Every year I like to honor the top digital products photographers can use to grow their businesses. Below are 13 go-to items for this year ranging from software to presets to training. This post includes affiliate links.

Best Photo Editor

Luminar 4

Luminar 4 is a program that you can tailor to multiple photographic styles. Available for both Windows and Mac, the software supports cleaner gradients and automatic lens distortion corrections.

It comes with new camera profiles like vivid, Adobe standard, landscape, portrait, and more. The most recent update of Luminar promises improvements in speed across both Windows and Mac.

Learn More about Luminar

Best Lightroom Presets

Contrastly

The Contrastly complete preset bundle comes with over 1,000 presets with 26 different themes like Long Exposure, Portrait Retouch, Infrared Sims, and many more. From recovering shadows and highlights to adjusting exposure, this set of presets will help you create the final product you envision.

Most photographers realize that taking the photos is only the beginning and that editing is an art form in itself.

With this Contrastly Lightroom preset bundle, you can bleach your images a bit, adjust the foreground exposure, and enhance group photos.

Learn More about the Lightroom Preset Bundle

Contrastly also offers Lightroom Training.  Learn more about the Lightroom Mastery Video Course.

Best Contracts

The Law Tog

Ultimate Portrait Photography Contract Bundle by TheLawTog

The Ultimate Portrait Photography Contract Bundle helps you protect your business with lawyer/photographer-created contracts. This includes legal forms you’ll need to cover expectations for clients and safeguard your business.

The Ultimate Bundle has a Print Release form, Limited Model Release, General Model Release, General Portrait Contract, Permission to Sell to a Third Party and a Payment Plan Bundle. TheLawTog also offers the Basic Contract and the Essentials Bundle for people who need a little less.

Start Protecting Your Business

Best Album Software

Fundy Designer

Fundy Designer was created by Andrew Funderburg and runs on both Mac OS and Windows. To use it, just go to fundydesigner.com, download the trial and install it. If you get stuck at any point, there are multiple online tutorials to help you get the process started.

As soon as you’re ready to go, buy a license that fits your needs, such as Studio Suite Pro, Suite Pro, or Suite Lite. This software is well-designed and allows you to begin designing in one out of four modules: Gallery, Album, Image Brander, or Collage. In order to use photos in your project, just drag them from your computer’s images bar. This program is super intuitive and easy to use.

Start Using Fundy Designer

Best Logo Design

99 Designs

Launch a logo design contest with 99Designs

While there are a lot of free options on the web for graphic design, you’ll want something a bit more specialized for logo design. This can mean the difference between being lost in the sea of competitors online and truly standing out. 99Designs is a creative platform that allows you to hire talented designers to make your logo.

You can also start a design contest to get your graphic designs needs met, including custom WordPress themes or even book covers. You get to set your budget, receive ideas for a couple of days, and then make your selection.

Hire Someone to Create Your Logo at 99Designs

Best Training

Creative Live

Fundamentals of Photography

To be truly successful with photography, you’ll need a full understanding of the equipment needed and the technical aspects of your camera. The Fundamentals of Digital Photography will even show you how to make your creative vision a reality. Taught by John Greengo, a seasoned photographer, this training course emphasizes high-quality visuals and learning through experience.

The course will show you how to choose gear, how to properly utilize natural light, and how to make the most of composition, aperture, and shutter speed. With the Fundamentals of Digital Photography, you’ll learn to consider your ultimate goals and motivations with photography.

Learn more about this course.

Other Courses Offered at CreativeLive

CreativeLive offers classes on photo and video, money and life, art and design, and more. Here are a couple of other courses available:

Workflow, Time Management, and Productivity for Creatives

There’s a stereotype that says creative types are inherently disorganized, which can hold you back from getting into a good workflow. With the Workflow, Time Management, and Productivity for Creatives course, you can tackle your to-do lists, learn how to block out time, and beat your distractions.

Conquering Crappy Light

Working with subpar lighting can be frustrating. Since you can’t always control the light where you are, it’s helpful to learn how to work with it. In the Conquering Crappy Light course, you’ll learn how to capture beautiful photos regardless of the lighting conditions.

Free Courses at CreativeLive

CreativeLive also offers free courses like this Make Great Images with the Gear You’ve Got course.

Check out more free courses from CreativeLive

Best Deal Site

PhotoWhoa

If you want to become a better photographer, the products offered by PhotoWhoa can help. This online curation site gives you access to courses, books, and more, whether you’re a fashion blogger, food photographer, or a complete newbie.

A few examples of what they offer are 2665 Light Leak Overlays, a Photoshop Compositing Bundle, and software for easy image refocusing.

PhotoWhoa offers discounted photography products, with some eBooks or video courses marked down as much as 50 percent. Whatever your photography goals are, you’re sure to find something that will help on this site.

Start Using PhotoWhoa Today

Best Image Enhancement

Photolemur

Photolemur is a completely automatic enhancer for your photos and uses Artificial Intelligence to fix your pictures on its own.

Just import the image and the enhancer does the rest.

You can then define how your photos will look when they’re done and control the applied enhancement opacity using the smart slider feature in the program.

Photolemur 3 has a Facial Retouch tool that can improve the look of faces and six unique styles for perfecting your photos. While there is a free version of Photolemur available, it doesn’t offer batch processing and adds a Photolemur watermark to processed photos.

Check out Photolemur

Best Used Gear

KEH Camera

While you’re collecting your photography gear, don’t forget that you can buy used gear and also trade your used equipment.

Sources like KEH Camera, the largest used camera dealer in the world, are invaluable to creative professionals.

They have lenses and cameras from 60 years ago and have been serving photographers for over three decades.

They also have a full-line equipment repair department.

Check Out the Selection at KEH Camera

Best Podcast

ProPhotographerJourney Podcast

Chamira Young is a photographer who is obsessed with creativity and productivity. She uses podcasting and online teaching to help others learn how to reach their goals effectively. The ProPhotographerJourney Podcast lets you learn the craft from professionals as they explain what worked for them and what didn’t. Through this platform, you get access to tricks and tips from award-winning and successful photographers.

You can also check out the Portrait Party Success Kit offered by ProPhotographerJourney.com. Through this kit, you’ll learn how to gain clients, income, credibility, and testimonials for your business.

Check out our article about hosting your own portrait party.

Learn more about the Portrait Party Success Kit at prophotographerjourney.com.

Best Planner and Workflow

Although we often start out with the most productive of intentions, it’s easy to lose track of time. If you need help with time management, workflow, and planning, consider one of these tools.

Design Aglow Organization Help

The Big Picture Planner

The Big Picture Essential Planner will help you reach your larger creative goals by prioritizing your daily and weekly goals. This planner comes with more than 40 printable PDF pages, a 16-page guide for achieving your goals, cover options, planning worksheets, and much more. You’ll also get social and blog trackers, section cover pages, and planner sections for finances, inspiration, marketing, and more.

Essential Workflow & Organization Bundle

Every photographer has to deal with paperwork and scheduling, even though they really want to be out there snapping photos. You can automate these administrative processes using the Essential Workflow & Organization Bundle by Design Aglow. This comes with a Studio Workflow Assistant for systematizing your routine. It also has the Studio Email Assistant for communications and a process to simplify your invoicing process, the Studio Order Form.

Best Photography Business Book

Photography Business Secrets

Photography is undoubtedly a competitive field with over 150,000 professionals already in business in America. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned photographer, staying relevant in a sea of competitors is worth thinking about.

In Photography Business Secrets, Lara White has gathered some of the best advice from Photomint.com, her popular photography site. The book will help you with defining policies, establishing your name, marketing, networking, setting prices, and more.

Learn more about Photography Business Secrets

Best Photography Website Hosting

Imagely

If you’re looking for a turnkey solution, Imagely offers a fully managed system that’s easy to change and manage. You can set up a new website in mere minutes with a free initial account that includes pre-configured and pre-loaded themes and plugins.

Note that there is limited storage space on free accounts but that you may upgrade to get access to extra storage and a custom domain.

Check Out Imagely

As you can see, there’s no shortage of resources to make good photographers better and transform great photographers into seasoned professionals.

So you’ve successfully started your photography business.  One of the most important next steps is to build a portfolio website to represent your work.  In this post, we will cover everything you need to know.

Portfolio websites are a convenient way to showcase work for a photographer.  For pro as well as amateur photographers, a portfolio website is equally useful.  However, very few photographers have a portfolio website while the rest choose to be happy with a Facebook page, Instagram account or a 500px account.  Though these are good options to start with, these are certainly not the way to go for an independent photographer who is trying to build a business.  Before I delve into the finer details of building a portfolio website let me explain why portfolio websites are important.

Reasons why a photographer needs a portfolio website

Your photography website often is the first interaction you may have with clients.  A strong portfolio is an excellent way to introduce clients to your work.  It helps establish your brand and showcases your unique skills.  It serves as an essential marketing tool for your business.

You may be thinking there are many ways to present my photographs, why do I need a website?  Let’s look at some of the most popular choices that photographers opt for over portfolio websites, and how they limit the growth of a photographer.  Then we will cover why a portfolio website is a better option.

Dedicated social media photography accounts

 500px, Facebook, and Instagram are currently the top communities where most aspiring photographers flock.  The major disadvantage of these platforms is they are ‘closed’ communities which mean a photographer’s work can’t be seen outside these communities.  The other reason is these communities are almost non-existent outside photographers network.  It’s highly unlikely that a person with no interest in photography would look for a photographer on these communities which is an important aspect for a photographer to consider if one is looking to build a business.
These communities are mostly for photographers looking at other photographer’s work.

Directory listing & marketplaces

The other popular option that photographers go for over portfolio website are directory listings and marketplaces.  For instance, wedding marketplaces, are hugely popular among wedding photographers.  Most of them prefer to share the links to these directories with prospective clients. I have listed down a few reasons why this is a not so good practice to follow.   

Why should a photographer avoid sharing a link to a directory?

It’s a general practice among the photographers to share the link to their portfolios on directories when asked for sample photographs. Unknowingly, these photographers are making it tougher for themselves to be hired.  The three most prevalent psychological biases here are at play are:  

Choice paralysis

Availability of too many photographers doesn’t make it any easier for visitors to make a choice.  Instead, it’s overwhelming for most of them. So they either end up leaving the directory without contacting a photographer or looking at other photographer’s pictures.

