Simple Tricks for Photography Studio Success in 2020

As we move into the slow season photographers everywhere scramble to find new clients. Most of them are looking for marketing ideas that they haven't tried. But it’s the simplest things are the most important. And often overlooked. Before you work on something more elaborate make sure you’ve covered the basics.

Answer the Phone

This one matters. We secure clients simply because we pick up the phone. I’ve had people tell me on more than one occasion that they booked with our photography studio, even though we were out of their price range, simply because we picked up the phone. “Oh thank goodness someone answered” “We knew you were a real business.”

The other side of this is that we don’t answer the phone when we are with a client. I’ve called people back two hours later and they’ve already booked their photographer. This year I’m hiring an answering service so our phone is answered by a real person, even when we’re shooting.

Put Your Contact Info on Every webPage

The easiest way to do this is to add your studio’s contact info to your website footer. Website savvy clients will automatically scroll to the bottom of your site if they can’t find it anywhere else. I would also counsel you to place it “above the fold” on your landing page i.e., before your viewer has to scroll for it. Don’t hide your phone number, they’ll jump back to Google to find it, and they may get distracted by the next photographer’s ad. They aren’t invested in you as a person yet, so they have no studio loyalty. Don’t give them ANY reason to leave your page.

include Your Address on your site

Again, don’t give them any reason to leave. If they bounce back to Google to pull up your address there’s the chance they’ll wander off. Keep them on your site. You need your studio’s address posted for SEO purposes anyway. If you work out of your home and are uncomfortable posting your address, keep it private, but still give them SOMETHING. Ex: Milwaukee District, Portland Oregon. At least they know you’re not halfway across town, and Google can recognize it as well.

Fix your broken links

Even if you are drowning in customers, add these to your to-do list.

If you’re looking to chase off new customers, offer up some broken links. You’re showing your potential new photography clients that you lack attention to detail. Details matter as a photographer. You’re also hurting your SEO ranking. Check for broken links a minimum of every 90 days, preferably once a month. And build yourself a personalized 404 page for your studio. Leave a quick cute/funny message and give them a couple of links; one back to the main page, a link to your search page and a link to your studio’s contact us page. Make it as simple and helpful as possible, you’ve already stumbled in their eyes.

At the beep, leave a message

A full voicemail account, or worse yet, no voicemail at all, while common, is unacceptable. I feel like I’m channeling my mother with this comment. But it’s true. If your voicemail is full will they (your prospective client) call back? I can almost guarantee that if you lack a voicemail and grandma is footing the bill - you’ve lost the sale before it began. So craft a short, concise message, stating your business name, that you will return their call, sound friendly and professional.

Don’t worry if you only have one cell phone number for your personal and professional contacts. Your inner circle knows who you are, and most likely never leaves a message anyway.

Write your repetitive email responses

How many of us have opened our email account and skipped responding to a prospective client because we didn’t have time to write a good email, and didn’t want to send back a one-liner? {embarrassed cough} So, your prospective client becomes someone else’s paycheck because you didn’t respond quickly enough, or, worse yet, forgot to respond entirely.

Be proactive. You only shoot so many types of sessions. Save yourself some time and write a response to each basic email request i.e. “How much for a “smash cake shoot” a “newborn photography session” etc, and one that says “Thanks for thinking of us, but we don’t shoot________”. Write in depth, information heavy, well thought out emails that are peppered with questions so they are encouraged to respond back to you. Save yourself time year round by writing them once and having them done. Easy peasy.

When you are looking for new customers always start with the basics. Even if you are drowning in customers, add these to your to-do list.

Happy New Year!

- Clare