How to turn people who take selfies into your next paying clients
Being a photographer is a tough profession. We work hard to create our own signature style and we continue to refine and perfect our workflow. It’s demanding at the best of times. And on top of this we have to figure out how to market our services to get paying clients ‘through the door’.
A recent 2013 survey from Petapixel discovered that the most worried-about thing is the task of finding new clients — something 74% of photographers said was their top challenge.
I’m sure you can agree that deep down we all got into photography for the love and passion of the art form, not the struggle to get clients.
most photographers invest their money in the wrong place
So how can we focus on our love for the art form and at the same time effortlessly get new paying clients?
The fact is that most photographers invest their money in the wrong place. They spend their hard earned cash on the latest glass, the latest innovative overpriced accessory, or the latest expensive workshop.
PetaPixel’s survey found that finding the right gear isn’t a concern for most photographers. In fact, 63% of respondents said they will still be dropping their cash on new equipment this year.
Also, workshops and courses geared toward improving your photography and business are still apparently very in-demand these days.
We want the validation and the reassurance that what we decide to do next will work
If we are honest with ourselves this is just plain and simple hiding. Hiding from the need to solve the problem of finding and booking new clients. Hiding from the need to be different, to break the norms, to stand out from the crowd. We want the validation and the reassurance that what we decide to do next will work because someone else used that particular technique, someone else brought that glass, someone else attended that workshop.
Be it weddings, parties, or baptisms, the photos you take should be your best marketing tool
Our focus as photographers should be on the client, not our equipment or the latest workshop. It feels good to go to the latest expensive workshop and to rub shoulders with the high-fliers in the world of photography. But that isn’t directly bringing in paying clients is it ?
Every event photographer should know that their best opportunity to get new clients is to please their current client. Be it weddings, parties, or baptisms, the photos you take should be your best marketing tool. Those same images taken at your events will be seen and critiqued by clients. So what can you do to make the most of your images?
The simple answer is to let your clients be your best markers. What this means is that your client’s ‘word of mouth’ should be your best and most cost effective marketing tool. But how do you get clients to market your business for you?
They want to go home with more than a slice of cake.
Well you have to understand your client’s behaviours and desires.
For example, you are shooting at a wedding event, you will probably see nearly all guests checking their phones at some point in the evening. They use their phones to take selfies and some even may ask you if it’s ok to take a photo of the screen on the back of your DSLR. (Crazy! I know)
Once you see behaviours like this you can start to understand that your your event guests are possibly your next clients. They want to have images from the event on their phones in that moment. They want to go home with more than a slice of cake.
Most client’s have smartphones these days and they want to have memories in that moment. This is why they take selfies, so that they can say/feel, they were there.
Maybe there’s a father’s son who wants to throw a party for his father’s 80th birthday
When you really think about it, its obvious that there may be you next paying client in and amongst your wedding client’s guests. Maybe there’s young girl deciding on who to choose as her photographer for her wedding next year. Maybe there’s a mother looking for a photographer for her grandson’s upcoming baptism. Maybe there’s a son who wants to throw a party for his father’s 80th birthday and wants a photographer to capture the special moments.
These are your next paying clients. So how do you prove to them that you are the ‘man for the job’?
The answer is that you need to use a service that allows you to give an unforgettable experience and showcase your fantastic images. You need a service that allows them to see your work and to easily book you for their upcoming event.
your fantastic images with the power of sharing
There are many products on the market that claim to help photographers get more clients. But they fall short of easily capturing this elusive pool of untapped hidden clients. Some allow you to create online albums after the event in the hope that people will find the link to it. None of these products allow you to deliver a unique real time experience like Snapit does.
Snapit fuses your fantastic images with the power of sharing to allow all your guests to easily see your images in real time. It allows you to easily handpick and upload your favourite images from your event and in seconds all the guests will receive your amazing watermarked images on their smartphone.
With the power of Facebook Messenger, all your images are easily viewed and shared. (Your new marketing tool)
Just keep in mind that your best marketers are the people who see how fantastic your images really are. Why not show them how great you are. Client Bookings are not far away.
Want to learn more about how this works? Here’s a video below
With Snapit event guests will never have to take a terrible selfie again. You will be the hero of the event and your work will be shared again and again. You got into photography for the passion, now its time people see and share you passion.
