Many photographers became interested in the profession to learn how to make money as a stay-at-home mom or dad. For many, it’s a side gig, which means a full plate of duties when we’re not taking or editing photographs.
Whether you’re a parent or not, you likely have a million items on your to-do list. Marketing your photography business is one of those, but learning how to do that effectively can feel like flying blind and desperately hoping you’ll make it to your destination.
You can confidently replace those feelings of desperation and uncertainty by clearly explaining who your ideal photography client is. When you pinpoint what kind of client you want to serve, you can refine your marketing efforts and see higher success rates with less effort.
Why Define Your Ideal Client?
You might be thinking, “Why do I need to define my ideal client? Why can’t I just market to everyone?” If those are your thoughts, you probably believe that everyone is a potential client. And that you'll bring in more clients by targeting a vast range of people with your marketing.
However, that idea couldn’t be further from the truth. The boutique photography model of high service and printed wall art products is not for everyone—and that’s OK! You don’t need to try to market to the masses and convert everyone to boutique photography. Only a select few people will want what you offer. But they’ll be willing to pay a premium price for your above-and-beyond services, and they’ll come back to you again and again.
So, who do you market your business to if you don't market to everyone? Who are the people who will invest in wall art, and how will you find them?
The answer lies in defining your dream client.
How to Define Your Ideal Photography Client
First, you’ll want to identify the basic demographics of your ideal client. Are they male or female? How old are they? Where do they live? Do they have a family? How big is their family? What age are their kids? Does their family include pets? Do both parents work?
Next, it’s time to look deeper. Think about each of the demographics you’ve identified. How do they prefer to spend their household income? What do they enjoy doing with their family? Do they volunteer?
Then, think about other aspects of their life. What are their desires? What are their challenges and pain points? What makes them feel happy and fulfilled? Where do they shop? Work? Exercise? Where do their kids go to school?
By the time you’ve finished this stage, it should feel like your dream client is a real, tangible person with fears, hopes and dreams. The goal of doing this is so that you can understand where to aim your marketing efforts.
Now What?
Now that you’ve finished creating a picture of your ideal client, you might wonder what to do next.
First, start marketing to your target audience. If you’re not sure how to do this effectively, consider investing in a photography business course to learn how to target your marketing efforts.
Next, you’ll want to make your business more appealing to your target audience. Consider revamping your website to be cleaner, simpler and more attractive to potential clients. This can also help set you apart from other photographers and convert more site visitors into leads.
Most importantly, learn from your ideal client:
- Learn that spending thousands of dollars on a magazine ad may not attract them.
- Learn that the flashy new studio up for rent may be tempting but won’t bring in more dream clients than you have already.
- Learn that many people who reach out to you asking for your pricing aren’t in your ideal audience. And learn that those who are can become loyal, lifelong clients if you serve them well.
Overall, remember that your choice to become a boutique photographer allows you to spend more time with your family, experience less stress and spend less money. You won’t be up all hours of the night editing hundreds of photos to put into an online gallery, only for your client to post a few on social media and never print any for their walls. You won’t be doing session after session until you drop.
Instead, you’ll help your clients decorate their homes with a few, large gorgeous images. You’ll spend time with them, helping them choose outfits and locations to display their artwork. You’ll build a relationship with them. You can do all this and avoid the traditional photography model because you’ve identified your ideal client and modified your marketing strategy to better serve them.
