Today I'm sharing the 5 simple things I'm doing during this global pandemic to grow my wedding photography business. WITH A BONUS TIP that has made me more than $15,000 in revenue, paying for itself 62.5x over, that I am not sharing anywhere else!
2020 has really hit those of us in the photography industry pretty hard. With a global pandemic, we are limited to how much interaction we have with each other and with many people having lost their jobs, the inquiries have slowed down quite a bit.
With this time at home, I am determined to not let it go to waste and build a stronger business so when this is over and we all gain back some normalcy I will be more prepared and just set up for better success.
While I'm sharing these things and what I'm doing to grow my business during a pandemic, all of these are just tried and tested things we should all be doing but never seem to find the time for. So no matter, if there's another global pandemic or an economic disaster all of these tips, will work for you no matter your photography business.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links to the products listed below that I use every day. Clicking on one of these links helps support the podcast as the podcast will receive a small commission.
1: Strengthening My Business Knowledge
We photographers often feel much more comfortable with a camera in our hand than we do having to make business decisions so we typically just push the business stuff to the side until we “get around to it”. While I still associate myself as more of a photographer than a business person I have found learning about business to be a less painful when listening to an audio book. I use audible to download and listen to audiobooks on business. My favorite book on business is “The Go Giver” by Bob Burg. It will change how you see operating a business. Right now I'm re listening to it and finding it amazing how much you pick up on when you listen to it again.
You can download The Go Giver absolutely FREE when you sign up for Audible with my affiliate link. http://www.audibletrial.com/BPP
2: Writing Thank You Notes
One of the business books I listened to last year that made an impact on me was a book called “365 Thank Yous” by John Kralik. It’s the real-life story of a Lawyer who was at the lowest point in his life and simply started sending out thank you cards to those in his life who he was thankful for. I started off 2020 strong with sending out thank-yous and have made a continued effort to do so now as it's more important than ever. The thank you cards do not have to be a novel but just a simple note to let someone know you’re thinking of them. The response I have got from those I have sent cards to has been enormous. While the goal of the thank you cards is to show other my gratitude for their roll in my life I can't help but see potential bookings in the future. All for 55 cents.
3: Selling My Unused Camera Gear
Selling some cameras I don’t use much any more has allowed me to continue running powerful facebook and instagram ads
This one isn't directly related to growing my business but hear me out. With the current uncertainty of the economy many are holding on to their money a bit longer until it's safer to make a decision. Myself included. Selling some unused gear to KEH.com has allowed me to make investments in my business. I turned around and took the money to pay for a Facebook Ad to promote my free wedding planning guide for local brides. Because other businesses have stopped buying ads, my cost to acquire the contact info of a bride is dirt cheap! Now I can follow up, learn more about their needs and worries, and offer my services if they would be helpful.
4: Becoming a Better Public Speaker
As photographers, we take photos through communicating with our clients. The more effective we are at our communication the better. I'm sure you can think of a time where you may be tripped over your words or felt nervous before a client meeting. Those things can cost you thousands in lost revenue. I’m taking, Heroic Public Speaking with Michael and Amy Port class on Creative Live which walks you through step by step how to craft your message and communicate your point effectively to strangers. I felt like I knew my business pretty well before but this has really really tightened it up. I would recommend the class to just about everyone, especially introverts like myself. Its one of those classes that after you take it, you almost can’t believe it cost less than $50.
I’ve been spending my mornings learning Heroic Public Speaking with Michael and Amy using the Creative Live App on my iPad before the kids get up.
5: Learning Photoshop to Diversity My Income
This pandemic has taught me something very important, I can't rely on just shooting weddings. I have a friend who is a wedding videographer who told me he shoots real estate photos on the side. It’s not enough of an income to replace shooting weddings but for the time involved its definitely worth it but you need to know how to use photoshop to give the homes you're shooting a polished look. I've said before on this channel that as a wedding photographer about 95% of my editing is done in Lightroom and truth be told I don't know much about photoshop but I would be happy to learn if it could bring in some extra cash. And when you search youtube for photoshop tutorials the info is either from an older version of photoshop, incomplete information or simply clickbait. Luckily this is where Phlearn Pro comes in to help. Their “HDR vs Luminosity Masks” tutorial has changed my life.
And with SO many other photoshop tutorials on offer, I learned a much much much better way to retouch my wedding images to give them a magazine polished look my brides will LOVE.
Here is an example of the best single exposure real estate image I could make in Lightroom and then again using what I learned from the Luminosity masks tutorial within Phlearn Pro. There is still some room to grow but I’d still say this is a huge improvement over the Lightroom version!
Lightroom makes working with different white balances and light amounts very difficult
Using Luminosity Masks in Photoshop enables you to edit difficult images much truer to life!
BONUS #6: Creating Videos For Social Media
We all know the importance that social media plays in the success of our business and we all know the importance that making videos has for our business as well. With Animoto Slideshow Maker you can easily and very quickly create beautiful slideshows the day after, or even the day of an event. I simply download the cards onto my computer after a wedding, pick out 50-60 images that tell a short story of the day then upload them to Animoto’s easy to use slideshow builder on my computer (or iPad app if I am traveling) and I let it take care of the rest before I export and share it on social media for my couples to share with all of their friends and family. This single tip has made me more than $15,000 in revenue since I started doing it. So right now Im taking the same concept and using Animoto’s Marketing Videos feature to create dozens of quick socially shareable slideshows from my past wedding and engagement images. Capturing peoples attention is tough but Animoto makes capturing their attention easier than ever. Creating a video of just wedding rings, outdoor engagement photos, outdoor bridal photos, rainy wedding photos, night time wedding photos, camera aware photos, bridal party photos, reception photos, and so on and so on. These videos take less than 5 mins to create in Animoto and can be shared over and over again to build your awareness.
Facebook and Instagram LOVE short video content! This video was made in less than 5 minutes using one of Animotos built in wedding photography templates.
Here is a real wedding slideshow I made with Animoto and delivered to my couple the day after their wedding because Animoto makes the whole process so easy.
I want to know what are you working on right now!
Are you focusing on the administrative tasks you never have time for normally or are you working on all the fun ideas that fulfill your creative bucket? Leave a comment below and let me know!
