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If you’re running a photography business right now, then chances are you could take on a few more clients. Unfortunately, many of us aren’t considered essential employees and so when the economy takes a hit, so do our businesses.  

However, you don’t have to take a hit to your photography business lying down. Through the use of photography business tips, you can learn how to expand your photography business in 2021 and beyond. 

Of course, this means you actually have to carve time out of your schedule to actively work on photography business tactics, which can be difficult when you are trying to shoot and edit as much as possible. So, I recommend that you work on your photography business for at least 30 minutes every night before you go to sleep.   

Hopefully, these critical tips will allow you to get more photography clients this year. 

Allow Your Clients to Choose from Different Packages

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One mistake I see a lot of photography business owners making is that they aren’t offering enough packages to their clients.  

People really love to make choices for themselves, but in order to do that, they need to be given choices. As a photography business marketer, it’s your job to give them those choices.

I recommend creating at least 3 different packages for your clients, because it allows them to have enough freedom to enjoy themselves, and then prioritizing packages that work best for your particular photography business.

The packages that you want to prioritize are the ones worth their weight in gold. This includes your best-selling packages (don’t change what’s already working), packages with fewer editing hours (that means more money in your pocket), and packages that appeal to people you are trying to work with. For instance, if you’re really trying to get into sports photography, then you should offer a package that includes things like team photographs. 

Make Yourself Available Online

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You can’t run a photography business in 2021 without the internet. Unfortunately, this is how a lot of photography business owners treat their online presence...as a requirement. 

However, if you follow any photography business tips for 2021, then you know you have to make marketing yourself online a hobby in order to really get your name out there.

You can build visibility online by creating a portfolio for yourself on your website, by making sure that your photography business is easy to find, and by ensuring that you are on every gig platform available to you.

When you’re working on your portfolio, you won’t want to forget to also publish a blog and other content that will actually bring people to your website to view your portfolio. 

And as for making sure your business is easy to find, pretend that you are a potential client searching for a photographer in your area. When they come across your page on Google Maps, is your website and phone number correct? Is your address correct? Do these same checks and balances for every website you can think of, including Yelp, Angie’s List and more.  

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Learn More:

• How to Get More Google Reviews for Your Photography Business
• Get More Photography Clients By Nurturing Leads

Create Mini Sessions for Major Holidays

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If I’m being really honest, a lot of my photography business advice is aimed at creating different marketing channels that will allow you to build up your photography business over the long run. That means much of it isn’t going to bring you cash when you need it most… right now. 

This isn’t one of those pieces of advice. Mini sessions based around major holidays are one of the easiest money grabs for photographers. Whereas you’d normally spend 2-4 hours with a single client, a mini session allows you to see a client every half hour. 

This means that you can realistically see up to 20 clients in a single day. So, if you do 2 or 3 mini sessions in the month leading up to a major holiday, like Christmas, Valentine’s Day, or Halloween, then you can make some serious money. 

Mini sessions are also wonderful because they help you to build your business over the long run, too, because they expose you to a whole range of clients you otherwise never would have met. Many of these clients are looking for a cheaper option than a traditional photoshoot and may continue to come back to you over the years for all of your mini sessions.

Make It Easier for Clients to Contact You

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None of this advice is going to help you very much if you have ineffective communication between yourself and your clients or between yourself and your prospective clients. Podium helps with both.  

Podium is an all-in-one messaging platform that keeps you on top of your communication. The best part is that you really don’t have to do anything.

Podium pulls every message your business receives, from your email to your text messages to your social media mentions, and puts them on one platform. This ensures that you never miss a message from a client. 

Podium also tracks how long it takes you on average to respond to potential clients. As we all know, the faster you can respond to leads, the better. So, Podium will actually help your business save money too. 

Plus, Podium features fun options like a live chat that you can install on your website so that every message you get off of it will be delivered directly to your text messages. Podium also allows you to send your invoices directly to your clients’ phones, which means you will also get paid faster. 

While Podium is not a free service, they are offering a free trial for PhotographyTalk readers right now. All you have to do is visit the Podium website to find out more. 

Learn More:

• How to Get Feedback from Clients the Easy Way
• Benefits of Having Live Chat on Your Photography Website