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1.9.13

My 2013 Business Goals

Hello everyone from San Francisco (you may not know that I normally write to you from Denver)!

I’m sitting in the airport this morning waiting for my layover for my flight to China. I had all these great plans that I would sit here and do my usual Wednesday video blog post, but with the intercom going off every few minutes I realized it wasn’t the best situation for that sort of thing!

But hey…next week’s video blog post will come to you straight from China! 

Anyway I was going to video blog to all of you about how long it takes to build clients and a profit with your business, but I’m going to save that for another time. It’s so much easier to talk about it, even if I look like a dork, than it is to write about it. 

So instead I’m going to reiterate the importance of setting goals for your business and share what mine are for the year. You can laugh and judge my business goals all you want, but I know most of you won’t. 

The are two important aspects of setting business goals that I think are the most important. One is to chose goals that are actually attainable. They should pose a little challenge, but they shouldn’t be so sky high that you’ll never reach them. The other is to set goals over a broader range of time. So instead of making a weekly goal for how many sessions  you shoot, make a yearly goal. That way when you have some down time with your business you don’t get into a rut feeling like you aren’t successful because you aren’t booking. It’s so much better for you and your business to look at the whole picture instead of small parts.

Another important part of setting goals is looking at them at the end of the year to see what you accomplished. Even if you did not reach your goal, if you came even close to it you are still looking at a success! Setting personal goals for your business is the only TRUE way for you to measure how successful your business actually is instead of comparing it to someone else’s. If you reach some goals and only get close to some others that’s still amazing and huge growth. It’s something to look back on and feel really proud of. Not everyone’s photography business is going to be the same and if we spend a lot of time comparing ourselves to what other photographers are doing than we’re measuring our success by something that might be unattainable.

So here are my goals for 2013! I hope that sharing where my business weaknesses are can help you feel more confident. I’m by no means perfect at everything and I have a lot of things that I really want to improve on this year! I think it’s important for newer photographers to see that no matter how far along we all are in our businesses that we’re always growing and always needing to work on things and do them better. We all have strengths and weaknesses with what we’re good at. 

1. Book 25 Weddings. (I always use the word ‘book’ vs. ‘shoot’ because booking a client is a success and it shouldn’t be a failure to my business if their relationship doesn’t work out).

2. Get better at delivering client gifts. I’ve talked about how I like to surprise clients with a 16×20 canvas of their photo session from www.cgproprints.com, but I really want to try and be more consistent about doing this within a certain time frame and for every single client. I also want to expand the ‘client gifts’ idea to offer a little booking gift for my wedding clients as soon as they book. I’m hoping when I return from China I can check out some options for wedding planners to give to the bride as a welcome gift.

3. Print off business receipts once a week. My business has been growing a little faster than I can handle and top that off with Photography Awesomesauce here with you guys I’m terrible at filing sometimes. The last year I’ve been trying to file papers once per month, but even that has been becoming overwhelming to save it all up until then. My goal this year is to file weekly or biweekly so not everything is as built up as it is on a monthly basis. To accomplish this I’m going to make sure I set aside some time every week just to do this.

4. Read at least one business related book per month. This is a goal I’m so pumped about that I decided to share it with you and I started a book club for anyone and everyone that would like to join in on this goal. I had recently heard at the end of 2012 that the most successful business owners in the world read anywhere from 1-2 books related to business per month and the statistic for small business owners is less than one book a year. When I sat down and looked at that relationship I decided it was time to buckle down and read. It’s such an easy and affordable way to groom the entrepreneur in you and learn some great things about being a business owner. You can join our business book club by going >here< on Facebook and asking to join. As soon as I’m available I’ll confirm your request to join and you can jump in at any time with any of the books you like.

5. Book 2 birth photography sessions this year. Birth photography is something I fell in love with, but I find it’s difficult to book (especially for me with weddings). Births are something I generally only book in the off season so it limits my availability, but it’s something I want to practice more and learn more about.

6. Book 10 newborn sessions. Okay, I’m definitely not the best newborn photographer in the world, but shooting newborns is something I’ve been building on. I photographed 5 last year and I don’t think 10 is unreasonable. I’m getting some great training tips from my awesome friend, Summer, at >Summer Michelle Photography< hopefully I’ll be able to take the tips I learn from her and become a better newborn photographer (because I’m definitely not very good at it yet), and be able to offer to photograph a few more newborns than usual.

7. Book 5 family photo sessions. I have to be honest, these are sometimes my least favorite things to photograph. Even though I specialize in weddings I still want to practice family photography so I can provide you guys with tips and tricks that can help you become better.

