Secrets To Creating a Successful Photography Business
As a photographer, your website is your first true point of contact for 90% of your customers. While they probably will find you on social media first, they will head to your website to get the information they need. Therefore, what you place on your website will speak volumes about your work, attention to detail, and past experiences.
Many photographers put a lot of focus on the design and creation of a website that reflects their creativity but then forget about the essentials their customers are actually looking for. Such as: is the website easy to navigate, is the info easy to find, and can they find your services in only one or two clicks?
This is one major reason why so many talented photographers end up with little to no bookings from their websites. They focus too much on the vanity side of things and forget about the essentials on the business side of their careers.
Here are a few essentials to make your photography website POP!
So, what exactly should you include?
- A portfolio of your latest and greatest work, showing off the smiles of your previous customers, the intimate moments you managed to capture, and showing potential customers what they can expect from hiring you.
- A piece of your social media presence and your online persona, mainly your IG account, this shows the personal, friendly side of the person behind the camera, and allows potential customers to see who they’ll be working with.
- Testimonials and social proof from previous customers, especially in photography, people rely heavily on word of mouth and what other customers have to say.
- An about page that tells your story and captures your photography experience with a more emotional and personal tone that allows your potential customers to feel more trusting in your services.
Now that you have people visiting the website, how do you turn them into customers?
Your contact page is the lifeline of your website. Without an effective contact page, your website will only be a gallery showcasing your work, with no discernible effect on your conversions or your profits and bookings.
The one mistake most photographers make regarding contact pages is putting too much where it’s not needed.
The key is to keep it plain, direct, and extremely simple. Include a form of contact such as your email address and/or your phone number, and have clear instructions and a call to action that your potential customers can follow. You can view an example of my contact page HERE.
How to charm potential customers into booking your services
Customer service is key to any successful business. So, if you want customers to remember you, you need always to be readily available when customers think of hiring you and reaching out because the chances are, they already have 3 to 5 photographers lined up, so you have to respond quickly when prompted. But that doesn’t mean you LITERALLY have to be there to respond. You just need to have a set workflow in place for what happens when they inquire. I use a CRM system called Dubsado that does all of this FOR ME.
Make your packages and offerings extremely easy to understand and describe them as if you’re describing them to a 5th grader to make sure everyone understands what they’re getting for their money.
What to include in your photography contracts
Many talented photographers get their careers ended early because of a single claim or rebuttal that stains their reputation as a reliable photographer. To keep your photography business safe from this risk, here’s what to include in your contracts:
- Payment schedule.
- Cancellation policy.
- Summary of what the photographer and the client will deliver.
- Starting date of the contract and shooting date.
- Liability limitations.
- Extra fees and their explanations.
I hope you found this information useful. For more priceless photography tips and tricks, comment and subscribe to our blog for the latest content by a photographer for photographers.
JSP PHOTOGRAPHY EDUCATION RESOURCES
