Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] This is episode number 101 of Sustainable Photography, but it doesn't sound as cool as episode number 100 did last week. But it's still good making progress. And today was actually also the first day of the Live Workshop series, create Your Best Year Yet. And it's been a good day. I was actually considering recording this in advance and just saying, oh, it's been a great day and I can't wait for tomorrow. But then I remembered last year and how I completely lost my voice after the first day. And we had to postpone it for a whole week so in case something was to come up, I didn't want to jinx anything or ruin anything. So this is recorded the day before you actually listen to it. So it's almost live. As I said, the first day is over and done with. We have four days left and it's been a bit different this year than it was the last couple of times ever in these workshops. And part of it is the times we're in right now. It is more challenging for most of us these days. The global economy is going through a hard time.
[00:01:21] A lot of people don't have the same luxuries as we did just a few months ago. And that's what I want to talk about today. How we can adapt and thrive even when the situation around us is different, when things aren't going as we had hoped and planned for. So I'm giving you four things you can do to boost your photography business when times are tough. The first thing I want to talk about is about inspiration and getting a mental boost. Because when you're feeling like your bookings are down and you're worried about your finances and you're not really sure whether you should stick to having your own business or maybe you should get a job instead, then first of all, you probably have to make that choice at some point. But before you get there, before you have to decide, and before you give up, I want you to think about what you really want. Try to think what is important to you. Why did you get into this business in the first place and see if it still matters to you, if it's still important. Because if it is, then I hope you'll stick with it and find a way to get through this difficult time.
[00:02:45] The most difficult time in my photography business so far, that was definitely during the pandemic. And in many ways what we're experiencing now is very similar to that, because we don't really know what's going on. Times are hard for a lot of people, and a lot of people aren't booking photography as much as they did in 2020. I was going to have an amazing year. I had so many weddings scheduled. My prices were good, my website was really visible, I was getting tons of inquiries. And then I lost half of my bookings pretty much overnight and it was a nightmare. It was so hard. But then I got through it. I was looking at 2021 and then the same thing happened.
[00:03:40] For me, that is the most challenging thing I've ever gone through in my business because it just felt so dark and I didn't know what to do. But luckily I wasn't going through it alone. And when you know other people who are going through something similar, it's a lot easier to give each other encouragement and to boost each other and give advice, maybe give referrals to each other. And I got through it. I got through both 2000 and 22,021. And I learned a lot from it because even though it felt really hard, I kept sharing and I kept showing up. And at the end of it, I did get more bookings and it wasn't as bad as it could have been. It wasn't good. But I didn't give up and I got through it. So when you're feeling really low and you're doubting everything, try to get back to the fun of it, why you got into photography. Try to get inspired. Maybe explore something new, a new way of taking photos, maybe a different style, a different kind of client. I also want to encourage you to get some more friends in the industry. Find some photography friends you can hang out with, have some meetups, do whatever it is you need. Because hanging out with other people who are going through something similar and who maybe have a different outlook than you can be really valuable. And another thing I want to urge you to is to consider actually taking a break. Sometimes we need some time out to gain some perspective and to figure out what we really want and if what we're doing is right for us still. The second thing I want to talk about is to take a look at your pricing and your packages. When bookings are down, the first thing you might think of is to do offers and maybe lower your prices. But unfortunately that's quite unlikely that that's going to help because the people who are mostly attracted to lower prices are the people who are struggling with their finances. So you might actually want to look at increasing your prices so that you can maintain your revenue. And sometimes it's not a matter of increasing or decreasing, but just take a look at your packages and see if they need some restructuring. You also want to make sure that you're upselling and crossselling highlighting the values of the add ons. You have like albums and prints and extended coverage.