This article on The New York Times and Kissmetrics, a leading analytics tool, explains how a visitor might end up abandoning a site because of choice overload.   

Decision fatigue

Decision fatigue is caused due to repeated decision making. Most people looking for photographers (not referred clients) are either working professionals or self-employed and are always making decisions.  Sharing the link to a directory with them adds another decision making to their work that more often than not results in a bad decision since they don’t think it through.
You can learn more about decision fatigue on Wikipedia.  

Lack of branding opportunities

Branding is an important part of building a business.  It’s nothing less true for photographers.  Every photographer has a unique style that’s represented in the photographs they take, to keep it that way branding is essential to tell one’s style from others.  Most directories lack features that fail to bring out the uniqueness in a photographer’s style.

Now that we know relying on marketplaces and directories is not a good idea, let’s look at how photographers can build their portfolio website.

So how do you build an impressive portfolio website?

Websites are an important part of branding.  Unlike other businesses a photographer’s website has to be more functional and more dynamic to give out desired returns which in this case is customers.  Let me make it more clear.  

Most photographers build portfolio websites for the sake of having one.  For a photographer bent on building a business, websites are a means to reach out to clients.  Your goal should be to build a visually stunning and search engine optimized website. (because your portfolio needs to be discovered and attract customers).

The two most common approaches to building a portfolio website (or any website for that matter) are WordPress and hosted website building platforms. I will discuss the two methods below, and you can choose which you are more comfortable with.  

Building a portfolio website with WordPress

WordPress is the world’s leading publishing platform.  It’s mostly preferred by pro bloggers to manage the content on their website. However, it’s a highly demanding platform. To build a portfolio website with WordPress, you would need a domain name, a hosting service provider, a portfolio-centric theme, and a designer to give shape to your website.  

The other way to build a portfolio website is to use a hosted website building platform.

If WordPress seems daunting to you, these are a great alternative. Most of these platforms are a paid service and require you to subscribe to their service for a fixed monthly or annual charge.  Apart from the custom domain name, there’s hardly anything that you need to buy. Hence, making these platforms comparatively more cost effective than WordPress.

Building a portfolio website with hosted website building platforms

There are thousands of website building platforms.  In case, you may be thinking that their usability is limited, let me tell you that these are extremely versatile and are capable of helping anyone with a little know-how of websites to build a top notch website that is nothing short of the sites created by professional designers.  Most of these platforms cater to a vast audience, but there are some that specifically cater to creative professionals like photographers, artists, fashion models and more.  

Another good reason to use hosted platforms is they come with a gamut of features that are specifically meant to promote their work online.  For instance, optimizing pictures for search engines, putting the pictures in clear frames for better visibility, local SEO optimization and more.

Key elements of a photographer’s portfolio website

With the availability of numerous portfolio building platforms, creating a website has undoubtedly been easy.  However, building an effective portfolio website is still a mystery among most creative professionals. An effective portfolio website attracts visitors and eventually turns them into paying clients.  Well, at least that’s what we expect.  It turns out that every visitor on a website shows almost the same behavior, yet a few go on to buy or in our case hire a photographer.    

Consumer psychology is too vast to predict which visitor will hire a photographer while on their website. Thankfully, you don’t have to worry about that.  Conversion rate optimization (CRO) is a process that understands these challenges and addresses these problems.  Most of the time changes in website design are the only solution to overcome these issues.

Based on the best practices to optimize conversion rate, there are few elements that photographers must take care of while building their portfolio website.

These key elements are:

Optimized photographs  

The size of a processed photograph normally ranges between 12-15 MB, by web standards, it’s too heavy to be used on a website.  Firstly, it will negatively impact the speed of a portfolio website.  It’s better to compress the photographs (which retains the quality but reduces their size).

Another important thing to note while optimizing photographs is to add alt text (short for alternate text) to each photograph.  Search engines like Google, Bing, and others can’t read images, and alt text helps them to understand a photograph.  This increases the chances for photographs to show up in image searches.   

Mobile Optimization

Tablets and smartphones are now used comparatively more than PCs for personal research.  Though the websites created with most platforms are mobile optimized, there could still be glitches like unaligned photo frames, distorted pixels, and more that you might see on mobile.  These glitches are a result of variations in CSS/HTML code that are generally caused by the size of photographs put up on the website.  Seeking support from the platform’s team is the ideal option in such cases. It typically takes about a minute to 5 minutes for them to fix it.  Also, ensure that you learn the cause, so you upload your photographs accordingly in the future.

Social proof  

Visitors on a portfolio website sometimes are apprehensive about hiring a photographer especially when they have discovered them on the Internet unless they have been referred to them by a credible source.  Testimonials from clients can help eliminate those inhibitions.  Identify your best and most satisfied clients and ask for a testimonial or reference you can publish.  Most people will be happy to help, especially if they are a satisfied client.  Once you have secured a few testimonials, publish them on your site to add credibility and social proof.

Hopefully, you’ve learned the key points about building your portfolio.  Go ahead and surprise your prospective clients with a stunning portfolio website. 

Photography Spark readers can save 10% the first year of a Pixpa subscription with code:  PSPARK10

When we hear the word ‘branding,’ the first thing we think of are logos, Pantone numbers, and serif fonts. But it takes more than a beautiful website to create a brand that gets noticed and remembered. 

If you want to build a successful, sustainable photography business that fits in with your lifestyle, instead of running you ragged, you have to understand the key elements that make up a memorable brand.

So, other than a website, what does branding involve exactly?  

Let’s start with a definition of branding.  Seth Godin sums it up perfectly:

It’s all about the value you can provide for your client.  You don’t have to be a CPP or Master Photographer to pick up a camera and say you’re open for business.  Just about anyone can say they’re a professional photographer and start charging accordingly, which is why building a strong brand is more important than ever in an overcrowded photography market.  

Aside from having strong photography (and people) skills, your ability to create a solid brand that people can connect to (and want to spend their money on), will determine whether you stay in business for the long haul.

Read on to learn how to build your successful photography brand and land those dream clients.

how do I start building a solid brand?  

There are three key elements that you MUST know inside out before you can start building your personal brand. They are:

What you do (services)

Who you do it for (clients)

How you do things differently to your competition (unique selling proposition).  

Ideally, you should know your who/what/how inside and out, before you open for business, but it is still possible to turn things around even if you’re an established business.

Understanding these three crucial elements, and the subtle changes you can make to things like your copy and the way you structure your pricing will help position you for success.

Why do clients love a strong brand?

The right branding can speak to clients on a more subconscious level. Think of a brand or product you love. What makes it stand out to you? Is it the simplicity, design, and consistency of the product?

On the other hand, a product you feel has good branding and is a product you love and immediately recognize, may mean something else to others. Maybe they roll their eyes because they don’t like the product. Either way, this is successful personal branding. It is memorable, recognizable, and appeals to people on different levels.

What is the foundation of a strong brand?

With your photography business, a strong brand is going to start with you. Your personality is going to play a significant role in attracting dream clients. You will be spending time with them, and because of this, you want to connect with them on a more personal level; doing so will ensure that they have a more positive experience with you as well.

Let your clients get to know you even before they reach out to you. Include a lot of important information on your website, tell your story, and use social media to connect. Allow your dream client the opportunity to connect with you and your personal brand through your personality.

How do I decide who my perfect client is?   

Start by doing your research. No doubt, you’ve heard the term “demographics.” It’s how we group together particular types of markets based on common factors like gender, income, relationship status, and geographic location. This gives us a general picture of where our clients live, work, and play.   

But demographics alone isn’t enough to get inside the head of our ideal client – which is where we need to be in order to craft a clear message that connects and gets them excited to work with us.  Remember, photography is an emotional buy so, in order for your ideal client to make a connection with you, you have to understand their core values and beliefs.

In my online program, Brand Brilliantly, I show photographers how to position themselves strategically and attract clients they love to work with (you know, the ones that make work feel like fun!). We start by creating an ideal client profile or avatar. We give them a name, job, age, etc. and really dig into who this person is and what they value most when it comes to purchasing photography services.  

One of the core values of my pet photography clients is that they value those who are like-minded and don’t judge them for their relationship with their pet.

Aren’t all clients good? Money is money, after all… 

No. All clients aren’t created equal.  Some will work you to the bone and beg for a bargain if you let them.  You’re in charge of YOUR business, so you get to decide who you work with!

To help narrow down your ideal client, conduct an audit of your past clients.  If you’ve been in business a while, or even if it’s only been a hobby up to now, then you’ve no doubt got a reasonable size pool of people you’ve already worked with.  

List the traits and characteristics of those you liked working with (and those you didn’t). This will give you a better understanding of who you want to work with and why.

How do I get my ideal clients to notice me?

Having clear, consistent messaging on everything you put out there via your website, social media platforms and email list will help build up the like, know, trust factor and allow you to connect on a deeper level with clients before they’ve ever met you.  (Note: This also works to repel the kinds of clients you don’t want to work with – which is exactly what you’re after!)   

In my own business, my USP, or unique selling proposition, is: “I’m an intimate photographer for babies with and without fur.”  Sounds simple, right?  That actually took a long time to craft, but it speaks directly to the type of client I want to draw in while turning off the ones I don’t.

Only once you’ve honed in on your ideal client and crafted a message that resonates, can you then start to build a solid brand.

How do I choose colors and fonts that match my brand?

Another way to infuse your personality into your photography business is by choosing colors and fonts to match your brand. As you begin establishing yourself and your brand, you should be able to adequately describe your brand in about three words. You should then use colors and fonts that complement those three words to describe your brand.

How do I become the right photographer for the right people?

You can’t (and shouldn’t try to) be everything to everyone. Get yourself known in the industry by first finding your niche and then putting all your energy into becoming the best.  Being fantastic in one or a few specific areas of photography is always better than being a jack-of-all-trades – and that goes for any industry!

One of the best things about becoming known as an expert in your field is that you’ll be able to command higher rates. This has the added benefit of allowing you to do fewer sessions while earning more money.  

I specialize in pet photography, so my clients want to work with me because I get incredible results, and they are willing to pay more for my expertise.  Making that distinction in my business has allowed me to go from shooting 100+ sessions per year to only shooting around 50 sessions while making (a LOT) more money.

How do I create content that engages my dream client?

