^{photo by meatbull via iStock}

Given the fact that we are all sitting at home right now worrying about our income, the editors at PhotographyTalk wanted to start a series of photography business articles aimed at helping you strengthen your photography business so that you are just as strong towards the end of this pandemic. 

And, as it turns out, with a little brainstorming we were able to come up with some great photography business tips that are either free or inexpensive and that you can do from the comfort of your home. 

But, a lot of our photography business tips are not tips that you can do once and then forget. They all require you to continue working on them. Think of it like a fun hobby you can do while you’re trapped indoors. 

Improve Communication

^{photo by LaylaBird via iStock}

Communication is important to any business, but it’s essential to a photography business because the more quickly you respond to potential clients, the more likely you are to score their business.

But, while you’re in the field all day shooting, it can be incredibly difficult to respond to everyone on every single platform. I’ll get Facebook messages, text messages, Yelp reviews and emails all day and if I spent time responding to each of them individually I would never get off my phone.

Thankfully, I found Podium a few months ago…

Podium is a way for you to receive all of your photography business communications on a single platform, so you don’t need to jump around to different social media pages all day. 

It not only saves me a lot of time, but it saves my photography business a lot of money by ensuring I’m always the first one to respond to potential clients.

Podium even has a feature that lets me invoice clients right from the app so I’m also getting paid more quickly. Not bad, right?!

Podium is doing a free trial right now if you want to try it out. There’s no obligation and no money out of your pocket, so why not see if it’s the tool for you to make your photography business run more smoothly?

Learn More:

• 6 Easy Steps for Getting Your Photography Business Off the Ground
• Top Tools for Your Photography Business

Revise Payment Methods

 ^{photo by Tero Vesalainen via iStock}

Another way for you to expand your photography business right now is by changing up your payment schedule.

For instance, maybe your photography business was able to thrive in the past with a 25% down payment from all of your future clients, but this may no longer be the case. 

By changing up the amount you get paid up front, your photography business will thank you. Maybe it only needs to be an increase of 10%, or maybe it needs to be a lot more, but clients understand this isn’t a great time for people working in our industry and most will be more than willing to help you.

 ^{photo by LightFieldStudios via iStock}

Another tip I’ve seen in the photography business industry is people selling gift cards for their services.  

For people who are employed right now, it’s a great way for them to both support your business through the pandemic and get themselves a nice gift sometime down the line. 

It’s especially helpful if you sell your gift cards at a discount. For instance, if you normally charge $100/hour for your shoots, try selling a 2-hour gift card for $180. 

Offer Some Sales

 ^{photo by Xavier Arnau via iStock}

Another way to make your photography business better right now is to offer sales on different products that past clients can buy.  

If you don’t have an email list with all of your past clients, this is the perfect time to start one. Simply by sending regular emails to people you’ve worked with in the past, you remind them that you exist and they will be more likely to recommend your services to their friends and family (especially if these emails include a little information about referral bonuses).

 ^{photo by Sitthiphong via iStock}

But, right now email lists to past clients will allow you to create sales on items like prints or photo albums.

If a client almost wanted to spring for a specific print or photo album when they originally worked with you, they may be enticed into doing so if they know they’re helping out a business in need. Plus, a little discount on these products never hurt anybody.  

Since things like prints and photo albums are typically inexpensive to create and marked up at extremely high rates, you can easily cut the pricing on it by 10-20% without losing anything at all. 

Learn More:

• Free Marketing Ideas for Your Photography Business
• The Most Overlooked Success Tip for Photographers