A Successful Professional Photography Business Comes From Creating a Budget
In order to have a successful photography business you must set a budget.
It's amazing to me how many photographers look at me blankly when I ask them "How much money can you spend in the next 12 months on your sales and marketing program.
" You will need to set a figure that you can afford to spend and you must hold yourself accountable to your resources.
In order to set a budget you will need to become aware of where you are in your process of professional growth.
You also need to review your advertising options and ultimately commit to moving forward on 4-5 different sales and marketing avenues.
You set a yearly budget by looking at where your business is now and where you want to take it in the future.
To determine your goal for this years campaign you must decide what purpose will this budget will serve? For example, if you are a new photographer with 3 years or less in the industry your job is to build identity and visibility in the market place.
You are most likely still building the majority of your sales and marketing tools.
Your print book, your website, your database.
In addition, your direct mail And email visuals will need to be designed and branded together.
You should be spending your budget on the foundation steps needed to get your name repeatedly in front of buyers.
Building these core tools is your priority.
Maybe your business is more mature? You've been shooting for over 10 years, you have a stable of clients and are looking to maintain your business growth within the same industry but you want to obtain more creative assignments as you build your client roster.
Your goal is to be seen as a creative collaborator and you want to work on national accounts.
You must ask yourself, do you have the body of work for a national audience? If not, allocate your funds and work with a top-notch consultant who can help you build the visuals you need to attract a national client base.
If your body of work is in place and your product is ready to go to market, you might need to budget for a marketing assistant, who can research potential national clients and get you in person appointments and over see your social media tasks.
Budget totals will vary and the way the money is allocated will be different for each talent however there are some guidelines that you can consider when setting your yearly budget.
If you are a new photographer and have yet to create the sales and marketing tools you will need a print book (2-3 copies), a web site, a database membership service for emails and direct mail.
These are basic tools that every photographer needs in order to sell and market.
There are many options and price points for developing these tools.
You should plan to spend somewhere between $5,000.
00 -10,000.
00 for these essential tools.
If you are tooled up and are looking to build more visibility on a national and international scale, look toward portal buys, or print ads in publications that your clients read.
If you are looking to further your reputation as a creative collaborator, think about working with an art director or graphic designer and copywriter and have them develop a beautiful direct mail campaign that is visually driven.
Plan out of town sales trips to see selected buyer researched by your marketing assistant.
These tools are built on top of the direct mail and email I am assuming you are already doing.
Photographers who have been in business for 5 years or more should consider planning to spend between 8-10 % of their yearly sales on sales and marketing expenses.
Taking inventory of where you are now and how you will spend your marketing dollars is a responsible step toward success!
It's amazing to me how many photographers look at me blankly when I ask them "How much money can you spend in the next 12 months on your sales and marketing program.
" You will need to set a figure that you can afford to spend and you must hold yourself accountable to your resources.
In order to set a budget you will need to become aware of where you are in your process of professional growth.
You also need to review your advertising options and ultimately commit to moving forward on 4-5 different sales and marketing avenues.
You set a yearly budget by looking at where your business is now and where you want to take it in the future.
To determine your goal for this years campaign you must decide what purpose will this budget will serve? For example, if you are a new photographer with 3 years or less in the industry your job is to build identity and visibility in the market place.
You are most likely still building the majority of your sales and marketing tools.
Your print book, your website, your database.
In addition, your direct mail And email visuals will need to be designed and branded together.
You should be spending your budget on the foundation steps needed to get your name repeatedly in front of buyers.
Building these core tools is your priority.
Maybe your business is more mature? You've been shooting for over 10 years, you have a stable of clients and are looking to maintain your business growth within the same industry but you want to obtain more creative assignments as you build your client roster.
Your goal is to be seen as a creative collaborator and you want to work on national accounts.
You must ask yourself, do you have the body of work for a national audience? If not, allocate your funds and work with a top-notch consultant who can help you build the visuals you need to attract a national client base.
If your body of work is in place and your product is ready to go to market, you might need to budget for a marketing assistant, who can research potential national clients and get you in person appointments and over see your social media tasks.
Budget totals will vary and the way the money is allocated will be different for each talent however there are some guidelines that you can consider when setting your yearly budget.
If you are a new photographer and have yet to create the sales and marketing tools you will need a print book (2-3 copies), a web site, a database membership service for emails and direct mail.
These are basic tools that every photographer needs in order to sell and market.
There are many options and price points for developing these tools.
You should plan to spend somewhere between $5,000.
00 -10,000.
00 for these essential tools.
If you are tooled up and are looking to build more visibility on a national and international scale, look toward portal buys, or print ads in publications that your clients read.
If you are looking to further your reputation as a creative collaborator, think about working with an art director or graphic designer and copywriter and have them develop a beautiful direct mail campaign that is visually driven.
Plan out of town sales trips to see selected buyer researched by your marketing assistant.
These tools are built on top of the direct mail and email I am assuming you are already doing.
Photographers who have been in business for 5 years or more should consider planning to spend between 8-10 % of their yearly sales on sales and marketing expenses.
Taking inventory of where you are now and how you will spend your marketing dollars is a responsible step toward success!
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