When you are trying to find the right people for your brand, you need to create content that will appeal to them. This content can be in the form of blog posts, videos, your favorite photos, social media posts, and more. If you took the time to research who your dream clients are, then you should already be aware of their pain points and what they may be interested in. Address those pain posts with your content. When creating content, make sure to keep your personal branding in mind.

What should I focus on to build a solid brand?   

• Your photographic style: If you have something that sets you apart, everything trickles down from there: choose products that compliment your style.
• Product focus: your products should be a reflection of your photographic style and compliment the way you shoot.
• Studio environment: your studio, or the way you present yourself, should be a reflection of your personality and style – even if you don’t have a studio.
• The experience: this is such an important piece of your brand because it’s what gets clients talking about you (good or bad). In our industry, the customer service we provide is a huge aspect of how our business is perceived and valued by customers.
• Cohesive marketing identity: every piece of photography marketing you put out to the world must have a similar look and feel. Use the same colors, fonts, style elements in all marketing materials including website, social media, and anything associated with your studio or services.

There are literally thousands of photographers to choose from, so it isn’t enough to be great at what you do. If the photographer down the road is doing the same thing, for around the same prices, then people can only make their purchasing decisions based on intangible factors like trust and credibility.  

Of course, these things don’t happen overnight; they take time to build. You can start by explaining in your copy how you work and setting the expectation upfront so there are no surprises.

How do I get clients to trust me before they meet me?

When we’re talking about our brand, it’s not just our business; we’re branding ourselves too. The best way to build trust is to share who you are on your website or social media.

That doesn’t mean sharing every little detail on your Facebook page, but keeping things real, and being authentic in everything you put out will make you more relatable and likable.

I’m a very private person, but I do share some fun facts about myself on my About Page and through social media channels, like my kids ‘helping’ me on shoots, or that time my little bro wore that crazy Christmas suit to a family dinner :)

Giving glimpses into who I am as a (real-life) person allows people to connect with me on a personal level. If I only share my photographic accomplishments, talk about myself in the third person, and constantly bang on about how super passionate I am about photography, I’ll not only bore everyone silly, no one will be able to connect with me on an emotional level.

Remember, people want to work with other people (not businesses), so sharing sneak peeks and glimpses into your own life will help potential clients feel like they already know you. Just be careful not to overshare – keep your underwear, marital woes, and political views, out of it!

What are some other tips for building a personal brand for my business?

Understanding your competition can offer you some much-needed inspiration. It gives you the chance to come up with ideas on how you can better differentiate your brand from others while also reflecting on the experience they have with your brand.

Not every professional photographer does the same type of photography either. So, when building your own strong personal brand, you need to make it very clear what kind of photography you do. Outline your strengths to create something more memorable and relatable. You can also use your strengths to come up with other marketing ideas to boost your brand.

Now you can bring your personal brand to life. Think about your communication channels and how you will get your personal brand to work for you. It is not something you want to keep a secret. Consider many avenues for your personal brand including your website, social media, your logo, and email list to start with.

How do I create a memorable client experience?   

I’ve already mentioned that the client experience is a vital element for building a solid brand, but it’s so important to set you and your studio apart, that it deserves some more discussion.

The experience we provide for our clients is what gets them talking about us, referring us to their friends and family, and keeps them coming back as happy customers. Think about how you can go above and beyond to wow your clients during the photo session.  

Maybe it’s as simple as answering your phone instead of letting it go to voicemail, or writing a handwritten note thanking them for their business. It may seem small, but it’s the small details that count the most.

Building a solid brand based on mutual respect and trust is no easy feat. It’s something that takes time, money, and planning. This is NOT something you can change overnight (and branding is not *just* a logo!)

If you want to build a career as a photographer and actually make a good living without burning out, or having to work a second job, then you need to focus on your branding, there’s no other way.

Spending the extra time in the startup phase of your business or putting things on hold while you do a review of your existing brand, will mean you don’t ever have to hustle to get new clients or run endless promotions that only attracts price shoppers and deal seekers.

Have you got a solid brand for your professional photography business? Is your booking schedule wait listed with people you can’t wait to work with? If you answered no, then it could be time to review your branding so you can position yourself for success in a busy market and attract a greater number of prospective clients.

You should also take a look at your photography marketing ideas to see if they align with your brand to attract the ideal audience.

At the end of the day, I want to have more fun at work and have the freedom to spend time with my young family without having to work crazy hours just to make ends meet. If that sounds good to you too, then I urge you to take the time to invest in yourself, your business, and start building your brilliant brand!

Have you ever had to rebuild your business from scratch in a new area?  I’ll put my hand up here, I have! Was is overwhelming?  Absolutely!  Maybe you’re just starting out!  (that’s overwhelming too), been there!

I started my entrepreneur photography journey 10 years ago, it was tough! When I started I had no idea what I was doing, to top that I was in an oversaturated market filled with photographers, yikes!

I learned a ton from all of my mistakes, (a few wins too) heck I could write a whole entire blog post on “what not to do” and how it sent me broke and did not contribute to profitability in any way shape or form! Then just 4 years ago I moved interstate where I had no connections and I had to start that business all over again! I know you can just feel my overwhelm set in at its absolute best!

In a nutshell, I was more than ever determined to make a good go of it and avoid those same mistakes I had previously made, I was determined to grow a profitable photography business in a short period of time (which I did).

Before and After for my Photography Studio

Needless to say, these strategies that I will go through with you in this post are tried, tested and proven! I hope these strategies help you go from struggling or from start-up to profitable as they did for me! I built my 6 figure portrait business on these strategies from the ground up within 18 months.  Let’s help you get there too!

Deciding on a Business Model 

Deciding on a business model and how you want your business to ultimately run and profit is extremely important, so you can reach those goals.  Without a plan or direction, your business kind of just floats and will fizzle out. Every sustainable business needs a direction and route to follow, (Just like an airplane if they were all just flying around in the sky with no route or destination there would be fatal crashes and no one would ever get to their destination).  After being in business 5 years previously I knew I needed to shake things up and it’s the reason why I turned my business model around completely and I am so thankful I did. 

Keeping It Small & Specific

If I was asked if I had any advice for those starting out it would be to avoid these couple of mistakes at all costs.

When you are starting out in your photography business I get it you want to be seen as an expert so you take any job and all jobs that come your way just to prove (to who I don’t know – maybe ourselves) that you can photograph and everything. Noooo don’t do this – it was a huge mistake that I did in my business in the early days. Don’t try and do everything & please above all things that are good, do NOT do the things you don’t like/love.

For me, it was mini sessions and the every month sessions for babies! Why you ask…

You are thinking if I do everything I’ll look like an expert where in fact you DON’T look like an expert at all.  Would you go to a doctor to get a filling in your teeth? No – you go to the expert right? It wasn’t until this hit me that I niched that I started getting a huge increase in my bookings! Small & specific = authority and increased bookings for what you specialize in. The thing I loved about the change as well is, I got rid of the things I was never thrilled about photographing – WIN!

Do not book and photograph the things you don’t love – the money isn’t worth it, here’s why!  Because when you are not passionate about the things you are photographing you just don’t do the job justice, no matter your skill set level!  

Wedding photographers that specialize in weddings excel at them then if they try their hand a pet photography and just don’t enjoy it the photos are ok (because at the end of the day they can still take photos) but the photos are far from amazing! It affects your word of mouth – it affects your sale – it affects how you feel about the photos you produced it’s just not worth the money or the headaches from unhappy clients!

Brand – Aesthetic

Consistency is so important… Be predictable! I see photographers go through stages from one shoot to the next – I get it they are growing as an artist but to have a profitable business you need to be – consistent, consistent, consistent. 

This includes things like:

• The feel and look of your brand

• Website appearance 

• Fonts you use 

• How you edit your photos.  Develop your own, instantly recognizable, look.  Be consistent so your clients are confident they will get that look with you.

 • Messaging and how you communicate with clients

• Social media accounts

• Content

When it comes to your brand and what people see the aesthetic of your brand is super important! I get it, in the beginning, start up costs are painful but if there was anything you should invest in I’d strongly suggest that it be your brand and your visual appearance.

Your website in your shop front most of the time, when it’s not word of mouth or referrals.  Choose a great website theme and invest in a designer to make the design look polished and professional.

The Million Dollar Mindset:

Now, this my friend is the holy grail in building a profitable business.  If you don’t think you can’t simply put you won’t!  If you don’t think people will buy that or it’s not worth that much then they won’t!  

This was a steep learning curve for me and a huge personal development stage I had to go through.  I went into a shoot excited for them connecting with them talking about their world and what was happening for them.  I did this regardless if I was desperate for clients – (no bookings) or if my world was falling apart.  

Then when they came back to choose their images, I recounted on what was happening at the time of the capture (I connected with them) and I added value to the products I sold by asking them if in the future they would rather sit together as a family and remember these amazing memories together on the couch and remember shelly so little in dad’s hands or would they prefer to look at this moment on their wall in their hallway and remember that one moment every single day.  

This is when I could proudly say and hold my head high that I had given them such a valuable experience and captured memories for them that were worth even more than any price tag I was confident to let them know the total value of what they chose.  Once I learned this skill and how vitally important it was – I sold my clients things they loved and craved EFFORTLESSLY (no sales speech here folks) This put me into the 6 figures within 18 months of moving states).

Networking:

I’m talking about actual coffee dates and introductions…

I’m not talking social media here guys!  Get out, introduce your awesomeness to the world don’t hide away behind your keyboard!  People need to know who you are so they can refer to you, so be brave and get out of your comfort zone!

Don’t stay small because you are new, you need to get out and meet people who would align with you well (I’m not talking conflict of interest – but rather other industries that align well with yours).

Example:  if you are a baby photographer; a baby shop, a midwife, an obstetrician a lactation consultant these are all industries that align with yours and you all have the same clientele mums/families and their newborns!

Another example:  if you are a wedding photographer these aligning industries could be – jewelers, wedding venues, celebrants etc.

You get the picture, spread your gold dust everywhere!  Give people you are networking with a reason to rave about you and what you do – give them gift vouchers for your services to give to their VIP clients.  That way it’s enticing their clients to use them and to top it off they can get an awesome service with you and it makes them look good and put an additional value to their service – win win.

For more examples, read our ultimate guide to photography networking.

