I know what you’re thinking…. this is another gimmick.. and it definitely does sound too good to be true. But after years are hard work.. it finally clicked and now I am booking shoots more than I have in 11 years. YES! ELEVEN years! It hasn’t been easy.. it’s also been a lot of trial and error. Most of you do know me as a photographer but believe it or not, I’m not a full time photographer. I bartend between 30-50 hours a week PLUS being a mom to Finn. Here are a few things I implemented which booked me 10,000 in 2020.

FREELANCING

Okay, so everyone has a Niche, and if you don’t you probably should. I tend to have a wide niche because theres SO many things I enjoy shooting. My highest revenue photoshoot sources are – Weddings, Business, Editorial, Senior and Family photography. I have been hired on with 3 different companies one being Godaddy, that utilize me on a weekly, monthly or as needed basis. If you’re interested in more about these companies, comment below and I’ll do an article on them. Aside from those companies I also work for magazines. Sometimes these are for free and on my own accord, but those few free shoots are great material to send to paying magazines. Of course weddings are a major source of income. In the next few tips I will explain how I have been booming in the wedding market in my area. Senior and Family photography is usually up in the air, however I do make a lot of last minute income because I do take on last minute sessions when other photographers can’t fit them in.  

SOCIAL MEDIA

YES. The SUUUUPER lame topic nobody likes talking about. I’m not sure if you are utilizing this POWERFUL tool.. but if you aren’t.. ya should. Reverting to what I said above.. this is how I market myself and make friends with my future clients. I have 5k friends on my personal Facebook. I’m always posting specials, things that make me me, and content to my page. From this everyone in my town knows me as “the photographer girl” and after 11 years it’s pretty stinking cool. Posting frequently on instagram is also another positive. Posting on stories and IG tv with behind the scenes. This shows your clients what it’s like working with you and sometimes makes them want to be in your clients shoes. Of course posting openings, etc really help with this. Youtube is another. Now, I’m not as active and I need to be, but I do have a small fan base which has landed me more instagram followers.  

COMMUNITY

Community is a big thing as well. Whenever there is a big event, try to make it. Even if it’s an hour. Talk to people, bring a friend SHOW UP AND SHOW OUT. This is a great way to make friends and business colleagues. If you have money to donate in the name of your business to get yourself seen out there, this is a great way to give back and make yourself known.

MARKETING/WORKSHOPS

I never knew what I was missing and all of the things that could get me a client in the door. I highly advise finding workshops whether it be online or in person and go to them. Save some Money and reinvest it back into your business.

HONEYBOOK

Honeybook has LITERALLLLLY changed the way I run my business.. no more messaging through insta, Facebook, email, text, ya mamas friend, their cousin, aunt, uncle, etc. This all in one platform is a MAIN SOURCE of how I made this much income in one month. I can now offer monthly payments.. this is a huge positive and makes me stand out because other photographers require 50% where I can book their shoot in over a 1 year span or longer. Sending brochures is with a click of a button and automated text all I have to do is type in their name!! GAME CHANGER. You can try Honeybook for 1 year at 50% off with this link

> HONEYBOOK 50% OFF

PIXIESET

Before pixieset I was sending USB drives, CDS, and sending items via dropbox. Now, with pixies its SO SIMPLE and like a mini website for their friends and family to enjoy. I highly recommend this delivery method. It’s such a professional way to deliver photos and makes it so much faster to turn around images when it would take me weeks or sometimes months to send images to a client. This gets me positive reviews which in return gets me more clients.

> Join Pixieset here

LIGHTROOM

For the longest time I was hard headed and felt like light room was a cop out for photographers.. boy was I SO WRONG. My turn around can be as fast as 24 hours with Lightroom it’s INCREDIBLE. Quick turn arounds mean more clients and happier clients.

NARRATIVE

Narrative is an easy blogging site that lets me make blog posts in 15-20 minutes. Blogging is a huge way to get traffic to your site, getting you more clients. My website is a HUGE reason why I get out of state clients and professional business gigs. You can try Narrative 15% off at this link

> 15% off here

REVIEWS

I asked for my followers to leave me reviews if they had a positive experience and let me tell you.. in one day I had 90 reviews.. it boosted my google ranking and I had 3 inquiries VIA GOOGLE in 2 days following this!   I hope this helps in your business and shows, a little bit of time on an off date invested and a little bit of money put back into your business can pay off in the long run.