Photography as a business is increasingly attracting more players globally. Numerous factors have led us here. Electronics manufacturers are creating devices with more camera capabilities and extending the functionality of digital cameras on the market. Besides, they are making professional-grade cameras available to the consumer at friendly prices. It is now wildly easier to take, view, store and share photos with millions of people in a flash.
Success involves adopting a business strategy and serious commitment to improving your talent and skills. This guide gives you insightful tips on how to elevate your game and earn a serious income from the hustle. Let us look at some of them.
1. Engage your clients
Create personal relationships with your clients. This is a crucial source of referral business. Remember who they are and some few details about them. Join their social networks. Find connection points and stay in touch. Offer them bonuses on repeat business in exchange for referrals and good reviews. Attend events they are participating in especially community events even if you are not getting paid for it. Extend your best professional service to them when hired.
2. Blogging
Photography and blogging go hand-in-hand. It is an excellent way to tell the stories behind the photos and build a following. There are numerous topics associated with photography that you can blog about. These include weddings, events, travel, dining, and technology among others. You can also create a dedicated photo-blog. Guest blogs also offer exceptional opportunities to grow your online following. Similarly, consider becoming a photo-journalist.
3. Leverage digital marketing
Social media presents various opportunities to market your business. Use platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat among numerous others to grow your photography business. Other digital marketing strategies such as email, video and digital advertising campaigns are also an efficient way to expand your markets. Google local search is also an excellent technique to get noticed regionally.
4. It’s business, not a hobby
Adopt a business strategy to your photography. Create business plans that detail your approach to capitalization, marketing and business development, skills, and further training as well as sustainable growth plans. This serves as a reference where you can tick off the milestones as you achieve them. While it may have started as a hobby, adopting a strict business attitude will help you create sustainable income channels.
5. Perfect your art in a key niche
It is almost impossible to be perfect in all categories of photography. Identify where you excel and make a decision on the viability of focusing your business on that area. Join professional clubs in your target niche and advance your skills with continued training. This also enables you to focus on doing fewer things much better than anyone else does in your region.
6. Stock photo sites and online sales
Numerous online stock photo sites accept submissions from photographers. You may have get membership to the platform. Your photos will be displayed for sale to millions of online consumers. Some of the favorite sites include names such as Shutterstock, iStock, Getty, and Fotolia among numerous others. Additionally, there are free stock photo sites such as Unsplash, Burst, Freestock, and Pixabay among others.
7. Choose your location wisely and establish a strong local presence
Photography is a hands-on art. You get paid to take a photo up close. That requires a physical presence at the scene. Base your studio in a location that is friendly to your business. This includes a vibrant market, availability of gear and supplies, technology and communications infrastructure. Attend regional events, shop locally, support local causes and charitable organizations in the community.
Conclusion
Photography is a lucrative career. Adopt progressive strategies to succeed. You can boost your income and secure financial freedom. Like every successful business, growth can be accelerated by focusing on strengthening the relationships with clients. Ditching the idea that it is a hobby and adopting an active business approach.
This will guarantee you an income and establish the roadmap for scaling and growth. Aaron Minc suggests keeping with the trends to stay relevant in an evolving digital world. Remember, you are competing with every camera-enabled device out there.