Pro Tip:

A one up on the networking ideas above is to gift these people you are networking with, a session with you to experience your service for themselves first hand – WOW magnet gold dust right here, let me tell you…

When you do your job well and let these people experience your service and products how your clients do, they will not stop talking about your name! (literally, these are now VIP clients of yours and will be your walking marketing machines on autopilot)

You will want these people to have the best experience with you and your brand and the result of providing this service to them will come back to you over and over again!

Be Yourself ALWAYS:

Be real – don’t try to be perfect, be you!

Turns out people want to know who you are and want to be your new BFF… Let me introduce to you the new best thing you could ever do since sliced bread to build a strong profitable business brand…. Drumroll, please….

The Know, Like, Trust strategy

The Know, Like & Trust strategy, will take a prospective client from – who is this/service to I want coffee with them when I bump into them in town – I want to hang out with her… Your new BFFIt’s seriously like a magnet – by having your prospective clients ‘know” you, they will then go on to like/love & trust you, this, in turn, will cause you to be the authoritative go to figure within your area and industry/niche…

It’s seriously like a magnet – by having your prospective clients ‘know” you, they will then go on to like/love & trust you, this, in turn, will cause you to be the authoritative go to figure within your area and industry/niche.

Some things you can do to create the Know, Like, Trust for your brand:

Being entertaining, educational and shining your personality throughout your emails, blog posts and social media content (let your personality shine through in everything – just like I have in this post! Reading my experiences you are more likely to understand and trust that what I am saying is worth listening to by the experiences I have shared with you that helped me to create a profitable business. 

You might even feel like you know me a little because I’m writing this as if I was talking to you one on one, over my favorite caramel cappuccino, rather than a 5 step strategy point form post right?

Other things that help with this are LIVE social media videos.  Seriously how much more personal can you get? 

Engaging with your audience live and in the moment allows them to speak to your personally.  They can ask you anything in the comments (these questions are gold – a great way to find out how you can help your audience).

Learn more about how to stand out with Facebook Live.

Other things that create Know, Like, Trust with your clients are Instagram stories/snap chat etc.

Behind the scenes is always super magnetic.  Show  what you are up to in your day to day running of the business, put a bit of personal stuff in there too – coffee, your cute little pup or kitty, anything that isn’t work that you would love to share with the world this will help your audience to feel like they are in your world and you are sharing your world with them!

Messaging that creates value

Model calls/offers were a huge part in my early days when re-building my photography business in a new area, we will talk about those next but first of all, I want to talk about languaging!  This is something that changed the direction of my business when I understood the importance that the language I used had if I wanted to build a profitable photography business.  

I had to do a complete 360-degree mindset on this, gosh there is so much to learn before we even get the camera out isn’t there? This is definitely one area I’m passionate in sharing how effective this will be for you and your brand when you understand it too!

Mindset is EVERYTHING! Do you actually believe you are worth it? Or are you charging a random figure you’ve pulled out of a hat because that’s what everyone else is charging?

The words you use will be a huge factor in how prospective clients will perceive your services and who you want to attract. Certain words will add value to your offers/services/products and there are other words that tend to detract from the value of your services and we don’t want that!

Words like….

Complimentary, Gifted, Exclusive, Special Offer, Bonus, valued at, Fine art, wall art, Pictures, Images, Moments, Connection, Investment all make you feel like you are getting something extra or make you feel something which adds value to what you are offering (even at the very beginning of your business journey)

On the flip-side words like…

Free, Everything Included, Pics, Snaps, Buy, Cost are words that tend to cheapen a service/offer/product! Seriously, ain’t no one got time for that!

 A Word on Messaging when Advertising your Offer/Service/Products

Words like…

This amazing collection is Valued at $

instead of

This package would usually cost you $

Can you see how the first adds value and makes me feel like I’m getting all this for an amazing opportunity and If I liked everything I would be likely to purchase/invest in more?  The second makes me feel like I would usually be handing that money over and doesn’t give me the same feeling of value?

 renaming the “MODEL CALL” – effective messaging for “free offers”

This is another thing that DRASTICALLY changed the perception on my “model call offer” by changing the name “model call” to something like “Exclusive offer”, (see how exclusive offer sounds so flipping exciting and I’m going to miss out if I don’t take you up on it. I would also put a valued at $… ( a little bit of scarcity like any offer that’s ending) It added so much more value right there by doing that! Just with a few simple words that scream value. I no longer had clients that wanted everything for nothing

Pro tip:

When putting an offer out there be sure to add the dollar amount of what the offer is worth so it adds value to what you are putting out there. eg:

Model Call – Looking for a newborn under 2 weeks old to use some of our beautiful new wraps in the studio… Must be willing to sign a model release so we can use the images taken for advertising!

For your valuable time, you will receive 2 matted prints and a professional newborn photo shoot. Then add the “valued at” amount which would be (the session fee + the 2 matted prints) ie: this collection is valued at $420 for example.

This will set your special offer /model calls with clear and specific guidelines that run with your business model so there will be no confusion as to what the client will receive – this will stop questions like – “oh I thought we would be receiving all of the photos on a USB stick” *Awkward! (been there)

(hallelujah for that)

An Official Word on Model Calls

Ok, now that we’ve covered a little on messaging and how important this is to your offers to attract clients that value your work lets chat about the offer it’s self.

When I moved interstate it meant that I had no “word of mouth” marketing yet to spread the word/love around about my services and what I had to offer.  I decided I needed to get a little more proactive and show the people in my new area that I was worth every penny and show them by my work that they would regret not coming my way! 

I created a blog post on how I was new to the area a little about who I was where I came from and my expertise which I got ranking on google quite quickly.

From there I attended a baby market that was held monthly in my area.  I created raffle tickets with an offer attached which I offered for everyone to fill in at no charge to enter if they showed interest in my work with my displays.  They would fill in to win a “complimentary” (notice I didn’t say FREE) session with 2 beautiful fine art matted A4 prints ready to frame!  Valued at $…  I had so many people fill these in month after month and I was consistently at these markets. I attended without fail each month for 14 months.  After about 6 months I was noticing when people would fill in the “where did you hear about me” on my website contact form that the name of the market was coming up quite regularly so I knew this was definitely working.

I drew a WINNER each week/month I would get them to come back and choose their 2 images and 80% of the time the clients wanted more, they were going to get newborn photos anyway regardless of them winning and they were grateful to win such an amazing prize and they valued it.

By doing my model calls this way it attracted clients that valued what I offered.  It created buzz about my business and word started spreading quite quickly about what I was offering.  They could only enter at the markets so started some buzz for the markets too.  Then people started to enquire for regular sessions quite quickly the word of mouth started taking off.

Pro Tip:

The remaining entries I would post them a letter to their mailbox (everyone loves a personal note and voucher right?)  I offered them 50% credit towards the session fee (notice I said CREDIT I didn’t say 50% OFF or DISCOUNT) and I would get about 25-50% of these offers book in their session – this is valuable to me because they are investing and committing to a session and they feel valued and appreciated with an extra BONUS :)

For the first 6-12 months, this is how I SOLELY ran my business and got known in the new area quite quickly! Then after doing this and throwing my talent around like hot cakes, bonuses and special offers like my raffles at markets WORD of mouth advertising began and ran around like hot cakes – My town got a taste of my service/offer/product I had so many sessions to blog and rank on google and prospective clients were excited to book with me.

Customer Service PLUS

If you want to up your word of mouth in your business here is a tip, go the extra mile and set expectations then EXCEED them!  Offer exceptional customer service.

When I photographed a wedding the contract stated the photos would be ready in six weeks!  I would have them ready in TWO weeks and have a little extra something with the package they ordered. Depending on what their order was.

It could have been a bonus few prints for mum and dad, or it could have been a canvas wall art for my couple as a surprise of their favourite moment from their day – going the extra mile is one of the best things you can do as a service and move forward with building a profitable business.  The word of mouth from doing this will absolutely explode and your inquiries will triple from doing this alone.  

Old school marketing and it works and best of all you feel amazing in giving back!  You can only do this though when charging correctly another perk when running your business to thrive not just survive!  If you are just scraping by there is no way you would be able to afford to do this. 

Blogging Exploded my Inquiries, Bookings & Profitability

When I moved interstate and had absolutely no bookings, word of mouth referrals and nobody knew me I knew I needed to somehow get in front of people looking for newborn & baby photos. I had worked out the recipe that converts and decided to quickly put it into place in my new town. I did as many photo shoots as possible, started blogging like crazy and I started ranking on page ONE of GOOGLE on multiple search terms.  It wasn’t long after this that my inquiries started pouring in!  

Ultimately it grew my business because I was getting in front of the people that needed and was actively looking for a service like mine.  It created brand awareness and authority because I was everywhere.  People were keen to book in and secure their spot with me because of how often I was blogging I looked extremely busy and they didn’t want to miss out! By seeing me on Google, across my social media platforms and my blog it created the like, know trust they now knew who I was and my inquiries skyrocketed which meant bookings = profitability for my business.

By seeing me on Google, across my social media platforms and my blog it created the like, know trust they now knew who I was and my inquiries skyrocketed which meant bookings = profitability for my business.  Read more about SEO and optimizing your website for search engines.

So many photographers don’t blog consistently because usually, they don’t know what or how to blog.. I’m so excited to share with you the formula that helped me to convert so many of my inquiries!  

So many photographers struggle with what to say on their blogs and how to be seen as the expert(connecting with their audience with know, like & trust content) – not anymore – can’t wait to see you in their my students are loving the content and supportive community!

Looking to convert your inquiries into clients?  I have put together a FREE e-course on creating blog content that converts.

Heart & Hustle

There are two ways to increase the revenue of your photography business: higher prices and more clients.

So which do we choose?

Why not both?

Here’s how you can not only raise your prices but also get more clients: build more trust.

If you want to build the kind of trust that gets you more clients and helps you raise your prices, you need to start writing.

3 Reasons Why Photographers Need to Write

1. Everything starts with writing

99% of this article is words.

And you’re reading them.  Lines on a page and I’m able to communicate thoughts, emotions, and stories with you.

If you think about it, everything that’s ever been sold has been sold with words, even things that don’t seem to need them.

Even before television, people were using words to communicate over the radio.

Before the radio, people used words in print.

Before print, we just spoke… with words.

