“SECRETS FOR PHOTOGRAPHY

BUSINESS SUCCESS FROM YOUR HOME”

By Laura L. Smith, author & photographer

The Motivation is there…

You love photography and want to get paid for it either full or part time.

Best part is you don’t need an expensive four year photography degree, or have to

take out bank loans to buy expensive equipment and set up a brick and mortar

business.

Because you can work from home!

What is the single most important benefit of being a home based

photographer?

The benefit is you’re the boss and you can work when you want…

Plus you will be building your confidence and self esteem while making the money they so richly

deserve.

What can be the biggest hurdle about setting up a photography business?

F.U.D. or Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt. This is a normal reaction when we decide to do

something new—such as starting a photography business.

Let’s face it taking photos as a hobby is fun because our family and friends think we take

great pictures and we don’t have to be accountable to paying clients that want

perfection...

But when the aspiring professional entertains the idea of going into business—then the F.U.D. rears its

ugly head. That is when the aspiring pro begins to ask question

such as…

How am I going to assemble a portfolio? This can be done by working as a second shooter for a

photographer company. Also carry your camera to friend’s weddings, parties, plus take photos of friend’s kids and at art and food fairs, and everyday objects at

home, and while on vacation.

Should I have a website or just a FB page? The photographer should have both as not everyone is

on FB…

How am I going to find the time to network and do the photo jobs?

That can be challenge if a person has a job where they work weekends because 95% of weddings, bar and bat-

mitzvahs, quinceaneras family parties, showers, and award ceremonies are on the weekends…

Do I need omission and exclusion insurance in case they mess up a

photo job and get sued?

During my 20 years as a photographer I was never sued because I delivered a quality

product at a reasonable price with reliable service and results.

What areas do photographers fail when setting up a business?

If you fail to plan—then you are planning to fail.

Even though a home based photographer does not require a photography or business

degree—there are still photography and business skills you need to research and

learn.Plus it is wise to write down a business plan

which includes…

•Your three year goals on what you want to accomplish…

•Your marketing budget… •Creating your pricing sheet and

agreement forms, and other marketing materials—

• Plus you have to figure how much time you can realistically spend on your

business if you are working another full time job.

What are the top misconceptions photographers have about setting up a photography business?

Too many aspiring pros lack basic business know how as they have never been in business for themselves or have

always worked for someone else. Going into business involves more than printing up a few

business cards… setting up a free website with a few photos… placing some photos into a big box store album

and then telling family and friends their open for business. Then they wait for the jobs to come in—but they don’t. This frustrates the photographer and they realize they needs to re-evaluate their business plan and learn a few things in order

to be successful.

When setting up a photography business, what is the single most important task to do first?

Research your market to find out what clients want and are willing to pay for.

Look at your competition to see what they’re doing and charging so you can be different to stand out from the

rest. Consider that working out of your home that you can have affordable pricing and still make a tidy profit.

Plus having a comprehensive web site with information and plenty of photos can bring have people calling and

saying “I love your website, it is so different than all the other photography sites I have seen. Do you have this date

open—I want to hire you. Do you take charge cards?”

How important is having a website is for a photographer?

In today’s market—it is essential as the Internet is the first place people go to look for a photographer.

People are not looking in the yellow pages, newspaper, or at an ad on a placemat in a restaurant—they are keying in search words such as wedding

photographers and name of city in the Google search box.

When you develop your website the key is to have a good landing page that promotes benefits for the visitor… is easy to navigate… along with to the point great written content. However, if writing

content is not your thing—it would be beneficial to have a good copywriter write your website content to keep your visitor from clicking the mouse and

returning to the search page.

Your website should also have enough pages to showcase your photography expertise in areas such as weddings,

special events, candid, and studio photos, still life, animals, architecture, sports and school groups plus more.

Go beyond the slideshows that feature only your best 50 photos and include all aspects of the event to show you can take great candid and posed photos in any lighting situation

that pops up. Plus despite what you may have heard about not listing your

pricing to get the visitor to call you—you really should because people want information now and if don’t list your

pricing—the website visitor will move on to the next guy who does feature that information.

How should a photographer price themselves when starting a business?

Your client is looking for how good is your photos and how much do you charge? People don’t care

about your awards, your education, and how your photography philosophy interplays into your

creativity. Therefore, research your local competition to see if

your photography as goo as the high priced guy working out of a brick and mortar building. This means you can offer a lower price as you do not

have the overhead the other guy has. The key is that your website, on line ordering, portfolio books, your sales techniques, personal appearance, packages, photo books, flush mount albums, are of the same

quality as the high priced guy.

What’s a unique selling point that clients love?

That would be affordable pricing and a comprehensive website—Plus including a bonus

gift. A good example would be giving a set amount

of free enlargements with all plans.Or find a cute photography close out item and give it as an appreciation gift for the client’s

patronage. Remember that it is always about what you can

do for the client to make them feel special.

Is Using SEO Services useful? SEO stands for search engine optimization and uses indexing systems and relevance algorithms to position websites on the Internet. There are plenty of SEO companies out there that for a monthly fee claim

that they work with Google, Yahoo, and Bing to ensure your website will be number one at the top of all the major search engine sites.

Thing is—it will be at top of those sites if you type in the exact name of your website.

However, unless a prospective client types in the exact name of your photography business in the search bar—your website may not be at the top of the first page—which defeats the purpose hiring a search

engine company.

Now you if don’t want to pay those SEO optimizing companies—there is a way you can do your own web optimizing which does require

certain steps and time to implement .

What is an effective way to obtain new leads?

Most businesses buy leads. For example insurance companies usually spend a set amount of dollars per thousand names

based on demographics such as geographical location, income,

occupation, number of family members, type of cars and recreational vehicles

purchased, etc…

However, as a home based photographer you want client’s interested in your photography services.

So if your main focus is weddings, you can buy leads from wedding sites such as Wed Alert for $2.00 a name or pay an annual membership fee and have access to all

their registered visitors.

Or you can go to a reciprocal website such as 100 Wedding Sites and add your website in return for placing

the 100 Wedding Sites link on your website.

Also passing out your business cards to everyone you meet… joining networking groups… volunteering in the

community… and writing on photography blogs is a good way to get your name out there to garner leads.

How important is farming for referrals is to a photographer getting started?

When you have a client who is happy and satisfied with your work—ask the client if they know of at least three other people who would love to have the same great

experience and service. The client will be willing to help and you

should get at least one name.

When is the best time to ask for referrals?

After you give the client their finished product and they are done

gushing with the “I love the pictures—they are great!”

And always remember to give extra business cards to the client before

they leave.

The free Promotional Marketing Pack.

The Marketing Promotional Pack is a word document with marketing material templates

from the book that will save the aspiring photographer hours of scanning or retyping the

information. The reader can type in their business name, address, phone, website, set their own pricing and fine tune the templates to suit their particular needs. The reader will receive

the information within the book. The templates in the book include:

Lead Email to Clients Wedding Agreement form Three fold Brochure sheet Photography services sheet Preps of Photography Professionalism Asking for Referrals Script Wedding Day Informational Sheet Wedding pricing sheet Ala Carte Pricing flyer All Events Pricing All Event Agreement form Client Survey FormGeneric Model Release Example Invoice form Bonus itemsMetering chart for weddings Voice Mail Script Questions to ask the Bridal Client Overcoming Objections

Plus there are complimentary non licensed photos for making a photo sheet

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Visit this link @ Clicking for Cash from Home

To buy the book on Amazon please visit this link at

Clicking for Cash from Home

Created by Laura L. Smith 2014