8. Book 5 boudoir sessions. I love doing Boudoir. Some years I do a bunch and some years I do very little, so this is a very medium goal for me and I don’t know where it will go, but I know I’ll be happy however it turns out.

9. Track Client Workflow. So those great workflow sheets in the >Business Organizing Bundle< that a lot of you guys have purchased? They’re amazing and I love the idea of using them, but in practice I’m not very good at it. I’ve already set up a section in my business binder this year that should help me accomplish utilizing this tool much better so I can remember where I’m at with all my current clients.

10. Blog at least 4 days a week on my >Carrie Swails Photography Blog< Last year I had this same goal and I failed at it when I started spending all my time blogging here for all of you! This year I’m determined to keep up on my blogging skills and I’ve already done really well. Regular blogging will increase my search engine optimization so when a client is searching Google to find a photographer it’s more likely that my name will show up higher in their search results. The higher I am in their search results the more likely they are to click on my website and book with me. If you want to learn more about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) I developed a little guide for those interested in utilizing this tool. >SEO Guide< I definitely need to spend some time blogging so I can improve my SEO.

I really hope to hear and see what your goals are for your business this year and I hope we can all continue to grow with each other on our business goals!!

A couple reminders…

I added 5 more spots to the >Get Legit Workshop< this month. They’re going to fill up fast so if you’re interested grab a spot. February’s workshop will fill quickly too.

There won’t be any live online classes while I’m gone. These are usually held on Wednesday evenings. The next one will be January 23rd and it’s a class all about learning to price packages, prints, products and more. >Register<

 Photography Awesomesauce & Carrie Swails Photography

Filed in:Business Tips | Inspiration
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January 9, 2013 - 11:52 am

Cristin - Number 3 is the top of my list.

Some of my other resolutions include- actually learning and loving to use my lensbaby, connecting with my clients regularly after sessions, and connecting with our photographers :) .

P.S. Welcome to San Francisco! I call it home.

January 9, 2013 - 12:09 pm

Carrie - Yay! I used to have a bunch of Lensbabies and optics and they can be hard to learn! I like your other business goals and San Fran is awesome – the fog has only just lifted at the airport so I can see you sort of have mountains here.

January 9, 2013 - 2:20 pm

Wendy Stubbs - I hope you have a wonderful trip. I have just recently heard about Photography Awesomesauce but have really enjoyed your blogs and emails. Your willingness to share knowledge is wonderful. So many photographers view everyone as their competition (enemy).

I know we should never judge our business based on others, but it really helps me to see your number of shoot goals. I think I put to much pressure on myself thinking that I am not successful unless I do as many shoots as others, rather than judging it based on my personal goals and abilities. Thank you for your honesty.

January 11, 2013 - 1:37 am

Carrie - Thank you so much Wendy! I hoped that by sharing my personal goals it would show a more realistic approach. Sometimes when photographers I mentor are setting goals they go a bit crazy. Everyone’s goals will be different too depending on how much they’re charging and if photography is their full time gig. For me weddings are a full time gig and they’re seasonal here in Colorado so I don’t leave a lot of time for other types of portraits.

1.8.13

Taking a Slow Boat to China

Okay okay, so I’m really taking an airplane! Tomorrow I’ll be leaving town to head out to Beijing to visit one of my closest friends! We’ll be spending a lot of time over the next two weeks exploring the great wall and all the other things China has to offer.

This, of course, means I’ll be spending a lot of time not working. Please be patient if you send an email, a Facebook message or a comment on the blog that you are waiting for a response to. I will be checking in occasionally.

Will you still see blog posts and Facebook posts during this time? Absolutely! But that doesn’t mean I’m here and available. All the blog posts you have been seeing and will see over the next couple weeks were actually written a month ago in December and are scheduled to ‘go public’ every day. I set up Facebook updates similarly so you should still see and be able to enjoy everything as usual while I’m out having a great time!

I’ll be returning to work on January 23rd and it may take me a couple days to catch up on Facebook messages, emails and everything else.

Thanks for your understanding and patience,

Carrie

Filed in:Reminders
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January 8, 2013 - 1:29 pm

Jack Bingham - You lucky girl make sure and take plenty of images so we can all feel like we were there with you. Have a GREAAAAAAT time. Cheers Jack

January 8, 2013 - 9:22 pm

kat - How exciting! Have a blast and as jack said, take plenty of pics. :-)

1.8.13

5 Tips for Standing Out in a Saturated Photography Market

It’s the digital age. Everyone is able to afford a semi-pro camera these days and I think we’ve all been in the shoes where we take one nice photo and someone says we should start and business and voila – we do. Not every photographer makes it though. In fact, the success rates for small business owners are incredibly tiny. For small business photographers it’s even less that survive.