Words are hard-wired into us.

Look, you’re still reading.  And as my friend Justin puts it, “that’s magical.”

2. Writing That Builds Trust

As photographers, we naturally assume that the best way to build trust with our clients is to show them our portfolio.  Once they see our work, they’ll know that we’re great photographers and naturally want to hire us.  Right?

Wrong.

Photos are fantastic for showing competency with our gear, but not for building the trust that gets us hired.

So we need to use words to sell more photos?

Yes, but no.

We have to use the RIGHT words.

There are words that you can write to achieve a sale, known as copywriting.

But there are also words you can use to build trust and provide value. This is called content marketing.

We need to have both, but before we can sell a potential client with copywriting, we have to use content marketing to provide value and build trust.

Why? Because people buy from those that they trust. When you provide value first, you earn permission to sell.

Keep reading and I’ll give you the ultimate formula to build trust with potential photography clients.

3. Writing = Google = Leads

97% of people who are going to book you are going to Google your services (or you!) first.  As a photographer, you need to be there when that search happens.

When people search for services on Google, 42% of people click one of the first three results.

For example, if you’re a wedding photographer in San Francisco, and 250 people search for that service every month, 105 of them are clicking on the first three results and 68 of them are clicking on the first result.

That’s 68 people looking to hire you coming to your website every single month.

That’s 816 NEW leads per year that could be coming to your site.

This is why writing matters for photographers.  Google does search for images and we can optimize those, but it mostly searches words to discover what a website is about and how well it covers the topic.

What’s awesome about this is that 99% of photographers are not going to write.  They like taking photos (that’s why they got into this in the first place) and don’t want to have to write as well.

And that’s great for you because you’ll instantly stand out and achieve top search rankings.

Why You Don’t Write

We’ve already established three really important reasons why you need to write, but if it were just as simple as choosing to write, you would’ve done it already.  After working with a lot of clients on marketing their photography business, I’ve found there’s really two big reasons that photographers are hesitant to write:

1. They Think They Aren’t Any Good

Think back to when you first picked up a camera.  If you were to look back at those photos today, what would you say?

They’re terrible, right?  But did the fact that you weren’t taking the world’s best photos stop you?

Nope.

Think about when you first started your photography career. When people first paid you for your work. How are those compared to your work today?

Still terrible? I bet.

Photography is a process where you grow over time and writing is the exact same way.

Doing it regularly with small tweaks over time has a huge impact.  If you aren’t willing to write poorly, you’ll never write well.

Be willing to be imperfect, at first.

2. They Don’t Think They Have Anything To Say

Lots of other photographers think they don’t have anything unique to say.  Not only will we take care of that will the blog post formula at the end of this article, but we need to realize that it’s okay not to have anything to say at first.

You write to find out what you have to say.

When I first started my podcast (now downloaded over 170,000 times), I had something to say.  But after about 20 episodes, I started to have even more to say because I was “in it.”

I was doing the work.

Just like podcasting, people prefer to read in a conversational tone.  If you can talk, you can write.

Everything I write is very similar to how I speak.

You’re reading this, so I know you get it.

Here’s another example of a wedding photographer that does that really well:

What To Write About

We start to think about crafting our message; we have to make sure we’re firmly established in their mind as the go-to expert in our field.

Establishing ourselves as the expert requires that we think about a few things:

First, why would somebody want to work with us instead of our competition? With so many amateur photographers turning “pro” every day, why would somebody book you instead of one of them?

Second, what benefits does working with you have that they won’t get anywhere else?  This isn’t talking about the features of working with you (those are things that are focused on you), but the benefits of working with you (what they get from your features).

For example, a Kindle Paperwhite has the feature of battery life that lasts for weeks.  The benefit of that feature is that you can spend time reading and not charging it.

We have to make sure that our writing sets us up at the expert.  Most people who hire us can tell how we may differ stylistically from our competition, but may not be able to tell the fine technical details that make us the obvious choice.

One of the coolest parts of the internet is that you can get in touch with the people who inspire you.  I’ve gotten a few messages back from Chase on Snapchat and when I asked him about how much to charge, that was his response.

Being premium means you need to do great work, but it also means you need to build a lot more trust.

A CEO has to trust you a lot more to pay $10k for photos than she does to pay your competition $900.

Here’s how to build that trust…

The Photography Blog Post Formula

Remember, the goal of writing blog posts about our work is to be found in a search, position you as the expert, and to build trust, not to make a sale.  This section literally breaks down the way that I teach my clients to write and how I write for them.  It also includes the most important parts of seo for photographers.

1. Title – In our title, we want to use the keywords that we’re targeting (portrait photography, wedding photography, etc.) and the location.  This lets Google know what kind of photography session you’ve done and where you did it.  Google is fantastic at context so don’t be robotic about it.  

Bad: “Brad and Misha’s Wedding”

Better: “Wedding Photography – Navy Pier, Chicago”

Best: “Stunning Sunset Wedding Photography at Navy Pier”

Rookie Mistake: I still see a lot of photographers using their client’s names in the titles. Unless you’re trying to rank in Google for their first names (i.e. “Tina and Tim’s Wedding”), we’re far better served focusing on keywords and location.

2. URL – In our URL, we can be a lot more robotic.

Bad: randomphotographer.com/rustic-golden-gate-park-san-francisco-wedding-photography

Better: randomphotographer.com/san-francisco-golden-gate-wedding

Best: randomphotographer.com/golden-gate-wedding (Google will know it’s in SF).

Rookie Mistake: Trying to cram everything into the URL.  You don’t need adjectives or details in the URL.  The more succinct it is, the better.

3. Content – This is the most important part of the post, so we’ll further break the content down into a few sub-areas.

Subject – Briefly talk about the subject of the session and your relationship with them.  It lets your reader know that your relationship with clients is extremely important to you and you’ll be fun to work with.

Obstacles – I’ve never met a photographer who didn’t have something go wrong the day of a shoot.  

Highlights – You can feel free to include these before and after the ‘Obstacle’ in order to sandwich it a bit, but finishing your article on a high note is important. We want to share some of the most amazing parts of the session/day with the reader, so they start to imagine themselves in that same successful position.

Link – Once your site visitor has finished reading your content, they may want to learn more about you so including a link to do that is super convenient for them.  This link might be to sign up for your mailing list, a link to your contact page, or your phone number.  On mobile devices (where most people will be seeing your site), the phone number will be clickable making it super simple for them to get in touch with you.

Photos – I always advise photographers to only include their five best photos from the session.  If you aren’t able to convince them to hire you in five photos, including all 70 of them isn’t going to change their mind.  If you’re using WordPress (which you should be), then inserting a gallery here works perfectly.

Link –  But, Brendan, didn’t we already include a link to get in touch?  Yes, we did. But the combined effect of your writing and your photos is going to be a one-two punch that will leave your reader wanting to get in touch or learn more about you.  Make sure that you’re phrasing things differently than the first link in the post (don’t copy & paste, now isn’t the time to get lazy), but link to similar destinations (phone, services page, contact page, list signup, etc.).

Here’s what that looks like:

How It Works

You’re a surf photographer based in California, and for every session, you follow the formula above.  When you’ve photographed 30+ surf events, and hundreds of surfers, who do you think is going to be found in Google when a major publication wants to license a photo?  Who is going to be found when a startup surf brand is looking for somebody to shoot their next look book?

You.

Remember that organic traffic from Google is driven by authority.  Showing Google you’re the authority on a topic and then using content marketing to turn those leads into clients is the best way to increase your revenue this year.  Learn more about Search Engine Optimization in the PhotographySpark SEO Cookbook.

Bonus: Because your post is much more optimized for conversion, you can use Facebook ads to drive traffic to it. Target your demographic that lives in the location or likes the venue you were at, and you’ve got a great start to an overall marketing plan.

I’d love to see the Photography Spark community take action and start converting that valuable website traffic into clients!

Have you ever done a Google search on the number of professional photographers in your local area?

I have. There are nearly a dozen professional photographers within just a three-mile radius of me. And that doesn’t even include the photographers that don’t show up in Google’s results.

Needless to say, we’re multiplying like rabbits. With the barriers to entry lower than ever for new folks to step into the photography game, you will have to put forth a conscious effort to distinguish yourself from the rest of the crowd.

Fortunately, there are some very practical strategies you can use to help your business both stand out and attract the clients that are a perfect fit for you. We’ll cover those best practices in this post.

1. Let your personality shine in your online presence

If you remember nothing else, remember this: people are buying into you as much as your photography skills, so make it a point to let your personality shine in your online presence. Nowadays, people want to be able to identify with your character, your quirks, and your values. They want to be inspired by you. This is especially true if you are a portrait or wedding photographer, where buying is as much an emotional decision as it is a practical one.

So how do you do this?

Add fun details to your website. Particularly, your About Page is an area that must absolutely reflect who you are. Include some details about yourself that make you unique, even if it is not directly related to photography. For example, mention some of your personal values that drive you, along with some quirky hobbies you do for fun. Even feel free to briefly mention the type of beverage you like to consume in the morning. This will go a long way towards folks resonating with you as a real person. In their minds, you become more than just a “service provider” or “vendor.”

Also, offer behind-the-scenes peeks into your business. Social media is particularly useful for this. Post photos and short video outtakes, as well as in-process content that shows off the making of your photos. During a photo session, have your assistant take some Facebook Live footage to engage your audience (with your client’s permission, of course). You are essentially entertaining and educating your audience, as opposed to constantly trying to make a hard sell. 

2. Hone in on your photographic specialty

When you are first starting out, it is understandable to take any and every type of client that comes your way. We have bills to pay, after all. I’ve seen single photographers take everything from wedding photography, to family portraits, to pet portraits, to product photography, to architectural photography, along with a bit of wildlife photography thrown in for good measure. It’s not uncommon to see the equivalent of the words “I’ll do anything you can think of” as a banner on a photographer’s website.

However, this can be harmful to your business in the long run. In most cases, the more general a photographer is, the more they are seen as a replaceable commodity. On the flip side, more specialized a photographer is, the more they are respected and paid for their expertise.

So while you may have to initially take everything in the beginning in order to survive, my suggestion is this: after about a year of being in business, step back and analyze your portfolio and client list. Ask yourself the following questions:

• What type of work did you enjoy creating the most?
• Which types of clients did you most enjoy working with?
• Which clients had similar values to your own?
• Which clients were able (and happy to) pay you what you are worth?

