Are you stuck thinking that the only clients you can book are your broke friends or bargain hunters? If you've ever thought that you don't know anybody with money who would hire you to photograph them then this episode is about to change everything for you. I'll show you how to market yourself to clients outside your social circle. Let's talk about building connections that matter and getting in front of the right clients for your photography business in 2025.
A lot of these quickie ideas out there that pretend to be a magic button give you a short burst of clients that don't work long term. You need to learn the basics and you're set forever. Marketing is so much easier than you're making it, but you're likely going to need a bit of a perspective shift or tough love. If you want to build a business with the very best clients who pay you well for your artwork to hang on their walls, clients who gush you and refer to you… Those clients are found by leaving the house and building relationships.
The best thing you can do differently going into 2025 is to make the decision to build relationships with more people, specifically more right fit clients with more businesses and charities that you can partner with to grow your business. Here are three tips for finding clients outside your social circle.
- Proximity is power
Being closer to the right people gives you power and strength in your business. Who are the right people? They're the right fit clients who have money to spend. They're business owners who are connected and people in sales who are out there in the market hustling and making connections. Those are the people that you want to be around. We have to find the proximity by making choices to put ourselves in the right proximity of the right people.
- Put it out there that you’re wanting to get invited to things
Start small. You could invite a friend from the fitness club or the book club or wherever to have coffee and visit with them. Maybe you ask a mom at your daughter's dance or your son's karate class if they'd ever wanna meet up or do something and explain to them, I'm in a new phase of life and I'd love to get more involved. You'll start being able to have those business conversations as you're putting yourself in groups with business people.
- Say “yes” to things but for the right reason
You really have to develop your “yes” filter. Our time can be so limited, especially if you have little kids at home. It's easy to get into that yes trap where you say yes a few times and it sends you into a spiral and then you're a big hot mess. I want you to be really intentional about what you're saying yes to. Make sure that it's something you like to do
There are cool people who have money to invest with you and they're all over the place. Put your radar up, start looking for these opportunities, and put yourself out there. When the opportunities come in, what I'd recommend you doing is saying, hey that sounds like an amazing opportunity, let me look at my schedule and get back to you. And then when you go home, ask yourself, would I be excited about this? If the answer is yes, then it's a yes. And if you get home and go, oh my gosh, I would dread going to this hospital group in the basement of the hospital every month and I know I'd try to make an excuse for why I couldn't make it, then the answer is no. Let's just keep making progress with your skills and not beating yourself up if you're not perfect. 2025 is a clean slate. It is a new year and you can change everything in your life. And usually it changes with one decision.
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