How To Grow Your Photography Business This Year

How To Grow Your Photography Business This Year

How To Grow Your Photography Business This Year

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For many, becoming a professional photographer seems relatively straightforward. All you really need to do is buy the right equipment and take some good pictures. Unfortunately, the reality is so much different. As with any other type of company, starting a photography business is tough, and you won’t see success overnight. Instead, you’ll need to work hard to maintain your website, reach out to clients, stay relevant, and so much more. If you ignore these tasks, you’ll struggle to see success. Here are ten things you should do to grow your photography business this year.

  1. Write A Business Plan

Photography may have started out as your hobby, but now that it’s become a business, you need to take it seriously. With that in mind, it’s time to write out a business plan for you to follow. Although many believe this process to be a waste of time, a business plan is actually an incredibly useful tool and one that will help to keep you and your company on track. It will also help to avoid damaging mistakes that might cost time and money you can’t afford to lose.

  1. Clearly Define Your Service

A mistake many photographers make is assuming that they can and should take on every type of job that comes their way. Despite what you may believe, your photography style is only suited to certain types of clients and shoots. Because of this, you should consider your skills and the things that you enjoy to do and come up with a clear and definitive list of services for potential clients. You should also figure out a pricing plan that is competitive but still pays the bills.

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  1. Design A Professional Website

Once you know what you want your business to be and do, it’s time to design an attractive and professional-looking website for potential and current clients. This should showcase samples of your work, tell visitors a little bit about your background, vision, and experience, and, of course, give a list of services with approximate prices. It’s also vital that you offer clients a way to contact you. Your website is an essential marketing tool, so you may also want to boost your SEO with a blog.

  1. Create A Marketing Strategy

Like any other business out there, no one is going to pay for your services unless they know that you exist. For this reason, you need to invest time and money into your marketing strategy. Of course, for those with little experience in business, this can be confusing, but there are lots of resources out there to help, including books, blogs, and this guide for lawyers. This may be aimed at law firms, the advice within it can be applied to other niches, including photography.

  1. Focus On Your Finances

Money may not buy you happiness, but, in the world of business, it is necessary to grow. Because of this, you’re going to need to keep on top of your finances and make sure you take care of them. This means opening a separate bank account for your business, creating a cash flow plan, and investing in insurance. You will also have tax obligations to deal with, which means it might be best to hire an accountant. This way, there’s little chance of mistakes being made.

  1. Manage Your Time Well

Running a business, even one that you love is a time consuming and exhausting task. With that in mind, you really can’t afford to deal with stuff that you don’t like, wastes your time, or you’re just not cut out for. Instead of struggling all on your own, you should bring on a few people to help you out. Of course, permanent employees probably aren’t the best choice right now, but there’s nothing stopping you from outsourcing work, like your accounting or marketing.

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  1. Network At Photography Events

In the past few years, photography exhibitions and fairs have started to pop up all around the world. If you are serious about growing your business, then attending these events should be a priority. As well as being a great place to find new ideas and inspiration, they are also packed with other photographers and like-minded people, making them a brilliant place to network and connect with professionals. Just make sure that you remember to pack your business cards.

  1. Start A Referral Program

There are many amazing marketing tactics out there to try, but word-of-mouth will always prove to be one of the most successful. After all, potential clients are much more likely to trust someone they know over a random ad in the local newspaper. Because of this, you should consider starting a referral program that rewards clients with discounts when a friend or family member books with you. This makes it more likely that they’ll recommend your service.

  1. Work With A Cause

While many customers and clients choose specific services based on quality or price, others judge companies by their values. With that in mind, you should consider working with a charity in your local area, whether this means photographing the event for free or offering a service as a prize of some kind. This will help to get you noticed by a much wider market, while also showing you to be a brand that cares about community and charity.

  1. Act Like A Professional

Building a business requires passion and enthusiasm, but it’s also a lot of hard work. If you want to see real successes, then you need to take the task seriously and act like a professional. You need to meet your deadlines, answer or return important phone calls, and do your utmost to deliver a quality service every time. If this is something you can’t or won’t do, then clients won’t want to work with you, and your company will join the many that fail every year.

Starting a photography business is easy, but growing it into something successful is an entirely different story. That being said, by following the advice above, you should have a much better chance.

DISCLAIMER: This post is a collaborative post and may contain affiliate links.

LINDA TENCHI TRAN

Content Creator from Boston.
I’m here to help you with style tips and options, finding the best deals, and helping you to feel confident & comfortable in your own skin with whatever you choose to wear.

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