In “New Year, New Photography Goals” we offer six simple objectives to help you kickoff the new year focused on two things: profit and growth.
Selling is not a “one size fits all” method because different people have different wants and needs, meaning you must tailor your sales pitch to fit the client. Even if you prefer to be behind the camera, you need to sell to stay in business. One way to track your progress and ensure you’ll meet your yearly financial goals is to set a series of benchmarks, or minimum performance levels. For example: You need to book [insert number here] photoshoots each month to break even. You need to book [insert number here] photoshoots each month to match last year’s quota. Selling is integral and requires time and effort to be successful.
Selling goes hand in hand with another business basic we both love and hate: marketing. Email. A website. Google Ads. Social Media. Magazines. Postcards. Word of mouth…the list goes on. While we encourage you to have an omni-channel campaign that promotes across both digital and print platforms, it is not your strategy that we’re questioning but your way of thinking. When you set up a campaign, are you focused on your true target audience or are you simply trying to outsmart the competition and reach consumers with more enticing content? Who is your competition?
Your Competition Is Not Who You Think
Put aside what you think you know and hear us out. In this digital age where newer, more advanced technologies have exploded onto the market, the photography industry has witnessed a dramatic change. We have better equipment that produces sharper images. We have photo editing programs that allow us to correct, optimize, and add or subtract elements, all with a few clicks. We have cheaper, more affordable options for lenses and camera bodies. The circumstances surrounding photography have changed, photographers have changed, and, most importantly, the consumer has changed.
Once upon a time, your only competition was the professional photographer across town who also happened to specialize in your field of photography.
Now, your competition is the dozen professional photographers just in your neighborhood, the “Mom” photographer who will take pictures for free, the hobbyist who is “a friend of a friend with a camera,” even the average person with a good quality phone camera. Today you have to compete with photographers who undermine the true value of professional photography simply because the ease of access and affordability of modern camera equipment. You also have to compete with a saturated media environment to claim the attention of potential consumers, and you have to compete with the clock to hold their interest long enough for them to learn about your studio and make an educated decision.
So…what now?
Now that you know who the real competition is, what can you do to come out on top? Embrace the most powerful tool in your selling arsenal: emotion.
People make decisions emotionally. They don’t buy based on logic, they buy based on a feeling, need, or emotion. When a consumer feels good about you and your product, that is what sells. Joy–the pinnacle of emotion–sells.
Photography, at its core, is about capturing moments. It’s about documenting lives. Photographs allow us to relive memories, see friends and loved ones lost to time, and tell our histories. Remember: your client is making an investment, not just a purchase. That means you are not just selling a photo, you are selling an experience. Your beautiful, thoughtful, professional photography elicits feelings of awe, wonder, and joy that consumers can cherish. Phones break. Memory cards get lost. Social accounts get deleted. Technology comes and goes. But those moments you’ve captured and printed, perfectly preserve those memories. An incredibly good investment!
At Lenzart Photographic Lab, we strive to provide you with high-quality print products, large and small, that help you showcase your talent and make it easier to sell your work. When you need a print lab, choose a lab that puts you first, and choose Lenzart!