It's always a good time to think about how you can make sure that your photography business is as prosperous as possible.
For some photographers, that might mean making improvements to your marketing plan. For others, a review finding new and effective ways to find leads might be in order. For still others, it might be an ideal time to develop stronger bonds with other local businesses to expand the footprint of your own business.
Whatever the case, don't let any more time pass by without addressing the needs of your business! Let’s take a deeper look at three photography business tips that will help you improve your bottom line in the coming year.
Focus on Marketing
Marketing probably isn’t every photographer’s strong suit, nor is it something that every photographer enjoys. However, it is a crucial component to the success of your business. After all, if no one knows about you, it’ll be hard to book clients and pay the bills!
The chances are that you’re already doing some sort of marketing. You should have a website. You should also have a strong social media presence (at least on the heavy hitters like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram). But beyond that, there are a couple of ways you can expand your online and offline footprint to get more eyes on your work and get more people in the door.
For starters, if you don’t have a blog, think strongly about creating one. A blog is a great way to reach a larger audience with valuable posts about everything from how to pick a photographer to the differences between glossy and matte finishes on prints. Avoid making your blog into a sales-fest. Instead, offer educational posts that inform your clients about all things photography. Doing so communicates your expertise in the area while also demonstrating a commitment to helping others understand the process.
Another fruitful marketing strategy is to offer your services to local clubs, organizations, and charities for free. This doesn’t mean you need to spend every weekend working for free; instead, seek out opportunities two or three times a year to donate your time to a good cause. Not only is contributing to charities a good thing to do, but it’s also an ideal opportunity to get your name out there, get eyes on the work you create, and build rapport with people in the community. That’s great marketing!
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Find Ways to Get More Leads
Let's face it...
You can have a fantastic website and be active on social media all you want, but you need to do more to capture leads and find clients that are in search of a photographer. And if you ask me, the best way to do that is to turn to SnapPro.
SnapPro is a directory of photographers that was designed to help you market your business and help the buying public connect with photographers in their area. That means that it's a platform for both sides of the equation, which is beneficial to you because every user on SnapPro is a potential client.
For example, if you're a portrait photographer and you join SnapPro, you then become part of SnapPro's photography database that covers the United States and Canada.
Then, people that need a portrait photographer go to the SnapPro website and search for a photographer based on their location and the type of photography they need done. After that, the user get a list of all the photographers that match their criteria. It really couldn't be any easier!
Once consumers have a list of potential photographers, all they have to do is compare each of their matches to determine which photographer is the best fit. Once they select you, SnapPro does all the work of getting your business details, pricing, and other information to the consumer.
So, basically, SnapPro is like your own personal lead-generating assistant. You create your profile, add portfolio images for people to see, and SnapPro does the heavy lifting to help you find clients.
With neat marketing features like the ability to write and publish articles on your SnapPro profile and upload a video introduction of yourself, this truly is a one-stop-shop for lead generation. If you want more clients (who doesn't?!), SnapPro is definitely worth a try!
Network With Other Small Business Owners
As a small business owner, you know how valuable shopping local is to your business, so why not spread the love and shop local yourself?
Doing so has a number of benefits. First, and most obviously, you help support other small business owners in your area. Rather than going to a big box store to buy a lawnmower, head to the local shop to get the lawn equipment you need. Rather than boosting that ad on Facebook, think about placing an ad in the local newspaper instead.
Second, as a consequence of shopping local, you get your name and face out in the community. For a self-employed photographer, that kind of exposure is invaluable. And, because you’re shopping local, the businesses that you support are more likely to support your business as well. So, the newspaper editor might see that you’ve started advertising with them and instead of going to the mall to get holiday pictures of the family, maybe they’ll come see you.
Lastly, as alluded to above, going local can help drum up business. You never know when you’ll be standing in line at the grocery store and hear the person in front of you talking about needing a photographer for an upcoming anniversary party. You never know when the bagel you buy at the local coffee shop will lead to you hanging some of your photos inside the shop. The point is that your presence at businesses around town can lead to opportunities to show off your work, and can lead to direct referrals too. It’s about the easiest marketing there is!
So, in the coming weeks and months, endeavor to address some of the weak spots in your business. Whether that’s marketing, leads, going local, or something else entirely, make this the year that you take your business to a whole other level.