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DPChallenge Forums >> Business of Photography >> *UPDATED* Photography Business, how to attract clients?
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Showing posts 26 - 35 of 35, (reverse)
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02/12/2013 12:46:54 AM · #26
So glad to here business has started to take if for you Justin- I knew it would with your talent! :)
02/12/2013 03:22:23 AM · #27
Originally posted by elsapo:

Originally posted by Nusbaum:

Originally posted by alohadave:


Why are you charging $200 for a DVD with 30 pictures on it? That's really exorbitant for a disc.

If I read correctly, that's a DVD with high-resolution images that the client can use to print on their own images. In this is the case, he's selling the ability to print their own images instead of buying through him. I would say $200 is pretty inexpensive.


Yup really inexpensive, and almost every single client gets it. In my area people have to buy at least $500 worth of prints/products to have the chance to buy the files. I've noticed that most people want the files so that's what I decided to offer for now. Most clients also order prints though, but not $500 worth.

@David I'll try to get the title updated


I find most of my clients want the DVD and hey why not if their willing to pay $200.00 for them, I charge $15.00 for the first 5 then $10.00 for everyone after, the first 5 are free however with a one hour shoot.

BTW love your site, it's awesome, I will bookmark it for inspiration, glad to see you're doing well.
02/12/2013 02:13:37 PM · #28
Originally posted by Brent_S:

So glad to here business has started to take if for you Justin- I knew it would with your talent! :)


Thanks Brent, you are very nice!

@Neat - Thank you, it's taken a lot of work getting that website, designing a website in dreamweaver is hard, even with a simple design like mine!...and I still want to change a few things haha
02/13/2013 03:32:48 PM · #29
glad to hear things are trending in the right direction for you, justin!

one note on your website. while it's a beautiful site (as would be expected!), there are some performance hits, especially for first-time visits. i'm willing to bet this is because of dreamweaver, which is notorious for generating highly un-optimized code. when it's appropriate for you, either from a time or budget standpoint, you might want to look at other options that are specifically built for photography.

keep on rockin!
02/13/2013 10:23:14 PM · #30
Originally posted by Skip:

glad to hear things are trending in the right direction for you, justin!

one note on your website. while it's a beautiful site (as would be expected!), there are some performance hits, especially for first-time visits. i'm willing to bet this is because of dreamweaver, which is notorious for generating highly un-optimized code. when it's appropriate for you, either from a time or budget standpoint, you might want to look at other options that are specifically built for photography.

keep on rockin!


Thanks Skip! and thank you AGAIN for taking the time to talk to me on the phone when I started this thread, I really do believe it made a big difference :)

Yup, the website is definitely something I'm looking to make better, performance wise. Once I get a little extra cash I'll be "upgrading" while trying to keep a similar simple design.
02/13/2013 11:44:00 PM · #31
Maybe you could get some extra cash for your website by hiring yourself out as a Shia Labeouf look-alike for bachelorette parties? ;)
02/14/2013 03:29:16 PM · #32
"everyone wants files" is a lie. Nobody wants to pay very much - now that's the truth, and they figure files are the cheapest way to go. For weddings and commercial you have to do the file thing, for everything else, no- files are an extra on top of prints/albums. There are many ways to do this - "files $500 or free with $600 in prints/albums" - you make more money and they think they're getting smoethig free. (price point needs to be $50 over what you need, on average, per sale)

As to the rest of your issues..if you're going to work for yourself you will need to learn to run a business - marketing, selling, budgeting, etc. Or hire someone to do it for you. But you'll find you can hire a photographer cheaper than you hire a marketing/sales expert.

Get these books and read them - '22 laws of branding', zieglar's 'how i raised myself up with selling' (or something close that in title). Easy reads. "The 100 Absolutely Unbreakable Laws of Business Success" is great, but not as easy to read
the eMyth revisited is a must read also. "Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping--Updated and Revised for the Internet, the Global Consumer, and Beyond" is another must read.

Some basics you MUST understand
What we sell is a LUXURY item. NObody needs it. So you CANNOT sell it on price - not a motivation to buy what we sell.
Why YOU? Over all other photographers out there?
A better picture does not mean you get more money, more customers, etc. NEVER. (once you have something 'acceptable')
People pay more for 'Things' than 'non things'. A print, canvas, etc will sell for more than a file.
Not every warm breathing person is your customer - they don't want/cant afford/don't value what we do. Just as you might not spend $2000 a guitar or $500 on a phone (or you might!) not everyone buys photography.
It takes time to get known. You are a new unknown business. You need to build TOMA - top of mind awareness. Nobody can buy from you unless they know you exist AND remember that when it's time for them to actually buy what you sell.
Timing is as important as anything else you do in marketing. 80% of women get married - but in a 70 year lifetime they're only shopping for a wed photog once or twice for a couple of weeks...miss that window and you miss the customer.
Marketing COSTS money - and YOUR TIME is also MONEY. Yes, FB is free - but it costs time to make posts, to tweet, to update a blog. So consider the time factor.
Testimonials are golden. I can post on FB all day - so what. A customer posts something nice and I get a call for a session from one of their friends. (same for emails and other things- use testimonials)

You can make money in photography. A few will get rich. Most will not. think baseball - lots of people make money in baseball. Few make millions. Lots of ticket sellers, hot dog vendors, minor league players, etc. Think music - sure Ozzy Osbourne is rich, but look around your town and you'll find the avg musician gets $100 for a night playing in the band. You can teach music and make more money.
02/14/2013 03:43:35 PM · #33
There's some excellent work on your site Justin, good stuff about the business too.
02/15/2013 09:46:07 AM · #34
That was a great post Wills, and I'm going to turn it back on you to ask a question. There are a couple places I see people shopping prices and it's for situations where they feel obligated to have a photographer, such as senior portraits and in some cases weddings. I'm sure you are going to say there's aren't the customers we want, and I agree. Yet, when you look at most web sites for photographers, including elsapo's, we are targeting these same market segments. What do you think of trying to focus on other reasons that potential customers may want photography?
02/15/2013 11:15:29 AM · #35
Thanks for the great posts guys, the more experience I get working with clients, the more I learn. Wills, you make some good points, and a few of those things I'm working on!


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