4 Things New Photography Business Owners Need to Do
- Getting a Grasp on Your Camera Gear Insurance
- Navigating the World of Photography Insurance with Full Frame
photo by AleksandarNakic via iStock
There are approximately one million things you need to do as a new photography business owner. It’s a stressful and exciting time.
Most of these things are pretty straightforward. You need to establish an online presence, start networking, and file for an LLC.
But, there are a few photography business tips I see people constantly put off until their photography business is more established. Let me tell you why this is a mistake.
When your photography business is more established, you’re going to be busy… really busy (hopefully, anyway!). The last thing you’re going to want to do a year down the road is to be back at your computer Googling photography business tips.
So, save yourself the trouble and figure out how to start a photography business with no experience now. If you follow all of the photography business tips on this list, a year from now you’ll be out shooting for clients, not establishing your insurance.
Get Insured
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I think anyone that has lived through their first few years of true adulthood understands the importance of insurance.
Things never go to plan, and they especially don’t go to plan when you can’t afford for them not to. When it rains it pours.
So, establish insurance for your photography business now.
Full Frame Insurance has cost-effective plans for you as a new photography business owner. You have the option to insure your camera gear, but you can also include liability insurance and event coverage.
Plus, if you are looking to expand your photography business at some point, then you can easily add other covered people on your plan down the road.
I started using Full Frame because there wasn’t a quote process; I just looked through their prices on their website and immediately purchased what I needed.
But, I continue to use Full Frame because their prices are inexpensive, their customer service is quick to respond, and it’s great having peace of mind about my business!
Write Your Standard Contract
photo by AndreyPopov via iStock
As a new photography business owner, you may not be thinking about writing contracts just yet. After all, don’t you need clients to send contracts to? Shouldn’t you be worried about that first?
No. One of the best photography business tips I received as a newcomer was to outline exactly what I wanted my relationship with my clients to look like and to do so through the process of writing my first contract.
I still use a template based on this first ever contract today. It allowed me to establish the way I wanted my business to work, and it has also saved me a lot of nights where I would have been working instead of spending time with my family.
Taylor Jackson is a great resource for those learning how to start a photography business, and this video on contracts is especially useful.
Take these photography business tips to heart and sit down sooner rather than later to craft your first contract.
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Start Your Mailing List
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This may sound really boring and tedious at first, but if you allow yourself to enjoy the process of figuring out who in your life would like to hear about your new business then it can be fun.
Starting a mailing list literally means getting the names and email addresses of people who like your work.
Togs in Business walks you through how to use a mailing list for your photography business.
Mailing lists are a great networking resource, and one that many new photography business owners forget about. You can send out deals, blog posts and random updates through your mailing list.
Plus, once you have a good sized mailing list, you’ll start getting a lot of business out of it.
Start a Blog
I use Wordpress for my photography business because it’s simple for beginners. This video by Wordpress Tutorials shows you how simple it can be.
Photography blogs allow you to reach a wider audience than just your close network of friends and family. In fact, you may even start hearing from people in different states.
photo by anyaberkut via iStock
One of my favorite photographers is Jen Dz, an adventure wedding photographer. Jen uses her blog to reach audiences all around the world, so although she is based in Colorado, she frequently flies to Iceland and beyond all thanks to her incredible marketing strategies.
The most important thing to remember about blogging as a photographer is to be as genuine as possible. People can tell if you’re not being yourself!
And that’s what it’s all about when you go into business. Be yourself. Plan ahead. Work hard. If you can do these things, success will be a much more likely scenario.
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