The purpose of this exercise is to help you identify which type(s) of photography and clients you should focus on. You are beginning to identify your area of expertise.

I fully acknowledge how terrifying it can be to move away from the “jack-of-all-trades” model to one that focuses on only a core handful of specialties. However, knowing who your ideal clients are will help you refine your marketing message because you will be able to speak directly to them on your website and social media. Additionally, you can identify where they are in person and go to networking events or shows where you can interact with them.

Once you have done this exercise for yourself, take it a step further: add a link to your website menu called “specialties”, and publish a handful of quality case studies from your past favorite clients, along with testimonials from them. Also, publish these case studies on social media, with a link back to your website. It will help you attract future clients who are a great fit for you.

Keep in mind that this can be a gradual transition process. While you will most likely still get requests for various types of photography, you will be able to identify the specific gigs that will move your business forward. Focusing on the right type of clients can catapult your photography business to the next level.

Read about developing your photographic style on the Contrastly blog.

3. Use video to show off your talent

Video can be a powerful tool to help your audience get to know you. It’s also convenient because, being a photographer, you most likely already have suitable equipment for it. I firmly believe every photographer should be using video to market themselves.

Short, interesting videos are a great way to engage your audience. In many cases, viewers no longer require every video you publish to be overly-polished. Especially with the arrival of Facebook Live, viewers tend to equate non-polished video with raw authenticity. As I briefly mentioned earlier, it seriously helps to have an assistant record the video footage during your actual photo sessions. I’ve even handed my assistant my own cell phone and had her go Live on Facebook for me while I work with clients.  Read more about using Facebook Live in your photography business.

Once you have these digital assets, you can post them on your website, on your Facebook business page, Instagram, and wherever else you can think of. They will work for you over and over again with every view they receive.

Of course, if your footage is blurry, overly shaky, or just generally crappy to the point of distraction, it can discourage the viewer from watching, so keep that in mind.

Learn more about video marketing for photographers

4. Treat your clients like the rock stars they are

It’s a hard truth: if you simply meet the expectations of your clients, you will quickly become forgettable. Replaceable even. Being “good enough” is simply not enough these days. You have to go above and beyond. This applies to every aspect of your customer service practices.

After you have delivered their photos, let them know you haven’t forgotten about them. Send them a thank you card or small token of your appreciation as a thank you for being so awesome. A simple gift can go a long way. Clients will remember their entire experience with you, from the very first conversation on the phone to that thank you card afterward.

5. A long-term strategy: keep in touch with your past clients with an entertaining, personable newsletter

The very first time I sent out an email newsletter blast to my past business clients, my fingers were literally shaking as I hit the send button. Needless to say, it was a nerve-wracking experience. However, imagine my surprise when I immediately received a reply thanking me for sending out the entertaining updates. They had thoroughly enjoyed reading about the happenings within their local business community. Within that same day, I later received another email from another newsletter recipient enquiring about a future photo session. Slowly, the dots began to connect for me. People liked this stuff when it was done well.

Keeping in touch with your past clients is crucial, and newsletters are an easy way to do that. They have spent money on you, after all, and studies have shown that people who have spent money on you in the past are more likely to spend money on you again, as opposed to trying to recruit a cold lead. These past clients can also send you referrals, which any photographer will tell you makes up a huge part of their business.

By the way, your email list doesn’t have to be huge, and your newsletter doesn’t have to be long. Just make it relevant to your community, and make it fun. Tell inspiring stories. Highlight happy clients and local places. Write short educational pieces. And for the love of all that is tasteful and decent, do not try to make a hard sell in every newsletter. There’s no faster way to turn people off then trying to sell them something every time they hear from you.

As far as email newsletter services, there are a number of them out there to get you started. PhotographySpark recommends MailerLite which is free to for less than 1000 subscribers.  It has drag and drop tools to make it easy to put together a tasteful newsletter. Mailchimp, Constant Contact, and Aweber are other popular choices.

Concluding Thoughts

As crowded as the photography industry seems to be today, there are still sensible, simple ways you can use to help your business stand out from the crowd.

By following these tips you will be well on your way to building a solid, strong business that will last for years to come.

And as an added bonus, you will have fun doing it!

For a bonus marketing tip, check out our blog post on hosting a portrait party as a way to grow your business attract potential clients 

Choosing a brand name is not a piece of cake as it’s one of the first things that creates an image of a company in clients’ minds.

And as it was confirmed in recent research – brand names do have a unique impact on our brains, even if we like to believe that we can “tune them out” or at least remain uninfluenced by them.

However, research has now confirmed that brand names affect us differently than other words, causing associations and connecting with the “emotional” right side of the brain.

A pretty good example here is ‘Kodak’. This brand name associates with two quick clicking sounds (made by cameras at that time) when the shutter was pressed.

What’s more, when the brand name ends on the consonant, like in ‘Kodak’, our brain perceives it as a complete name. This way, choosing to end your brand name with a vowel is much riskier as it can be subconsciously seen like something was missing in such name.

However, the most important aim for the founder of Kodak, George Eastman, was to stay outstanding from the others – he wanted to create an unusual brand name that corresponded to the kind of services he offered. Fortunately, he managed to combine all the aspects – idealistically and psychologically – of a perfect brand name.

Trigger Emotions and Use Fonts

According to psychologist Possidonia Gontijo of UCLA, ‘Our brain perceives brand names as a different category than words in everyday speech – brand names hold a “distinct categorical status,” and the recognition process uses special strategies. Even if reading is a very recent phenomenon in human history, the brain uses its existing machinery to set up special categories of words.”

That means, the difference between brand name and a common noun is driven by the associations. And those are even stronger when caused by emotions.

So your aim should be that your brand name brings concrete associations and (if possible) triggers emotions, as this way people will subconsciously identify the name with what you do.

For example, the name for a wedding studio ‘ “I do” Photography’ immediately associates with the happy event, so it brings more emotional connections than just ‘Anne Simpson Wedding Photography’.

Finding that perfect name is not an easy task. We have to be aware of what we’re doing and what impact it will have on our business. If we fail in creating a name for our brand it can do the opposite of what it should and we’ll stay unnoticed.

Here are a few rules you should follow to create a perfect name for your brand.

• Make sure that your brand name is a representation of you and your work. Keep it short and simple though. There is nothing worse than snake-like 5 words name. Nobody will be able to remember it. We are surrounded by brand names all the time and it’s a matter of seconds if the name will stick with us or not.
• Try to keep it unique and relevant at all times. What’s popular now, doesn’t have to be popular next month. You’ll lose the power of your name and nobody will care. If you think that some words or catchphrases will stick forever, you’re wrong. Think for a second what words were popular when you were child and how many of them are still in use today. You get the idea.
• Give yourself and your brand name a bit flexibility. Your business might grow in the future and it’s probably best to keep your existing brand name at the same time. So, don’t make it too specific, e.g. Tom – Dogs photography. By doing that you limit your possible business expansion.

While following the above, try to avoid the below:

• Don’t try to create similar name to an already existing one. Even if it’s hugely popular, it won’t have the same effect on you. You’ll be perceived as a copycat and that’s simply bad. Get creative, brainstorm with friends or even get help from random name generators. You have to stand out from the crowd, not imitate it. The advice here is, be very careful with getting inspiration from other brands. In fact, don’t even try to do it.
• As mentioned before, don’t limit yourself to one photography field. You can never know where your business might go. Your skill set is developing constantly and so do your interests. You probably already have at least two kinds of photography you enjoy, don’t you? Right now you may think that taking photos of pets is all you want to do, but maybe in the future, humans will also appeal to you :)
• Don’t change your name after a few years on the market. It’ll confuse your customers and force you to build your brand and authenticity all over again. By doing that you give people a reason to doubt in your business. Is the quality of the service at the same level? Can I still expect same approach towards me as client? Did the working staff change? It may seem irrational, because it’s just a name, but that’s how our brain works. We get used to things and brand names are no exception. Once you’ve granted yourself a safe place in customers’ minds it’s best to keep it.

A simple solution to avoid all those traps and having a brand name unique for you is….to use your own name. It’s not a revolutionary approach, yet it’s effective. You don’t have to sweat your brain too much or spend couple of hours brainstorming the brilliant idea.

However, since names are not always simple or short, you have to make sure that fonts and design you’ve chosen is uncommon and eye-catching. Otherwise, nobody will bother to remember it.

One last thing to remember are the visuals of it all. Try to make something up and create a unique brand name, according to the motto:

Descriptive names are easier to remember, but creative names are harder to Forget.

The visual side of your brand name is nonetheless important than its verbal side. As marketers say, ‘it should create an associatively consistent image’.

So, think like one and take care of the way your brand name looks. Make it unique by using characteristic fonts (find out why choosing fonts does matter on Design School), shapes and colors (here you can find some helpful websites that match colors e.g. Material Palette).

Do you think that McDonalds logo is yellow by accident? Or the shape of the letter “M” was randomly chosen? There is a whole science behind how we’re affected by colors and shapes. Look into that and use it for your advantage.

It’s also worth knowing that the human brain recognizes particular names even more easily when they are in capital letters. Be careful with it though; nobody wants to be shouted at!

How Can You Improve Your Brand Name?

Having your brand name already chosen is just the beginning, and you can always improve upon it too. Below we’ll show you how we successfully improved our brand name and how a relatively small change brought us a huge difference.

Our company, Photler, is quite new on the market so it’s no surprise that a lot of people haven’t heard about it yet. So we decided that we needed to present briefly to people what are we all about.

That’s why we’ve created a description to our brand name – ‘creating your personal brand as a photographer’ – in order to make our message completed.

Thanks to this, people unfamiliar with Photler could get the idea behind it. That resulted in 700% followers’ boost per week on our Facebook page.

We’re not a big company yet, so the sudden increase of 70 new followers per week instead of 10, made a huge difference for us.

As you can see, we haven’t changed anything – our promotion intensity stayed at the same level – and the only thing we’ve added was a brief description under the brand name of what we do.

Such action provides the knowledge of a service and further, the trust that it represents valuable content. So, make a difference in your photography brand name by enriching it with a short description presenting what kind of business you have.

