Clients find you through your photos
Most photography clients find you through your work. They see photos from a friend's wedding, a colleague's headshot or a family's holiday card, and ask who took them. That referral usually passes by word of mouth, so a number that is easy to repeat helps it become a booking.
A number that spells PHOTO or SNAP is easy to say and easy to recall.
Where to put it
- Print packaging and USB cases. Clients show these to family and friends.
- Watermarks and sharing galleries, where your work is seen by everyone who views them.
- Your camera bag and car, at events and on location.
Weddings, portraits and video
Wedding and event photographers book months ahead. Portrait and headshot photographers book on shorter notice. Photographers who also shoot video can use VIDEO for that side of the business.
Calls and texts
Calls ring the phone you already carry, and missed calls go to your normal voicemail, which matters when you are in the middle of a shoot. Texts arrive as email, a simple way for clients to send a date and location. Four-letter words such as SNAP and PICS are much easier to find locally than PHOTO or VIDEO.
Which of these words you can get
The shorter the word, the more numbers can spell it. Toll-free is one national pool, so a word that is taken in your area code can still be free there.
| Word | Letters | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| PHOTO | 5 | Harder to find. Up to 100 per area code. A neighbouring area code or toll-free often has one. |
| SNAP | 4 | Usually available. Up to 1,000 per area code, though popular trade words go first. The live results above show what is free today. |
| PICS | 4 | Usually available. Up to 1,000 per area code, though popular trade words go first. The live results above show what is free today. |
| VIDEO | 5 | Harder to find. Up to 100 per area code. A neighbouring area code or toll-free often has one. |
Why photographers pick a number that spells something
The same three things every business gets, in the words your customers use.
Keep your phone
Calls forward to the line you already answer. Nothing to install.
Live in a minute
Pay and the number is active. Put it on the sign tonight.
$9 a month
100 minutes included, then 5¢ a minute. Toll-free adds $3. Cancel any time.