In a market where everyone and their mom has a nice camera and is starting a photography business we all need to figure out what to do to stand out among our peers. We need to ask ourselves, “what makes me different?”

Sure some photographers have better equipment than others, some have more experience, some may take better photos than others, but what really truly makes our businesses different is us, the people that run them. Here are some tips to play up the most important part of your business, you.

1. Let your personality dictate your branding. I think we are often confused about what branding really is. I see photographers mention they are re-branding. They mean they’re getting a fancy new logo made or they’re giving their website a re-design. Branding is so much more than how things look. Branding is all about how your customers connect emotionally to your business. Therefore your branding should be emotionally driven. The best branding tool you have is yourself? Clients can’t always connect emotionally to a nice looking bit of packaging, or a pretty website, but what they will connect with is you and your personality.

2. Read the book Purple Cow, by Seth Godin.  In fact, you can join our >Photography Awesomesauce Book Club< – where we’ll be reading this book very soon and discussing it with other photographers and how we can apply Seth’s techniques to our business practices. Purple Cow is all about standing out. The purple cow is the only cow that will stand out among all the brown cows.

3. When you meet with potential clients stop dwelling on sharing your years of experience, what fancy equipment you use and how you run your business. They hear all of that stuff from other photographers. Focus on what’s important to them – their wedding, their new baby, their family, and their photo session. When I first meet with a client I never tell them all about myself, my pricing, or how I run the business or what sorts of certifications I have so they’ll chose me over the next guy. In order to make their phone meeting or in person meeting with me a great experience I ask the questions about them. Making them feel like you are genuinely interested in them (because you are!) is a great way for them to feel welcomed and build a trusting relationship with you. If they feel like you are invested in them you’ll definitely stand out compared to all the other photographers who are focusing on other things when they first talk to clients.

4. Sometimes we have to stop worrying about the saturated market around us. We spend so much time worrying about what everyone else is doing and how everyone else is running their business that we forget to spend time on our own business. All that time we spend ranting and complaining about how so-and-so photographer is doing is time we could be spending on bettering ourselves and our own business. If you are worrying a lot about your competition you aren’t focusing on what’s most important in your business. Try to do your best to turn the other way when it comes to your competition and focus on yourself. The more time you invest into your own business instead of worrying about others the more your work will show. Clients don’t love it when they meet with a photographer who badmouths their neighbors or complains about how many photographers there are these days. Unfortunately, with a saturated market there’s not a lot we can do except spend our time wisely elsewhere making our business stand out.

5. Pick something or some part of your business that you do differently than other photographers and play it up. For me it’s pricing. The way I style and set up my pricing is very different from other photographers and I have yet to see someone else do it similarly. That style is unique and part of my appeal to other clients.

 

There won’t be any classes happening next week. I’m going to be in China for two weeks. The next available class is January 23rd and it’s all about packages, products and prints and how to set up your packages and what to charge. >Register here< to join us live. If you can’t join us live make sure you’re registered anyway so you can receive the recording of the live class afterward.

Filed in:Business Tips
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January 13, 2013 - 7:52 pm

Joanna Schoff - Appreciate the information here. I am working on my brand. I do not have a logo yet and am trying to figure that out. Along with my style and how I differ from others. I’d like to think its my easy going personality!

1.7.13

10 Things I Wish I Knew About How to Attract More Clients

1. Be yourself. The one thing that makes you different from the photographer around the corner isn’t your photography itself, your style, your equipment or your experience. Your personality is the thing that will truly define your business and help you stand out from others around you. The more you stand out, the more you’ll attract new clients.

2. Network with other professionals in the industry! We just did a class on this last week >Register< and you can watch the recorded version of the class. Networking with other wedding planners, wedding venues, midwives (for newborn photography) or doctor’s offices for families and children can be a great way to bring in referrals and get your work shown to the actual demographic you want to photograph.

3. Connect with other photographers! One of your best resources for referrals can be another photographer. If you can find a small group of photographers in your area and start working out a calendar with them you’ll be able to accomplish getting and receiving referrals from other photographers. Sometimes I can’t photograph a wedding or newborn due to my schedule and being able to refer them to another photographer I like is a great way to build customer service with that specific client even if you aren’t serving them. The other photographer who receives the referral will also be likely to send you referrals back when he or she is too busy to do them herself.

