22 Things I Would Do if I Was Starting My Photography Business in 2022
Starting your photography business the right way is essential to setting yourself up for long-term success. Early on, you should plan for the structure of your business, pricing, and finances, efficient processes, branding, marketing, finding your ideal client, and providing an incredible client experience that leads to repeat business and referrals.
When I Was Your Age…
I started my business full time in 2010 and things were a little different then. I built my portfolio, developed a website, and marketed myself like crazy within my local market. I developed a referral campaign, bought google ads, ran a print ad campaign as well as a direct mail campaign. Yes, I made some mistakes along the way (like overspending on print advertising or not saying no enough) but I was able to build my business profitably from the start. I think it was easier and more simple to do in 2010.
There were no Facebook groups, no Instagram or TikTok, very little on youtube, and the Google rankings of the photographers were of photographers who had been around a long time. I took business courses and focused on my portfolio as well as my profits. There was less “noise” online and your visibility as a photographer was not quite as vulnerable as it is now with platforms, rules, and algorithms changing overnight.
Now, new photographers have access to so much information that can be extremely helpful, while at the same time extremely overwhelming. To help break down the process of getting started, I put together this list for you.
22 steps I would take to set myself up for success if I were starting my business in 2022
Of course I would read the how to start a photography business E-book for step-by-step guidance on successfully launching my business.
Make an appointment with a CPA to set up my business legally and get expert direction on a legal structure, business bank accounts, and even pricing. Determine whether or not the business is a viable option at this time.
Make an appointment with SBA and Score to access free resources that prepare photographers for success.
Join industry associations to network and learn from established photographers. Also, join local photographers’ community groups. Join the chamber of commerce to network and also find other small business owners to discuss running a business in this area.
Continue to fine-tune my style and genre.
Build a portfolio so I have enough high-quality images for a profile page and website. I would determine the location and cast for the portfolio shoots to ensure that I get the right experience and images to showcase my brand. I would not just give away my work for free.
Take courses from respected photographers and business coaches. Expert advice would help me feel confident and prepared, instead of just winging it on my own.
Read helpful books like Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim, Differentiate or Die by Jack Trout, Contagious by Jonah Berger, Zombie Loyalists by Peter Shankman, and This Is Marketing by Seth Godin.
Research my ideal client like crazy.
Buy my domain name. I would choose a simple, easy-to-spell name that makes my brand and services easy for potential clients to understand.
Begin researching website designers and builders.
Work with a graphic designer to create my brand image and marketing materials. I would start with the logo because I can use it for my social media and profile pages, even before my website is 100% ready to go.
Work with a copywriter to write the copy and bio for my website. I can use the bio for social media as well.
Claim all my social media handles, fill out the profiles, and begin adding images and content. Add it to my workflow to regularly add content.
Learn Facebook ads and/or hire someone to develop and place FB ads. It's important to have a basic understanding of Facebook ads so I’d take a course on Facebook ads even if I was outsourcing.
Hire someone to build my website that also knows local SEO. Take a course on local SEO to understand its importance.
Claim my Google business page. Begin filling out and populating it. Add it to my workflow to regularly add content.
Learn google ads and/or hire someone to develop and place google ads. It’s important to have a basic understanding of google ads so I’d learn the basics of google ads even if I was outsourcing.
Plan my marketing for the year. I would determine my slow season and crunch time and develop my calendar for the rest of the year. I would work in marketing to my workflow to ensure I am building awareness.
Establish consistent, efficient processes for managing booking, deposits, contracts, and client communication (I would use Picsello for that as the calculator would also help me set prices).
Send an email to all my friends and family announcing my upcoming shoots and social media presence. Build my email database for future promotions. Focus on my mindset. It’s easy to have a scarcity mindset as an uncertain new business owner in a creative field. But the world is a big place, and there are plenty of clients for all of us!
Focus on my mindset. It’s easy to have a scarcity mindset as an uncertain new business owner in a creative field. But the world is a big place, and there are plenty of clients for all of us!
Final Thoughts
These steps will help you create a business that stands alone, is different from the rest, and will provide an experience that clients love. Clients will become raving fans and refer you like crazy, leading to long-term profitability. We created Picsello so you don’t have to learn your lessons the hard way. You can avoid the mistakes most new photographers make and set your business up for success right from the start. Visit www.picsello.com
Jane Goodrich is an award-winning photographer whose underlying mission is to support and empower other photographers in reaching new levels of profitable success. With a background in business and marketing, vast industry experience running two successful photography businesses, and building The Photography Business brand, Jane is one of the most respected photographers in the industry when it comes to running a successful business. Jane took her knowledge and experience and poured it into Picsello – a business management software platform for photographers that will genuinely support photographers in setting their pricing, running their business effectively, and marketing and monetizing their services. In addition, we'll help photographers navigate the challenges and cut through the misinformation. Picsello launches in 2022.
We believe photography business management software should be able to work on the go. That’s why we built Picsello with a mobile-first design. Now photographers can run their business from anywhere they need to be. No more waiting, no more adding to their already long to-do list. Picsello’s mobile capabilities let photographers take care of what they need to, when they need to.
Business Coaching
Picsello’s business coaching lets photographers spend less time searching for the right answers so they can spend more time connecting with clients, building their business, and ultimately, making more profit. Wherever photographers are in their photography career, reach their next goals with our business coaches. Helpful tips, instant business advice from industry pros, plus one-on-one coaching -all right at their fingertips.
Marketing Tools
Strong marketing practices are essential to growing any small business, but the constant need to create and share content can be overwhelming. With Picsello’s marketing tools, photographers can access everything they need to market their business all in one place- their website, emails, and social media- we’ve made it easier than ever for them to market their business.
Studio Manager
Picsello’s Studio Manager was designed to help photographers convert more leads and book more clients. It helps prepare the photographer and the client for the best shoot with questionnaires and more. The easy-to-use booking proposal sends the proposal, questionnaire, contract, and retainer information to your client. Prewritten emails, easy booking, invoicing, contracts, and inbox make our CRM their all-access client communication hub.
Gallery, Products and more
Photographers will love our beautiful client galleries & merchandise, built-in pressure-free sales tools (including easy Digital Upsells!), and the unlimited storage that is essential for their business to thrive. We position digitals as just another product in order to promote print, frame sales. All with the goal of helping our photographers increase their sales with 100% of the profits going to the photographer.
Smart Profit Calculator
We know that figuring out prices can be a daunting and stressful task because we’ve been there. That’s why Team Picsello created a proprietary calculator that takes the guesswork out of formulating packages. Our Smart Profit Calculator combines information from their individual business with over 3 years of industry research to help photographers set their prices where they need to be to build a profitable and sustainable business.
From the minute our photographers sign up for Picsello we will help guide them to the next best steps for their business growth. With our next steps roadmap, tips, tools, and business coaching, we set our photographers up for success from the go. No rushing back to your desk to send a client an invoice. No courses. No guesswork. We make it easy for photographers to run a successful business.
Launching June 15th 2022
For more information, visit www.picsello.com
Jane Goodrich is an award-winning photographer whose underlying mission is to support and empower other photographers in reaching new levels of profitable success. With a background in business and marketing, vast industry experience running two successful photography businesses, and building The Photography Business brand, Jane is one of the most respected photographers in the industry when it comes to running a successful business. Jane took her knowledge and experience and poured it into Picsello – a business management software platform for photographers that will genuinely support photographers in setting their pricing, running their business effectively, and marketing and monetizing their services. In addition, we'll help photographers navigate the challenges and cut through the misinformation. Picsello launches in 2022.