4 Things Photographers need to Stop doing Today!
October 23, 2020
I’m not going to lie to you, today’s “marketing for photographers” post was inspired by a simple scroll through Instagram. As a full-time photographer and a certified marketing educator nothing makes me more irritated than when I see photographers do one of these four things.
I want to comment and tell them to stop! I want to tell them what’s wrong with their post. But, I know they didn’t ask.
And while this might sound critical, it’s totally not. I don’t want to comment and tell you what’s wrong to make you feel bad. Quite the opposite actually! I want to comment and tell you because I think your freaking awesome!
So many times photography businesses don’t succeed because they don’t know how to market.
So many times photography businesses fail because photographers accept a life burdened with self-doubt and comparison instead of overcoming it.
And that doesn’t just suck for you! That sucks for the people you are trying to serve. I believe that every person in this world was born with God-given strengths. That they have passions and a story. And that we all have SOMETHING to offer that will make the world a better place. And so when you don’t know how to effectively communicate that… naturally it drives me bonkers.
You, my friend, are so incredibly awesome but for the LOVE OF PETE please learn how to tell the world! The world is a mess. IT NEEDS YOU! So keep reading to learn about the 4 things you need photographers need to stop doing today!
POSTING FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS
Do you know how many times I scroll Instagram and see photographers posting and the ONLY people engaging with it are other photographers? Literally all the time. If you post for other photographers, guess who you are going to get engagement from… OTHER PHOTOGRAPHERS. Here is an example of what to do and not to do:
- What not to do: Post a reel about how rainy weather ruins our life. Is it funny for photographers, YES! But not to clients. They are ALREADY worried about it. Instead: post a reel that makes a joke about the weather but then gives them practical tips for rain sessions OR what your policy is with rescheduling.
- What not to do: post a reel about how hard it is to get a photo of everyone looking and smiling. That’s just going to make your clients and potential clients feel worried. Instead, make a post about how you deceive kids (or groomsmen) into looking at the camera!
If you need some help with post ideas, make sure you download my free content calendar for photographers where I give you thirty days of post ideas and live videos (or reels)!
BLOGGING CLIENT SESSIONS
Alright, before you burn me at the stake, realize that I’m not telling you not to blog client sessions altogether. But, that shouldn’t be the ONLY thing you do on your blog.
In my More than Marketing course (my marketing for photographers online course), I teach photographers to think of marketing like dating. Each platform (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, Reels, Stories, Networking, Blogging, Email, etc.) all serve a different purpose for your potential client which means YOU NEED TO SHOW UP IN A DIFFERENT WAY ON EACH PLATFORM.
Marketing is a puzzle and it’s super hard to put a puzzle together without knowing what it’s going to look like. Especially when there is a lot of pieces. Looking at a picture and knowing what you’re looking for or what you’re trying to do next makes it go a lot faster and makes it more fun and enjoyable. Less frustrating. Social media is similar. We must know the purpose behind the platform.
Blogging, like Social Media, isn’t just there for you to post pretty pictures and then hope people hire you. That won’t work! You might get inquiries but they’ll be all about that price comparison game.
Without going into my entire course, know this marketing is about CONNECTION done through education, inspiration, and entertainment. Reading about someone else’s session might tell me that you know what to do with your camera… but it doesn’t make me connect with you and it certainly doesn’t make me understand why you have to charge $5,000.
BUYING MORE GEAR
Gear is not the answer to all of your problems. Stop pretending it is. I love you but, I built a six-figure business with two lenses and I still have the same two lenses seven years later!
I’m about to deliver a piece of tough love my friend but somebody needs to say it. You already have the gear you need to succeed! Your pictures do matter… but you know what matters more?
YOU! And the fact that you know how to market your business and run your business and that you know how to tell people what it is that they need to hear in order to choose you! Because if you don’t have clients, but you have all the gear in the world, you’re going to be up a creek my friend!
P.S. Here’s my TikTok version of those last 3 paragraphs!
BEING SOMEONE ELSE
The other day I posted on IG that the biggest mistake I see photographers make in their marketing is trying to be someone else. I totally meant it. So many times photographers don’t realize what’s uniquely awesome about them! But that’s a problem! If you don’t know what’s uniquely awesome about you how are you going to tell that to your ideal clients?
You know as well as I do that photography is a saturated industry and the truth is, you and I aren’t the ONLY ones who can take pretty photos! We have to be offering our clients something more.
I have one question: what problem are you solving?If you cannot answer this question you will either:
- Struggle getting clients
- Hate marketing because your copying someone else’s answer
- Get clients but not at the right price
- Get clients but the wrong TYPE of clients
In my More than Marketing course, the answer to that question is what I call your SUPERPOWER. And when you find your superpower… that is where the marketing magic happens!
Because it’s been proven that people don’t buy based on logic, they buy with their emotions. They know you offer photos, it’s time to show them what problem you solve that goes BEYOND the photos.
For example, in my photo biz, I help mom’s fall back in love with their kiddos, husbands back in love with their wives, etc. 🙂 And while YOU may think that sounds sad… every mom in the world and every spouse in the world can tell you that it’s not… it’s reality! Life gets busy, schedules get full, and things get in the way. But when they book a session with me, they know that what they are buying isn’t just photos but an experience to CONNECT with one another and their kids again. They are hitting the pause button on life so that they can take a step outside of themselves and remember why they love each other and these little humans SO much.
In my course I help photographers discover each and every one of these things… I walk with them as they become more self aware and find their own version of magic and what they uniquely can offer the world and I help them discover WHO it is they NEED to serve.