And even if your brand name doesn’t need any explanation, why not use an underneath description to make your followers more active or just to make them laugh?

As you can see, some theory combined with practice can do a lot of good. And now, with the power of psychology by your side you can make a perfect brand name.

Also, keep in mind that companies which don’t have a logo are perceived as 38% less professional. So don’t wait any longer and use this knowledge to see on your own that it really works. Have fun and good luck!

Teach workshops

Deliver workshops or seminars to people who want to do photography as a hobby or specialize in a certain type of photography (e.g., street, landscape, architecture, etc.). You’d be surprised as to how many people in your small town are interested in picking up new hobbies, especially creative ones that are unique.

You can offer these classes at the local community center, your studio, or even at a church. This is an excellent opportunity for you to share your techniques and advice, while helping others to find their artistic voice. While most photography skills and techniques are taught online, or offered through books, nothing beats learning from someone in a hands-on environment.

Don’t think that you’ll be creating new competition in your market, remember that the breadth of potential customers and opportunities are much broader than just your town. Not everyone wants to practice photography for money, most people simply enjoy taking pictures for the love it.

By offering classes you’ll become the de facto expert in your neck of the woods, and people will often recommend and look to you for photography services. Not only will you make money from your workshops, you’ll be building a solid reputation in your town as the leading photographer.

Look for opportunities to work with local photography clubs or interest groups where you can teach or offer a class to members. If there is a nearby university, there are bound to be students who might be interested in learning photography. And if there happens to be a community college, perhaps you can find an opportunity to teach a class there.

The key thing to remember when offering workshops is, “What can I bring to students that they cannot do themselves?” For many students, this is simply being able to help them build their confidence, offering critiques or advice in real-time, and giving them words of encouragement to keep them moving in the right direction.

Speak at photography events

Many photography organizations offer workshops and seminars during their regional and national events. If you are a member of a professional organization, seek out opportunities to lead a seminar or workshop at these events. These are excellent chances for you build a reputation and be seen as an expert, which can lead to more referrals and shoots.

You’ll get a chance to speak with other members, vendors, retailers, and manufacturers from the industry who can expose you to important new contacts and opportunities.

The American Society of Media Photographers is one such organization that provides regular training for its members. You can apply to become a member here.

There are two types of opportunities to reach their members with your expertise. The first, ASMP Seminars will allow you to present at ~20 locations. Your seminar would be hosted at their 39 chapters and at various industry conferences. ASMP will cover your travel expenses, and pay a stipend for each presentation. While you’ll have to pass their screening process, and agree to use their presentation format, this gives you an excellent chance to build a reputation with photographers outside your area and open the doors to exciting, new opportunities.

The second option is to become listed with ASMP’s recommended programs. The society offers a list of programs to its chapter leaders, each program is considered based on strict criteria to ensure your workshop upholds their expected standards, and that your topic provides relevant information for members. Any financial and promotional arrangements will have to be made directly with the chapter (and its leaders), should they decide to host you.

There are dozens more photography organizations around the country, and even more around the world. Visit their websites and see how you can become an instructor or participate in a seminar at one of their events. 

Offer photographic services

Don’t let the fact that you live in a small town limit your possibilities, as I said earlier, you have to think globally. Since you live in a part of the world with a lower cost of living you could offer services such as digitalization, retouching, printing or publishing for far less than many photogs would pay in more expensive cities. Use the Internet, professional photography organizations, Facebook Groups, and forums to find photogs who may need your services.

Another way to serve the photography community is to create new Photoshop actions that you can resell online. A photoshop action is simply a series of tasks that you play back on a single file or a batch of files such as menu commands, panel options, tool actions, and so forth.

For example, you can create an action that changes the size of an image, apply effects to the image, such as contrast and detail, and then save the file in the desired format. Actions can include steps that let you perform tasks that cannot be recorded (for example, using a painting tool). Actions can also include modal controls that let you enter values in a dialog box while playing an action. You can see how creating actions can save other photogs countless hours processing photos after a shoot.

Similarly, you can create and sell Lightroom presets. There are numerous marketplaces where you can offer yours, here’s a list of ten of them.

Sell postcards

While there might not be much money in it, you can also license your photographs to greeting and post card companies. There are two types of postcard companies: distributors and printers. The printers operate nationally and usually provide ready-made postcards to local distributors. Here are a few postcard printers that buy pictures:

• • PCF Souvenirs
  • Dexter Press
  • McGrew ColorGraphics
  • John Hinde
  • Impact

You can expect somewhere between $50 and $100 per photograph, and most printers will be interested in purchasing multiple photographs. So be sure you have a large enough portfolio to present to the buyer. While you may not make much from a single purchase, licensing your photographs to a distributor will open new opportunities and may lead to other offers from competing printers.

For example, James Blank, a very prominent postcard photographer, advises others to sell non-exclusive licenses as competing printers often see postcards and reach out to license the same photo.

The other option is to self-publish your postcards, and offer them to stores and shops on consignment. You’ll effectively have to take on the costs of printing the postcards yourself, but you can work with the store directly to earn a modest income from their sale. If you live near a national or state park, tourist destination, or regional getaway this could be a strategy that works much better for you.

Provide complimentary event services

As a photographer you’ll likely be working with wedding coordinators, event planners, and individuals responsible for family parties and gatherings. That means you are creating relationships with the primary decision makers who spend on more than just photography for an event. This is a perfect opportunity for you to refer them to a party equipment rental company, or offer some of that equipment yourself.

Whether you refer your clients, or rent the equipment to them yourself, you become a problem solver for your clients, even if they decide they cannot afford your photography.

Let’s say after you have your in-person meeting with a couple for their wedding photography, and they decide to pass because they’re going for lower cost option (e.g., friend or family amateur photographer, guests photos, etc.). You want the ability to offer them an alternative, so that you can still bring in some income. That alternative could be something like a photo booth rental.

he good news is that there are many companies, such as Mashbooths, that offer franchises. Alternatively, you can strike a deal with a local photo booth rental company for a finder’s fee.

Many events require outdoor tents, bounce houses, outdoor lighting equipment, gazebos, tables, chairs, etc. You can work out a referral deal with a local party equipment company to get a finder’s fee in exchange for referring paying customers. This is a win-win for everyone as you’re able to solve more than one problem (i.e. offer more than just photography), avoid the hassle and cost of running a rental company, and find additional income to your photography services.

If you run a studio, consider doubling it as an instructional space for hobbyist or letting other photographers rent it. Looking back at idea #1, you could also use your space to teach a workshop. If you’re space is big enough, you should consider offering it as an event space for things like private dinners, parties, seminars, and talks. Large loft spaces, especially those with distinct features, are a magnet for event planners who are looking for unique venues to host their gigs.

Start a blog or podcast

You have a vision and bring something unique to the industry. Creating a blog and sharing your work will give you a global platform that may lead to passion projects as well as clients from outside your town.

If you’re too worried about the technical aspects of blogging, or gaining traffic, I suggest putting your work up on a site like Medium, which has a huge amount of traffic and publishing is as easy as using any word processing software. On the flip side, you can also try starting a podcast or becoming a guest on someone’s podcast to share your techniques or unique eye for shots.

If you’ve become exceptionally good at a particular type of photography, there are dozens of blogs and podcasters who would love for you to share your expertise and insights. Similar to blogging, podcasting will give you a platform from which you can reach people outside of your town, opening up new opportunities for work or connecting with other photographers.

So how do you begin?

There are hundreds of articles on How To Start a Photo Blog or How to Start Your Own Podcast.

The key to building traffic for your website is to guest post and appear on as many popular podcasts as possible. Here are some notable photography podcasts, where an appearance by you can go a long way in building a strong fan base:

• This Week in Photo (TWiP)
• TWiP Street Focus
• The Digital Story
• The Candid Frame
• The Photobiz Xposed podcast

As with anything, you should not expect overnight success. They key is to be consistent in posting your work, and then spending as much, if not more time, promoting your work through Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook. While it will likely take a few years of posting interesting work before you become someone worth interviewing for a podcast, it will be worth it.

Keeping your focus on the process of taking great photographs, and sharing your work on your blog, will help to keep you motivated as your start out. As you improve, and develop a unique vision, you’ll begin to build a following and opportunities for projects will start to present themselves.

Expand your territory

I mentioned earlier what someone considers “small market” is relative. You could be in a town where there are no stop lights and your downtown is only one or two blocks long. Or you could consider places like El Paso (Texas), Albuquerque (New Mexico), or Jacksonville (Florida) to be a small market.

The problem remains that you cannot seem to get enough photography clients from your town to sustain a living. If you’re near a larger city, town, or part of a bigger metropolitan area—looking for business outside of your town is a must. You can do this in a number of ways.

Start by joining a photography group in the larger, neighboring town, so that you can build relationships with other photogs. This is an excellent way to improve your craft, and create opportunities for yourself in the form of referrals and second shoots.

You should also look to these larger cities as places where you can strike deals with complementary businesses, and create a mutually beneficial referral system. Offer party rental companies, event planners, caterers, etc. a referral fee. Many chambers of commerce have formal “referral” groups that you can join in order to grow your business.

Lastly, look for opportunities in newsletters, Craigslist, local portal websites, and newspapers where you can advertise your services. While newspapers may be dying, in many small towns there are still the best way for citizens to keep up on what’s happening and new developments. Craigslist is and remains a great place for many people to advertise their services. Create a post in the subsections of the towns and cities you’re willing to serve within the “Services” section. You can also look for photography work within the “Gigs” section.

Get involved with your community

Having a solid network of people who can refer clients to you is critical, no matter how large or small your market may be. Becoming involved with your local Chamber of Commerce gives you a chance to build genuine relationship with local business owners who can either hire you or refer you to their clients.

Many Chambers offer “Lead Groups” where you meet once a week to exchange referrals, or inform other business owners about your services so they can keep you in mind. You should also seek opportunities to give back by volunteering to photograph local charity and community events. Not only does this give you a chance to practice your craft, but you can hand out your business card and let your neighbors know you’re a photographer.

The reality is that you may only be able to find enough photography gigs in your hometown on a part-time basis, no matter well you market yourself. If you love your day job, and only want to pursue photography part-time, that is obviously perfectly okay.

However, the added benefit of having other sources of income from photography means that you don’t have to work for cheap clients, low paying gigs, and you can seek out passion projects. The best part is that you can support your family with work from photography or photography related services — waking up everyday to do exactly what you love while sharing your expertise and insights with other photogs.

