Digital Photography Business Tips | Helpful Techniques, Methods And Strategies For Starting A Photography Business

I decided to create this video after one of our NPB Coaching calls and discovered a few common mistakes that can easily be fixed…so ultimately you get better results in your marketing.

Gregg, who’s one of our NPB Students, had a promotion for his Photography Business and was wondering why he didn’t receive the best results. After listening to the offer and email he was using…I had a few ideas as to why it didn’t WORK!

Watch the video below as I go through Gregg’s entire promotion and give my advice on how to fix it

I wanted to say thanks again to Gregg, for allowing me to share this with our subscribers.

Talk to ya later!

Scott

Here’s a video I created to show some Photography Business Pricing Tips that we’ve learned over the years.There’s so much more than just throwing a price list up and having your clients pay you money.

There’s certain elements that I cover in this video that can help you maximize both your profits and your client base. You can always modify and tweak these guidelines, but it’s a good starting point.

Enjoy!

Scott

You love animals and you love photography and people are always commenting on how wonderful your photos are. Could you possibly Start A Pet Photography Business, just because you have a passion? Of course, you can!

Most successful photographers have started their own businesses with very little experience and learned almost everything through trial and error. All you need is a little bit of talent, a desire to learn some of the technical stuff and a huge amount of passion and enthusiasm.

Tip #1 Start By Building A Portfolio

Take photos of animals every chance you get. If you don’t have your own pet models, then ask someone you know if you can photograph their pet. Tell them you are building your portfolio and that you will give them the photos in exchange for showing their pet in your portfolio. Most likely they will be flattered and you will be one step closer to getting paid clients.

Tip #2 Getting The Shot

Some of the best photographs of animals are the ones that are natural and spontaneous. The more time you spend practicing with animals, you will start developing a connection that will show in your photographs. Animals know if a person is genuine and they will become more at ease and trusting if they know they are liked.

Tip #3 You Don’t Need A Studio

Now, you may be wondering if you need a photography studio or if you can be an on-location photographer. Many pet photographers do not have a portrait studio and still get great results. If you want a studio, a small set up area in your home is all you would need. Animals are usually most comfortable in their own surroundings, therefore producing the most natural photographs. So, be prepared to do some traveling.

Tip #4 Get The Word Out

Remember to find a wide variety of animals to photograph. Start showing your portfolio around town, leave business cards at pet groomers, veterinarians, and other pet related businesses. As your business develops, your name will travel quickly by word of mouth.

Final Thoughts:

Starting  A Pet Photography Business can be a profitable, enjoyable and exciting career. As a pet photographer, you can choose your own work hours and clients and enjoy the freedoms that come from owning your own business. Pursue your passion, get started on your pet photography business and enjoy the rewards of being your own boss!

Happy Shooting!

How to use the “Limited Offer” in your Photography Business Marketing.

You can be the best photographer in the world, but if your marketing stinks, you’re pretty much out of business. You need to constantly focus on testing and improving your marketing forever.

I want to show you a very effective technique that small businesses don’t often use. This can be done over and over again creating a snowball effect that will continue to grow for years.

Using Limited Sessions Or Limited Time Offers

When using these limits in your photography business, it will create what we call (Scarcity) in the marketing world. This will help get people to Take Action and schedule their appointment or buy those extra prints for more profits.

This has been practiced by every successful business and it works. Why is “Black Friday” the biggest shopping day of the year? Because we’ve been trained through marketing that it’s the biggest shopping day.

Why can a store offer these special prices from 5AM until 10AM? They create the specials and remove them at 10AM. The specials don’t just disappear, they are removed by the company that created them. They make up the rules.

So now you might be asking ” How can you add this to your photography business marketing”?

Here’s one example that will show you the potential.

Offer a special theme day for your studio that you’re only having on a certain weekend. Your studio has 15 limited spots available for this special weekend and once they’re gone…they’re gone.

You should start advertising this at least 30 days before the event, so you can build up the excitement and sell out your 15 spots.

The most effective way to market this strategy is through email marketing. This way you can send out the announcement 30 days before the event. Then you should email again 2 times per week letting everyone know about the event. Most importantly, you want to email them when and if it Sells Out.

This is very important because now you’re training your prospects and customers for the next event. If they waited until the last minute for this event and then were  told it was sold out, they’ll call earlier next time.

You will find that the more events you have like this that sell out, the faster you will book up at the next event. Remember, your training your list just like we’ve been trained about Black Friday.

I want to finish by saying that you always want to be honest and upfront and give a reason why it’s limited. In this case, you can only take 15 appointments in 2 days. They are spaced 1 hour apart for their convenience and because you like to allow plenty of studio time for each client’s sitting.

Be creative and learn to love marketing your photography business and the rewards will be endless.

Happy Shooting!

One of the biggest things that will differentiate your photography business from the big box stores is your level of customer service. Here’s 5 Tips For Creating A Successful Photography Business to help you not only set yourself apart from other studios but also help you build strong client relationships.

Tip #1 Go the Extra Mile.

If you find their child or pet is a little difficult to work with, spend more time with them. Show them you care about taking whatever time is needed to get that special shot. Many people get embarrassed if their child or pet is not cooperating. Reassure them, make them comfortable and extend every courtesy in helping them. People love to feel special and important. This one point alone will keep your clients coming back and encourages them to tell others about you and your studio in glowing terms.

Tip #2 Be Prompt in Having Their Proofs Ready.

Other companies may be slower in getting their proofs and prints back to their clients. Be diligent on your follow-ups. Getting the proofs into your client’s their hands quickly can help maintain a high degree of interest and earns you more professional respect.

Tip #3 Traditional Viewing vs. Online Proofing.

This is probably the most important concept you need to learn. The traditional one-on-one viewing of  hard copy prints will do more to build your business than the impersonal presentation of on-line images. First, when they come to your studio, they can see the large prints you have up on the wall so you can show them what their print will look like. Because they can see the difference between smaller prints and larger prints, you will have the opportunity of up-selling to a larger size. When you hand them a 4×6 proof, they take possession of the actual physical copy of their image it becomes more real and personal to them than seeing them on the web.

Tip # 4 Using Customers for Marketing.

Putting your contact information and website on the back of each proof makes a great marketing tool. When they show the proofs to friends and relatives, many of them will take the time to go to your website to see your work. Once you have them there, have a special coupon available for download by simply filling out their contact information and email address. In all likelihood, the more proofs you have in circulation the more business you will see coming your way.

Tip #5 Offering the Extras.

As a general rule, whatever size print you first show people, that will be the size they most likely will buy. Always show them larger sizes. Usually they are so taken by the impact of larger prints that up-selling to a larger size is not a problem. Most people would like to be able to pick up their photograph all ready to hang on the wall. Perhaps adding a framing option would give you the opportunity to create a little more revenue plus provide your customers with a complete “Click and Hang” service.

It can’t be emphasized enough that great customer service is what will bring your clients back to you year after year. Developing that special one-on-one relationship with your clients and prospective clients is vital to establishing a strong foundation for your business. It is a very worthwhile investment of your time and resources.

I hope you enjoyed these tips.

Happy Shooting

Scott