4. Peruse craigslist for job opportunities. Yes, I know, craigslist isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I was able to connect with a couple of clients when I first started my business through Craigslist and received some great opportunities for referrals from them. People looking for photographers will often post an advertisement on Craigslist in the “gigs” section and it can be a good idea to search through there every once in awhile and respond to some of the ads.

5. Expos & Shows. Doing a bridal show or an expo for a children’s fair might not be for everyone. You have to be the kind of person who is outgoing and comfortable talking to lots of strangers. These shows usually require a financial investment in order to have a booth, but if you’re great with talking to people and “selling” yourself this can be a great way to build your business. I do bridal shows a few times a year and it increases my clients and then those clients refer me and I build a great client base from it.

6. Create an online presence. Having a website and a couple social networking accounts can go a long way. When you have an online presence it’s a great way for customers to connect with you and your brand and always be reminded that you are there and ready to work!

7. Branding is more about you than your logo or your website. We often think of branding as something that’s very visual, but branding is the way you and your customers connect emotionally. Use your branding to your advantage to show off your personality, style, and create an online presence.

8. Friend your clients on Facebook! When you friend your clients on Facebook you give them an opportunity to get to know you personally and develop that emotional side of your brand. It also allows you to tag them in the photos you take on your business page. When they’re tagged that photo will show up in their newsfeed to all their friends and family who are potential local clients.

9. Work on your search engine optimization. Clients find photographers through searching the internet for local photographers. One of the best ways to ensure they find you is by showing up as high as possible in the search results. You don’t want to be listed on page 50 for your local town, you want to be on the first couple pages so you can be seen! Check out the >SEO Guide< with some step-by-step tips that explain search engine optimization and will help you set up your online presence so you can be easily found and searched.

10. Don’t be shy, ask your clients for referrals. If you’ve spent all this time developing a relationship with your clients and building their trust in you – asking them to mention you to their friends can be a great way to remind them how much they loved your service and to send their friends your way.

 

Don’t forget! Tonight’s live online class is all about the legal and official side of your business. We’re going to learn about sales taxes, business licenses, LLCs, sole proprietorships, and all that official mumbo jumbo. So many photographers are talented artists, but we always struggle understanding the official business side of things. If you can’t join in on our class live, make sure you’re registered so you can watch the class later! Every class is recorded for those who can’t make it live. >Register here<

Filed in:Business Tips | Marketing TIps
1.6.13

Product Review – Shootsac

Finally! I finally found the camera bag for me. I have been going through designer camera bags like there was no tomorrow. You name it, and I’ve tried it.

I really can’t say why it took me so long other than I was being completely stupid when it came to carrying my equipment. I was jumping from one shoulder bag to the next thinking that was the easy way to go. However, when it comes to having all these flashes, back up flashes, back up batteries, back up cameras and multiple lenses I was just absolutely killing my back and my neck.

I finally purchased a Pelican Case this year and that’s where I store all my equipment all the time.  You can check out my review of the case I have >here<. My Pelican Case can be stored and locked during weddings and that allows me to have everything I need nearby, but not have to carry it all around on my back.

Ideally what I needed was a bag that let me swap my lenses very easily and that’s when I discovered Shootsac. I love the soft rubber and that it’s already lightweight to begin with. Carrying it on my shoulders hasn’t bothered me at all yet. It’s such a simple way to swap out my lenses, carry my camera with my hand and be able to move around more easily.

The >Shootsac< website.

Customer Service: 5/5 Shootsac is easy to order from and they provide quick and timely customer service.

Product Quality: 4/5 The bag has almost a rubbery/gel-like quality to it. I’m not sure that it would protect gear if you dropped it, but then – would any bag really? One thing I’d like to see are some snaps or a way to keep the lid down and covering your lenses that still allows quick access. The lid/cover right now doesn’t attach to the bag and that leaves it option to letting your contents spill out if you were in a strange position. However, because of the rubber-like quality my lenses seem to sit pretty tight in there and don’t slip around on the fabric like other bags. The bag fits 6 lenses at at time. It might be really heavy if filled completely, but I never have more than 3 lenses in the bag and a couple extra batteries or a flash in one spot.

Ease of Use/Ordering: 5/5 Incredibly easy to use and the shootsac website is also easy to navigate.

Delivery: 5/5 It came delivered safe and sound.

Product Packaging: 5/5 Because the bag isn’t delicate by any means it is easy to pack and have shipped to you. It’s also very lightweight. One of the features I like is you can fold it up and stick it inside your Pelican Case or another bag when you’re not using it. It doesn’t take up very much space.

Filed in:Product Reviews