Tips For Getting Leads Into Your Photography Business

Every business needs it. Every business owner makes it his or her top priority goal. It never changes, from the moment you start your business until you close the doors for the final time. To survive, your business must bring in leads that ultimately turn into good quality, paying clients.

But how do you bring them in consistently? What methods do you use?

Well that all depends on how much business you need in your studio.

Let’s say that you want to photograph thirty weddings per year. How many leads you need to generate those thirty weddings would depend on a number of factors:

• How much do you charge for your weddings?
• Do your leads know and understand your pricing before they contact you?
• How good are you at turning leads into sales?

If your leads are pre-qualified, have a lot of information on you and your services before they contact you, know and understand your pricing, … Read more >>

Photography Business – Taking the first steps to digital

Digital photography can be a fantastic way to run a photography studio Digital cameras can be purchased for as little as $500 used on ebay.com, or you can go with the top-of-the-line pay upwards of over $20,000. Anyway you look at it, the digital revolution is here and has totally changed the way studios run today. Photographing your business or your images on Digital is just the first part of actually producing an image.

Workflow is one of the most important pieces to ensure that you have all the pieces to have. Once the images are taken from the camera. You need to download them to your computer or some other storage media. If your images need to be modified, manipulated or adjusted for color, exposure and sharpness or minor corrections, a good software programs such as Adobe Photoshop is essential. My recommendation is that you always work off of a copy of your original file and never the original. If you make a mistake, the original file is still intact, and much easier to go back to.

Many photographers, just download the specifically images to a computer or media source without backing up their original files. This can be a costly mistake if your media fails. My suggestion is to always back up a copy, whether it’s on a media such as a CD-ROM, DVD or to other storage device. Ensure that if your hard drive or storage media happens to fail do you still have a copy to go back to will give you extra insurance. Label and organize your DVD or storage backups for easy reference. The next step is storage of images on the web for your clients to view. Many labs have a variety of storage devices that will automatically categorize your images and allow your clients to purchase them directly from the website. Create an easy and convenient way for your client to see the images, as well as purchase the images will help your photography workflow. It also allows your lab, a way to print the images from the client’s orders, which is a great trade for the studio and a lab. Other sources would be that you supply your own web hosting, take orders and relay that information over to someone who can print your images for your clients, whether it’s a professional lab, a local photo shop or even places like a Costco. Many of these locations have the ability to upload the images directly to the Web and select to pick up the images directly at their location or have them shipped to your address to be an easy. There are many choices for you to run your studio efficiently using digital photography. But the most important thing to think about is your workflow. Make it easy for you and simple for your client, and everyone will be happy.

Helping your photography business, how to start a digital wedding photography business and wedding photography business visit virtualphotographystudio.com and keep up-to-date with all of the photography happenings via our free newsletter.

Growing Your Photography Business

What is the easiest way to increase your sales/profits? Increasing your business boils down to three fundamentals.

Most traditional photography studios have known for years that there are three essential ways of growing your business:

1. Create fresh ways of bringing new clients into your business.

2. Increase the average dollar amount each customer spends.

3. Increase the frequency with which you do business with each customer.

If you are building a strong photography business, this translates into:

1. Create new marketing techniques to bring in more people for photography sessions.

2. Increase the amount of product your client is purchasing from you at each photo session. This may include packaging products together to create larger sales.

3. Increase the number of times each of your customers have a portrait session. Creativity is king here. You must focus on creating sessions that your clients want to be included.

Serving small niche markets is easier to grow your business. Create seasonal photo sessions that are limited items. Go beyond the traditional Santa Clause and Easter bunny scenes. Instead think of things that are unique and individual to you and your business. Offer quality products and services that people can’t find anywhere else, and they will create a bond that will last throughout the years.

For more information on how to grow a photography business or how to start a photography business, please visit our indepth website.

7 Ways To Make Your Studio’s Website More Sellable

Make Your Studio’s Website More Sellable

7 Ways To Make Your Studio’s Website More Sellable

“I put up my website a few months ago,
and I’m still not at the top of the search engines.”

“Why isn’t my website working?
I’m still not making money online.”

If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard these phrases! Unfortunately many people still believe putting up a website will be the answer to their marketing problems. If you’re having trouble getting people in to your business using traditional marketing methods, chances are you’re problems will carry through to your online marketing methods as well.

Thousands of websites are being added to the Internet everyday. By doing a recent search on Google I discovered:

• 66,900,000 pages exist with the word “photography”
• 9,270,000 pages exist with the words “photography studio”
• 1,450,000 pages exist with the words “wedding photography studio”
• 991,000 pages exist with the words “professional wedding photography studio”
• 196,000 pages exist with the words “California professional wedding photography studio”

And if you’re beyond the top 20-30 pages, chances are you’re never getting in front of your potential customer. So where do you go from here? How do you use your website to get in front of a good, qualifying potential customer?

A successful website is not something you build over night. It is a work in progress, something that you should work on week after week. To start you off, here are 7 ideas to help grow your website and the potential it has to market your business.

