As restrictions start to ease, the need for photography businesses is starting to grow again. Whether you’ve just picked up photography as a side hustle, or you’ve been an established photographer for awhile now, there’s always things you can do to take your business to the next level.
At Workit Spaces, we’ve seen a bunch of different photographers grow their business recently. We’ve taken a look at what they’ve done to build on their success. In today’s article, we’ll be going through seven different ways to grow your photography business. These are all actionable steps that won’t require a huge budget or a lot of time.
Update your social media presence
Social media is definitely the place to be if you’re a photographer in 2020. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok are perfect for visual content. For example, Vincent Rommelaere from Australia Unseen, one of our Workit members, has grown an impressive 15.8k following on Instagram. He’s been able to expand his photography and grow a successful business.
How do you update your social media presence? There are a few easy steps you can take. For example, if you’re a wedding photographer in Sydney, make sure you list this clearly in your social media name or bio, and in hashtags. This helps you get found. Secondly, put together a regular posting schedule that showcases your content and engages audiences. Social media algorithms prioritise accounts that post regularly.
Evaluate your pricing menu and finances
As your services get better, you want to evaluate your pricing as well. Make sure to compare your prices with other photography businesses in your area and make sure you’re getting your money’s worth. You might also find that the correct move is to actually decrease your prices or add to your packages to make your business more competitive.
If you’re not too sure whether you’re managing your finances properly, the Australian government actually provides useful financial resources for small businesses. Learn everything from developing a financial strategy to preparing your finances for tax season. It isn’t the most fun part of growing your photography business, however, it’s one of those things you’ll be glad you did sooner rather than later.
Get regular access to a photography studio
If you regularly rent out photography studios to do model or product shoots, it might make sense for you to invest in a regular subscription to a photography studio. This generally works out to be cheaper than if you were to hire a photography studio as a one off every time. It also means you don’t have to worry about organising a booking every time you do a shoot.
At Workit Spaces, we offer a unique virtual office package for photographers. It runs at $370/month and gives you 16 hours of access to our physical spaces, including our large cyloroma and product cyclorama. This works out to be about $23/hour. On top of this, you get to use our premium business address to help give your business a more established feel.
Rent equipment so that you can try more things
If you’re a photography enthusiast, trying out new camera gear might be one of the best parts of your job. Plus, it’s a great way to pick up new skills and try new techniques. However, it can get expensive to buy new equipment every time you want to test something out, even if you’re buying equipment second hand.
You might want to consider renting equipment instead. It works out to be a lot cheaper, depending on your situation, and is a great way to try before you buy. At Workit, if you become a member or subscribe to one of our premium virtual office packages, you can hire equipment onsite at Camera Hire and get 20% off.
Move your photography business into a physical space
If your photography business is growing significantly, it could make sense to move into your own physical space. For example, Xaric Phoenix has built his own large photography studio within one of our showroom and storage spaces. This way, he gets to control exactly how he wants the cyclorama to look and how lighting is set up.
Similarly, Front Back and Sides provides affordable product photography. They have their own office and shooting area set up in a showroom and storage space. If you’ve been working from home, having a dedicated work area could help to improve productivity. Other benefits of coworking include being able to be part of a community and getting affordable pricing.
Have a professional photography business website
Though social media is important, it still doesn’t trump having a professional website for your photography business. When people want to deep dive into your portfolio, they expect to be able to find it easily and to have a good user experience. Make sure your website matches your branding and showcases your unique selling points.
There are a range of different templates that make it easy. However, it’s definitely possible to stuff up a great template if you’re not exactly sure what you’re doing. Depending on your experience, it could be worth investing in someone to do it for you. Make sure you look at the work they’ve done and consider if their services are worthwhile.
Consider SEO practices for your photography business website
Following on from the last tip, it’s important to consider your search engine optimisation, otherwise known as SEO. This essentially involves improving your site so that it appears higher in search results. If you’re a freelance photographer or small business, it doesn’t always make sense to invest thousands into SEO. There are actually a number of things you can do on your own.
Similarly to what you can do with social media, make sure you include search terms such as ‘Sydney wedding photographer’ or ‘product photographer Melbourne’ across your site. There are many different free tools you can use to analyse your SEO, and for SEO recommendations. For example, ahrefs has a site audit option, woorank goes through your site, and Neil Patel’s SEO Analyzer offers in-depth reporting.
Final words
Though the photography market is saturated, there is still a need for high-quality photographers. If you continue improving on your skills and keeping your online presence up to date, you’re bound to grow your photography business in due time. You don’t have to be a marketing whizz or an experienced business consultant. Best of luck on your journey!