[00:06:30] The clients you have are your best clients. They're the ones that it's easiest for you to get more sales from because those are the ones who know what you have to offer. Those are the ones who already trust you and know what they can get from you. So thinking about new clients and trying to gain more visibility. That's really important, and we'll get to that next. But before you do, I want you to think about the clients you already have and how you can serve them better. Okay? So thirdly now we're going to talk about visibility and marketing because you want to be visible even though times are tough and even though Instagram is making it really hard to be visible and to get enough likes and followers and all the things keep showing up. Because even if you only get ten likes on a photo, maybe one or two of the people who are liking your stuff are the ones that are most likely to actually book you. And that's what you have to keep in mind. It's about getting bookings and about making sales, and it's not about becoming popular. You might also want to look into doing collaborations with different brands, with other businesses, and with other photographers. Maybe you can do Instagram lives together. Maybe if you're, for example, a wedding photographer, maybe you can reach out to a planner or a local venue and talk about each other and boost each other and help each other out, do a collaboration of some sort. And if the organic reach you're getting through Google and through Instagram and social media isn't enough, maybe it's about time to start running some ads. And ads can be a bit tricky and it's not necessarily easy, but it can be really powerful. And it's definitely worth trying out if you're not getting enough visibility the way you're doing things now. But when you're posting on social media, make sure that you're posting consistently. Make sure that you're engaging and using hashtags and just show up and be you.
[00:08:40] The final thing I want to talk about is kind of related to all the things that I've mentioned so far, but that's about investing in your business. And in many ways it's even more important to invest when times are challenging, because there might be more competition, it might be more quiet, and you have more time to invest. And when you look at stocks, if you've ever considered buying stocks, you know that you should buy the stocks when the stocks are low and sell them when the price is high. And if you can compare that to education, this is the time to invest.
[00:09:20] This is the time when you don't have tons and tons of bookings and a lot of things to spend your time on that's actually bringing money in. That time can be spent wisely if you spend it going through education and learning new things.
[00:09:38] You might also want to consider investing in your branding. I did that in 2020, actually, in the most challenging time. I invested in a new brand and a new website. And for me, it made such a big difference. Suddenly I went from being this DIY photographer to being someone with a professional brand. And that did something to my confidence and it did something with the kinds of clients I started attracting. So I want you to consider what you might need, what can help you if you have money to spend on education and on your business. And even if you feel like you might not take a second look and see. What would it be worth to you if you were able to double your prices, if you were able to get more visible, if you were able to just increase your prices by a few percent, how much would that actually mean for your business, for your revenue, and for the money that you could take home? Because that should actually be the determining factor when you are considering investing. Not do I want this or do I need all these things that this thing comes with? Or anything like that, but will this benefit my business? Will this bring me more money? Save me time? Will it make my work more joyful?
[00:11:05] There are a lot of photography conferences. There are workshops you might want to join. There are online courses and you could do continuous education, like one on one mentoring. Maybe you want to invest in branding, as I mentioned. Maybe you want an Ads manager or a completely new website. There's so many things that can help your business. So whether you've thought about this before or you haven't, I want you to sit down and create a strategic plan. Get some support, maybe get a business coach or a mentor and look at it together and figure out what do you need and what can help you to get to the point where you want to be, where you feel supported, and where you can get through these challenging times. To sum it up, think about what can give you a mental boost. Is it to do something more creative? Is it to have a network around you? Then go do that. Second of all, take a look at your prices. Maybe with someone, or if you know how to do it yourself, then just check to see that you know what you're doing with your prices and your packages. Are they set up in a strategic way that can help you sell more and book more, make sure that you are staying visible and that you're not hiding because times are more challenging. And create a plan of what you need so you can see is it worth it for you to invest? And what do you need to invest in? Don't be scared to sign up for discovery calls. You can sign up for a discovery call with me if you want and we can go through things in your business to see if I might be the right person to help you out. And if I'm not, then at least you'll be left with some guidance on what you need next. That was it for today. I'm still doing the workshop for the rest of the week and I'm really excited about that. Some great photographers have signed up and I can't wait to get to know them. And if one of them is you, then I definitely hope you'll sign up for a call with me. I'll be sure to add the link in the show notes so that it's easy for you to find. See you again next week.
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