1.  Create a professional site. This is probably the first thing you see in any list talking about how to build up an Internet presence. Yet it’s amazing how many sites are out there that still have a homemade appearance.Your website is an extension of your business. Not only should it be informative, it should be entertaining, and provide people with exactly what they are looking for. You are a photographer. Show people your work. Make them feel the emotion of your photography, and the service you provide to your customers. A gallery of a dozen images that each take seconds to load is not emotional. Professionalism comes from knowing what your customers want, and giving them more than they expect.If you can’t create a professional website by yourself, hire it done. Because you earn your money through photography, don’t expect yourself to be good at all forms of creative graphics. Websites are a marketing tool, not a creative extension of your business. Foremost, your website is a sales tool that can bring in unimaginable profits to your business – but only if you use it as such.

1. Pricing on your website. The biggest debate on the Internet for photographers is whether to list pricing information. On one hand, listing your pricing will guarantee only truly motivated people will contact your studio. On the other hand, every customer you have will be calling you solely based on your pricing.I myself prefer to not list pricing, or do it in a very discreet way. I want my customers calling me because they love my work. I want them to feel the passion of my art, and call me because they can see themselves in my photographs. Price is secondary.If you still feel pricing is something you have to list on your website, list it only once on your services page. After you describe what services you offer your customers, list a phrase like “starting from $3900”. This gives your potential customer a basis for your services, yet doesn’t make the main goal of your website price.

1. Creating a purpose. What is the overall purpose of your website? Is it to get a potential customer to contact you? Is it to drive your existing customers to a place to purchase your photographs? Before your website can be successful, you have to discover your number one purpose. Then use every page to motivate people towards your purpose.Again, your website is more than a brochure. It is a member of your sales team that ‘talks’ to your potential customer. When you talk with a person in person, or on the phone, your ultimate goal is to get them to make some type of commitment. Your website should have the same goal.

1. Showcase your work. You’re a photographer. Showing a dozen images doesn’t show a potential client what you do. Pull your customer in by providing them with a wealth of information on your website. Clients come to you for photographs; show them photographs! Photography is one of those rare industries in which you can’t have too many graphics on your website, providing they are small files that load quickly.

1. Use motivating text. Are you writing to your customer in a professional manner? Does your website use the same language you use when meeting with a person face to face? Your website is your sales tool. Treat it as if it were a 24/7 sales person, and let your website do the talking for you.On the Internet, the one thing you can’t do is hide. Depending on how a person searches, every website is a potential find. Because someone from New York, or California, or even India may pull up your site, how are you talking to him or her? Instead of writing your text from your perspective, write as if you are a person in a far away country that knows nothing about your industry. Her sole purpose is to find out more information on wedding photography. Are you educating her? Are you telling her what she wants to know AND what she cares about? (Most people don’t care what type of cameras you use; they only want to know how they benefit.)

1. Create links to other sites. Is your site a useful resource? Think of yourself as a mini-wedding coordinator or parent advisor. Depending on the type of photography you specialize in, provide your customer useful information to go beyond just hiring your services.A wedding photographer can provide links to caterers, florists, and reception halls. A family or children’s photographer can provide links to schools, clothing and sports stores, and community events.Tip: When you’re linking to other websites, have them link back to you as well. This boosts up your ratings in the search engines!

1. Get your site listed on other sites. There are hundreds of ways of getting your site listed on other websites. Linking is one of the easiest methods. But beyond linking, you may try other means.Purchase banner ads. Many sites offer paid advertising, usually at very reasonable prices.Purchase classified advertising. Many newspapers and magazines offer a deal where you purchase an ad in their print edition, and you get a website listing for free. For example, we have a Colorado Parent magazine in our community. By purchasing an ad in the classified section, you also get a listing on the website.

   Find community directories to list your services in. Larger communities have at least one directory online that makes it easy to find resources within your area. Join at least one, and always be on the lookout for others that may benefit your business.

   Keep your eyes open for opportunities to advertise your website, both online and in traditional marketing methods.

Helping your photography business, how to start a digital wedding photography business and wedding photography business visit virtualphotographystudio.com and keep up-to-date with all of the photography happenings via our free newsletter.

Increase Your Photography Studio’s Workflow

Adobe resently updated the newest product addition to their lineup called Lightroom.

Lightroom enables professional photographers to import, manage and present large volumes of digital photographs helping them spend more time behind the lens and less time at the computer. Improvements in Lightroom 1.1 include a new image management system that allows flexible multi-computer workflows. A catalog-based system means photographers now can move images and information quickly between their computers. Lightroom 1.1 further streamlines the digital photography workflow with the addition of a convenient way to synchronize folders in the program with new or changed photos. Other changes include improved noise reduction and sharpening functionality, utilizing customer feedback and technology from industry-standard Photoshop.

If you would like additional information, here is a link for Abobe Lightroom.

Helping your photography business, how to start a digital wedding photography business and wedding photography business visit virtualphotographystudio.com and keep up-to-date with all of the photography happenings via our free newsletter.

Wedding Photographers See A Very Busy Day

What an incredible past week this nation and world has seen! For the United States, the celebration of our independence on July 4th and Earth Day on 07/07/07.

We were out of the country during the July 4th celebration but still enjoyed it. This holiday is one of my favorite holidays.

On July 7, 07, many photographers were crazy busy photographing what was one of the most popular days for weddings. I don’t think that there were many photographers out of work on this special day.

Another item that was celebrated around the world was live earth day. Artists spanned the globe hosting concerts in a 24 hour marathon event that has never been seen. For more information on live earth and what you can do to help protect our environment, we have included a link – Live Earth

I hope everyone had a wonderful celebration on safe holiday.