Members
Search
Are you finishing 2022 brimming with ideas and strategies to grow your photography business in 2023?
Let me ask you a question . . .
Do you really need more ideas to add to your overwhelm? Or do you just need to start focusing on taking action on the right things?
Well, in this post I’m going to share with you what I believe the right things are.
Five of them to be exact.
I really mean everything.
Pricing, product offerings, service offerings, workflows, website, marketing, and even your training and education.
Look at every aspect of your business and ask yourself:
‘What would this look like if it was easy?’ Don’t underestimate the genius of this question. It has saved my skin several times.
Simplify things until you think they can’t get any simpler. Then simplify them again.
The simplest businesses are the most successful. Isn’t that kind of liberating?
Don’t add more to your business. Take more away!
Stop doing stuff you hate!
And stop saying you can’t afford to outsource it.
When you outsource your hate list you have more time to spend on the tasks you love doing and the tasks that actually make you money.
When you outsource well it doesn’t cost you money. It makes you money. And you should do it before you can afford it because you’ll never be able to afford it if you keep doing everything yourself.
So make a list of all the things you hate doing and start outsourcing them one by one until they're all off your plate. Then sit back and watch your profits soar as you have more and more time for marketing and delighting your clients.
What you charge is up to you. Don’t let anyone price-shame you.
But please get into bed with your numbers in 2023. Get close.
Write down what you want to earn each month. Detail every single cost you have associated with your business. Work out how many hours you want to work. Outline how much time you need to spend on each client you work with (use this to do it)
You might decide that you need to do a custom, high-end shoot for just one luxury client per week whilst another photographer might prefer to do quick, basic studio shoots for ten budget clients per week.
Despite the different business models and clientele, you could both work exactly the same number of hours for exactly the same profit (you just need to find way fewer clients than they do).
This is why I hate price-shaming. It makes no sense whatsoever. Price is not the number that matters. Focus on PROFIT and the TIME it takes you to earn it. And suit YOURSELF (see this family photography pricing example).
What happens when you regularly keep in touch with a list of engaged subscribers who know, like and trust you?
A booked out diary - that’s what happens.
In 2023 email and messenger marketing is still going to be HUGE. All of the marketing gurus continue to encourage business owners to prioritise building and nurturing a list. But most photographers are still ignoring it or doubting it applies to them.
Don’t be that photographer.
Make 2023 the year you create a list of subscribers who love you and wouldn’t dream of using or recommending another photographer.
And always remember that a small, engaged list is far more powerful than a huge list of people who couldn’t care less.
How do you make sure they’re engaged? See number 5 below...
Good copywriting will transform your business. Seriously.
It’s your words that create the feelings that make your dream client take action.
You’re using copy daily in your business meaning it's going to be a very expensive thing to outsource and, even if you do have that cash, a great copywriter who understands how to write to convert is a rare and high-value person indeed.
If you think you suck at copywriting, join the queue. You know deep down that the more you write - the better you get.
No one can represent your business like you can so you are the best copywriter for your business if you can just become a student of copy.
We’re not talking about writing that your old English teacher would be proud of. Forget that.
Write the way you speak, allow your true self to shine through in all its flawed glory and tap into the desires and pain points that make your dream client take action.
Practice doing this every day. Persevere for a month and allow yourself to be really bad at it at first.
I’ll say it again. Good copywriting will transform your business.
It’s a cliche I know but a new year really can be a new start for you and your business. However, focus and simplicity are key.
So what are you going to focus on in 2023 that will actually take you to where you want to go? And more importantly, what are you going to leave behind?
Julie 🙂
P.S. We have a comprehensive Copywriting for Photographers Course inside the Togs in Business membership. It teaches members how to write so that their dream client pays attention. If you haven't joined us yet, you can learn more about the membership here.