You pour your heart and soul into every little bit of your business. You bust your butt thinking about how to get over-the-top happy clients. They ask, you do it. Even when you hate it, you do it with a smile. They love the pictures. Then nothing.

You see friend after friend in their Facebook feed who could use your services, but they never pass your name to a single soul. Now, mind you, sometimes, you’re referred. And sometimes you just never find out you were. But just as often, no one spreads the word. What gives?

Here are the three essential principles behind great referrals. Work on them, and start building more business now.

Ask for the referral

This sounds too ridiculous to say, but here’s the biggest thing you can do right now to up your referrals. Ask for them!

Never assume great work means great referrals. Yes, some people will refer you for doing a good job. But many won’t. Why? Well, who knows, really. But do you always pass along referrals? People get busy. They have other concerns. They have no idea it matters.

If you’ve done a good job and your clients love you, they’re usually willing to help, but a lot of times, it doesn’t even occur to them. I’ve even had good friends who didn’t refer me, and when I asked why, they said, “Oh! I didn’t know it was important to you!”

Asking lets people know. It makes people feel good. When you say “Hey, I’d really appreciate it if you shared my name,” they actually get to know they’re doing something helpful.

But above all, when people say “Yes” to something, they’re simply that much more likely to follow through. Commitment counts.

So ask. And if you really want to go for it, do it right after you follow up. Here’s how:

Check in with your clients, and see if they’re happy. They do it at restaurants. They do it with service calls. You should, too. Your clients will appreciate the care. In fact, just checking-in builds your relationship.

9 times out of 10, your clients should be more than happy with you. And you know what’s the perfect thing to do when people are happy with you?

Yep. Ask for referrals.

Don’t be coy. Don’t be passive or cute. Just keep it simple and direct and make sure you ask in a way, where they say “Yes.”

“So glad to hear that! Hey, would you pass our name along to people who need photography? It means a ton to me.” That will do. Depending on the type of photography you do, you can be even more direct and ask if there’s anyone else they know who needs your services.

Just don’t beat around the bush and be passive. “Oh, hey, well, if you ever happen to know anyone who might be interested, I’d love it if you helped.” No, no, no. If you’re worried you’ll get a negative response, well, first, you generally won’t. Most of the time, if things were really bad, you would have heard. Marshall Field, a brilliant business person who just about invented the idea of the department store, said:

“Those who enter to buy, support me. Those who come to flatter, please me. Those who complain, teach me how I may please others so that more will come. Those only hurt me who are displeased but do not complain. They refuse me permission to correct my errors and thus improve my service.”

If you don’t get a chance to ask in person, and really, you should, but if you can’t, then at very least, send a nice letter or email—something—and ask for a referral there. Again, be direct.

Referrals happen to those who ask, and it’s some of the easiest business you’ll get.

Create shock and awe

We live in a media-saturated society of high expectation and massive entitlement. That’s just a long way of saying that it’s hard to get people excited. But you have to get people excited, if you want referrals. Remember, doing a good job isn’t just meeting expectation. No one gushes about people who meet expectation. You have to go above and beyond.

For example, in the book The Referral Engine: Teaching Your Business to Market Itself by John Jantsch, he shares the story of Mike McDermott of Freshbooks. McDermott posted an article about a new flavor of Triscuits. Jonathan, one of his customers living in Fiji, jokingly replied that he wanted to be removed from all postings mentioning Triscuits, because he was dying to try them out, but they don’t have them in Fiji. Seizing the opportunity, McDermott shipped several boxes of Triscuits to Jonathan, which Jonathan shared which, in turn, exploded across the Internet.

Great things happen when you do great things. Ask yourself “How can I blow my clients away?” A custom USB drive or a pretty letter (affiliate) is well and good, but you have to make their jaws drop for referrals and sharing.

Ask yourself “Will this get people bubbly and giddy?” That’s the line you need to cross. Do you feel bubbly and giddy sending it to them?

Sometimes, you might even go viral like the Freshbooks team. But you don’t need to. Just getting people excited enough to share their experiences with friends and encourage referrals can get you all the business you need. And the great thing is you don’t have to go bigger and better and spend more on what you give people. You just need to more thoughtful.

For example, take notes during your meetings about what your clients want, and find a way to do something a little personal for them. Then, mention what they talked about it, and how you found a great solution. Or give a care kit, and fill it with things that are funny and playful. People love joy and delight. Just make it feel thoughtful.

Even though everyone expects great execution, most people are also treated like hunks of meat by most businesses, so you just need to show they’re not a hunk of meat. It does wonders.

If you’re really stuck, try searching exceptional customer service experiences, and you’ll get tons of examples and inspirations. Or look through Pinterest for promo ideas and focus on what’s clever and endearing and not what just looks impressive.

Make it easy for customers to refer you

It’s not always easy to give a referral.

Remember, when you pass someone’s name along, your reputation is on the line as well. And though clients might be happy with what you’ve done, they may not want to take responsibility for their friend’s experiences.

Here’s a quick and simple work around that’s incredibly powerful, if you do it well: create something worth sharing.

Create a killer PDF or a printed magazine that’s chock full of valuable advice. A preparation sheet or a checklist, or anything and everything that can make you essential. Good information gets shared.

Make sure it’s packed with thoughtful content. Make it substantial. Spend some time doing research. Make it look professional. Something like this should last you years and years, so putting in the time to make it over-the-top good will pay you back in spades.

Also, it changes the nature of the referral. Your clients don’t have to feel like they’re stumping for you. Sharing information can feel like you’re being indoctrinated. But sharing useful information doesn’t.

Instead, it turns people into a resource for their friends. So, by giving them information to pass along (and asking them to spread it around…remember to ask!), you’re empowering your clients to help others, and it feels a whole lot better than just pitching another person’s services.

Referral Secret Sauce Guide

So these are the strategies that have kept me in business for over a decade. I’ve applied all of these, and every year, I need to do less marketing, networking, and busy work. I want you to do the same, so I’ve done two things.

First, I’ve put together a guide: Referral Secret Sauce, where I’ll tell you the big thing that everyone should do, but very few businesses apply.

Second, one person reading this will also get a one-on-one mentoring session with me to help with your business.

To get all of the goodness, access the bonus by signing up here.

At The Snap Society Facebook page, we have a pretty large following of 11K fans (as of this writing) and yet our reach was dwindling. Even despite the fact that we post daily and have interaction on our page. Can you relate to this?

But….Facebook is really making a comeback because of Facebook Live.

Now I know you don’t want to do a live stream. I know you get nauseated at the idea of speaking in front of others, but hang with me and and I think by the end you will be convinced as to why it will be well worth getting over your fears.

If you want to be ahead of your competition, if you want to be one step above, you will push through your fear and you will do Facebook Live.

Why You Should Use Facebook Live

Facebook has unfortunately become a Pay to Play platform. However, Facebook Live has done the miraculous (in terms of Facebook) and it actually boosts your reach, without having to pay.

Many business owners make big mistakes with Facebook Ads. And Facebook Live helps get around that problem. By using Facebook Live you will dramatically increase your reach. Your video will actually be in people’s feed!

And since people can interact and comment even after the broadcast, that will benefit your reach as well. It is all about the algorithm.

If you follow me at all, you know you can find me on periscope (@snapwithjamie). I love periscope for The Snap Society because I can give amazing free content to people who follow me, and I get to interact with them.

The one thing I could never figure out though, is how it could actually benefit you, the Photographer. It benefits me for The Snap Society, but it does not benefit me for Jamie Larson Photography.

A majority of our Photography clients just are not on periscope. So as a Photographer, it does not make sense for you to invest the time into it.

But once Facebook Live came out, I knew this was the golden ticket! For the Photographer who is actually brave enough to use it, Facebook Live will open a world of new opportunities!

Your clients are on Facebook, they may not see you, but they are there! Facebook is still the mostly widely used social media platform. And now you have a way to get in their feed and stand out.

So how can Facebook Live benefit your biz?

Have you heard the know, trust, like factor? It is a way to build credibility with your clients. When potential target clients feel like they know, trust and like you, they are more willing to book you.

Facebook Live is a sure fire way to build this relationship without them ever meeting you!

Sure you have a website full of gorgeous pictures, but so do the 200 Photographers who live by you. What if you not only had amazing work, but you had the trust of the client that you could really get the job done?

What if they fell in love with your personality before they really needed a Photographer? I will tell you what will happen, you will be the first on their mind when they are wanting pictures.

Getting Over The Fear

Now, I know what you are thinking, “Jamie, you have convinced me I should use it, but it freaks me out, I am too afraid to do this!”

I have said it about a million times, and I will say it again, The thing you are most afraid of, is the thing you should probably be doing!

Here is the deal, most everyone is afraid to get on live stream. But by you stepping out you are giving your business a chance to soar.

I remember the first 5 times I did livestream I broke out in hives all over my neck. I was so jittery, that I am not sure I was even understandable.

But the more I did it, the less I feared it. Do I still get nervous, sure, but I don’t feel like I am going to throw up every time I hit the “go live” button.”

What To Talk About

If you are going to get on Facebook Live you really need to make sure you are putting out good content. Think about your ideal client. I am a family and senior Photographer, so my ideal client is the mom.

Since I am also a mom, it makes content easy for me to put out. I just think of things that interest moms. Content does not have to be all Photography related.

Talk about parenting hacks, healthy easy snacks, good reads. The key is to make sure that your content has some meat in it, so that when they see you in their feed the next time, they will be excited to hear what you have to say.

Now, this is really important, are you ready? At the end of every Facebook Live, make sure to give them a call to action – such as a link to a freebie that gets them to your mailing list. Your goal should always be to get them onto your mailing list so you can stay in touch with them!

Most Photographers are going to make up excuses as to why they can’t get in front of the camera, but not you. We are going to face our fear (nervous hives and all) and stand out. We are going to punch fear in the face, come up with some share worthy content, and slap some lipgloss on and hit that “go live” button!

Seriously, don’t over think this. Don’t let perfection paralysis get the best of you, just do it and watch your business become better for it.

One last thing. At The Snap Society, we believe doing business together is much more fun than doing it alone. If you feel the same way, we would love for you to join our free, empowering community.