Ask any photographer that's been in business for awhile, and I bet you'll hear the same thing over and over again...
"I want a steady stream of clients."
It makes sense, too. After all, the more clients you have, the more money you can make!
And while photography is a passion for all of us, at the end of the day, passion doesn't pay the bills.
So the question is this: What are the best ways to attract clients?
Here's my pick of four of the best methods you can use...
QikPix
One of the biggest expenditures of time and money that you'll have as a self-employed photographer is in marketing your services and finding clients.
And though that's a necessary evil of being in the service industry, what if I told you there was a way to get more clients without having to do any marketing whatsoever?
It's called QikPix, and it's revolutionizing the way photographers work.
At its core, QikPix is an on-demand photography service.
That means that clients go to their QikPix app to book a photography session, and photographers like you go to the app to claim the session.
From there, you meet with the client and take their photos.
At the conclusion of the shoot, you upload the unedited photos to QikPix, they take care of any editing the client wants, and you get paid for your time.
Video by Travis Lufsey Productions
Sounds too good to be true, right?
But believe me...it's true alright!
There's no marketing on your part, no hassle of editing your photos either. You don't even have to plan where to go for the shoot!
Plus there's guaranteed payment, so you don't have to chase money from clients.
All of that translates into one thing - smoother transactions with more clients.
Whether you photograph families, graduating seniors, weddings or engagements, headshots, newborns, maternity, or all of the above, you'll have clients seeking your services.
If you ask me, there's no easier way to get clients than to have them come to you!
Learn more about QikPix and how it can help you build your business.
Figure Out Who Your Client Is and What They Want
If you're a wedding photographer and you specialize in "trash the dress" sessions, you've painted yourself into a pretty specific corner.
Trashing the dress might be a hot commodity right now, but what about in two years, five years, or ten years down the road?
It's great to specialize, and it can actually help you grow your business because it can help set you apart from other photographers.
But at the same time, if you want to continue growing your business, you can't rely on flash-in-the-pan techniques.
That means figuring out who your clients are and what they want.
That'll change as time goes on, but getting into the practice of examining who your clients are, where they shop, the kind of services they pay for, their interests, and so forth, the sooner you can start to devise a solid marketing plan that plays to those interests and gets people interested in you too.
Engage With Your Target Clients
Photography isn't an "if you build it they will come" sort of enterprise...
Instead, you need to do a little work to attract clients to the fold.
One of the ways you can do that these days is to interact with your target clients online.
That means having an Instagram or Flickr account to show off the photos you take.
That also means having a Facebook page for your business where you can inform the public about what you do, how you do it, and so forth.
It's also necessary to have a website or online portfolio that includes your contact information. It needs to be SEO optimized too, that way people in your area can find you.
Sure, it's a lot of work (especially compared to using QikPix), but in the end, it will pay dividends as you'll be able to reach more people, and the more people you reach, the better the likelihood that you'll have more paying clients walking in your door.
Go Above the Call of Duty Every Single Time
A surefire way not to get more clients is to do the bare minimum.
We've all had not-so-good experiences with photographers before, and when that happens, we don't go back again.
Well, the same is true for clients that don't feel that their experience with you was worth the expense.
That's why you need to make a concerted effort to go above and beyond with each and every client, each and every time.
This isn't to say that you need to roll out the red carpet for anyone that comes into your studio...
But what it does mean is that you need to find ways to make the process easier for your clients.
Ask questions. Make them a part of the process of determining what photos to take. Offer advice about wardrobe or the location of the photo shoot. Give them a free print or two.
The point here is that simply by taking the time to hear what clients want, offering your honest advice, and doing what you can to make the experience as minimally stressful as possible, you'll have happy clients.
And what does a happy client do? They tell their friends and family about you.
That, in turn, gets more people seeking out your services.
Mission accomplished!
Putting It All Together
No one ever said being a photographer would be an easy job.
However, you can make it a lot easier on yourself by putting forth some effort in the marketing department.
Find out who your clients are and what they want, discover ways to engage with them to tell them about the services you offer, and go above and beyond to give them the best possible experience.
Paired with the ease of use of QikPix, I think you'll find these four solutions give you a solid standing for expanding your photography business!