back-to-school photoshoot. Share advice on wardrobe choices, location selection, and how to capture genuine emotions in the photos. Demonstrating your expertise not only establishes your credibility but also builds trust with potential clients, making them more likely to choose you for their photography needs.

7. Create Special Photo Packages

Design special back-to-school photo packages that cater to different age groups and preferences. For example, offer packages for preschoolers, high school seniors, and college-bound students. Customize each package with unique add-ons like personalized photo books or even personalized custom magazines such as this High School Senior Personalized Photography Magazine to enhance the overall experience for your clients.

8.  Photograph Animals

Did you know that August has plenty of fun holidays and reasons to for marketing pet photography and animal photography? Here is a list below.

• August 8th is International Cat Day. It's a great time to offer portrait sessions of cats or photos of cats and their owners. 
• August 10th is National Spoil Your Dog Day. What better way to spoil your dog than to have a custom photo session right? 
• August 26th is National Dog Day.  Here's another chance to market your pet photography (in case you missed National Spoil Your Dog Day).  To help you book your pet photography clients use these Pet Photography Marketing Templates and Resources.
• August 10th is World Lion Day.  If you have been lucky enough to go on an excursion to Africa, post your photos on social media on this day. Send an email with a gallery of your photos to your clients. If you have a wildlife park in your area take some photos of lions and post them and tag the park. It's always fun to get out and try new types of photography. 
• August 12th is World Elephant Day. Here's another excuse to get out to your local zoo and get snapping!
• And speaking of the zoo, August 31st is National Zoo Awareness Day. What a great opportunity to network with your local zoo. There are a lot of options here. You could collaborate with the zoo to offer a guided photo tour of the zoo.  If you're teaching a photography class, you can schedule a field trip to take your students to the zoo or meet them there to practice the photography skills you have taught them. 

9.  Social Media Engagement

Leverage social media to engage with your audience during the back-to-school season. Share behind-the-scenes glimpses of your preparation for photoshoots, post sneak peeks of your back-to-school sessions, and encourage clients to share their experiences on their own social media profiles, tagging your business. User-generated content can be a valuable tool for word-of-mouth marketing and building a loyal community around your brand.

10.  Photograph Senior Citizens

Senior Citizens often have lots of interesting stories to share about their life, and a lot of wisdom too!  August 21st is National Senior Citizen's Day.  In honor of this offer a contest for people to submit a photo of their favorite senior citizen and a short paragraph explaining why. Have them email you the photo and story. Then take the most compelling story and offer to do a free session. 

Some other ideas for fun Senior Citizen sessions include a cake smash session.  Yes, cake smash photography sessions aren't only for the little ones.

Or, think along the lines of a 40 Over 40 Photography Campaign, but make it an Over 60 Campaign. Of course you don't have to finish this project all in one month. You could use this national holiday to launch the campaign and photograph these seniors throughout the year.  Then each year you will have some great photos to post on this holiday!

Conclusion

Not only does August mark Back to School Season, it is also a month filled with lots of fun and unique holidays. No matter what type of photography you specialize in, there is something for every photographer to take advantage of to connect with their community, attract new clients, and showcase their skills in capturing precious memories.