The Mid-Year Reset to Help Photographers Hit Their 2024 Revenue Goals
NEWS FLASH:
We are over half way through 2024. How did that happen?!?! Better yet, how do you feel about it for your photography business revenue goals?
If you’re a photographer you probably have busy seasons and slow seasons depending on where you live. In Lancaster, PA, where I’m from, our main photography seasons are spring and fall with a dead season over the winter months and a slower season during the heat wave of summer that we are currently experiencing. During those slower times — like now (hint, hint) — it’s a good idea to take a deep dive into your numbers.
Did that last sentence make you cringe? Yeah, me too. Numbers are not why I got into photography and are not my strong suit. How about you? Either way, you are a business owner and it’s part of the gig so you need to start getting comfortable with knowing where you stand and at least looking.
Even if you don’t have a specific number goal, I’m sure you have at least a rough idea of where you want to be for revenue and profit at the end of the year. Is there a number that stands out for whatever reason? Run the numbers. Are your current numbers tracking with those 2024 goals? If you’re falling short, please keep in mind it does not determine your self worth or success — and you’re not alone. Many photographers are experiencing a dip in revenue this year. But, it’s not too late to correct course.
In this article I’ll share a few ideas to help you boost your numbers during the slower season.
Run a Photo Product Sale
If you use a gallery website like Pixieset, my personal client photo gallery sharing service, you can easily run a discount on product and print orders for your current clients who already have galleries with you by offering a coupon for a limited time or gift cards for the holidays.
If there is one thing I’ve learned in my years as a business owner, it’s that people love a good deal! So, give them one and give them a reason to spend some money with you! Just be certain your up-charge covers the cost of goods sold after the discount or coupon is applied. You don’t want to lose money in the deal!
These are the profits that many photographers don’t talk about but can make all the difference in your bottom line. You’re already paying for the gallery site, why not use if for all it’s worth! And, I mean, why wouldn’t the clients what to purchase products of the photos you created…especially if there is a deal too good to forego?!?!
Photographer Affilate Marketing
Can you turn your current clients into an army of word-of-mouth recommendation soldiers? Your current workflow, taking extraordinary care of your client’s experience, should already be doing this for you but if you aren’t already a Member of LPS with access to these valuable strategies in Workflow class, you can create an affiliate program so that your current clients benefit when the people they refer to you a book a session.
Many portrait photographers use this strategy year-round by offering a discount or gift card for each referral that successfully books a session with them. The point I want you to keep in mind while implementing this strategy is that the people who you do end up booking through your affiliates probably wouldn’t have found you otherwise and represent a sea of future possibilities, so be sure to adequately compensate your affiliates for this opportunity.
Typically, you want to compensate 40% of the cost of the future session to your affiliate. So, if your sessions cost $100 (for easy math), you would offer a $40 gift card for the referral. Whether you offer a discount to the new client that has been referred, is up to you but I would suggest not offering a discount for them. We don’t want to set them up in a discount mindset from the beginning.
Be certain to put a time limit on the affiliate opportunity for your current clients to give you the opportunity to pull it from those who are abusing it or from whom you just aren’t getting ideal client referrals. You can always extend the offer to those who are referring golden opportunities at the end of the timeframe.
Another thing to keep in mind for this strategy is to be strategic in who you offer this program to in the first place. It should be reserved for only your most ideal clients. Similar people tend to hang out together and if one specific client is particularly amazing, you can bet some of their friends are too. And, on the flip side, those who you don’t enjoy working with, will most likely be not fun either. So, don’t make it a public offering.
Mini Photo Sessions
In order for this revenue-boosting maneuver to work, you can’t already have mini sessions included in your base offerings. In fact, I don’t suggest including mini session as a regular offering that clients can select from a menu of options on your website…ever. If clients can always opt for this option or can count on you to offer this option every fall and spring, why would they ever book a full session? The goal is always to ensure the clients understand how limited your time is and how quickly you book up your full sessions. — To demonstrate demand.
But if you are finding yourself a little short of your goals mid-year, in the off-season, it can’t hurt to advertise a last minute opening for which you are offering a VERY RARE opportunity to grab a mini session slot on that date.
If your typical session is $600 for a full 2-hour session and you offer 4, 20-minute sessions in that same 2-hour timeframe (buffer time built-in) and advertise them for only $200 ($400 less that they would typically spend to be photographed by you!), you can walk away with $800 for the same amount of time and effort. You’ll probably be staying in the same location and unable to move around much so it’s actually much easier! The key is ensuring they are scheduled back-to-back so you are not wasting a whole day on one, 20-minute session. The key is selling the limited access to this opportunity so that all 4 slots book quickly.
Be sure to post every time a slot is filled and how many are left to further demonstrate the demand for this rare opportunity.
Email Marketing for Past Clients
Your past clients are always going to be your most engaged customers. Hopefully, you have already wowed them with an incredible experience the first time around so they are the people who are the most likely to book another session with you in the future too.
You can let those who have worked with you in the past know that you have an opening this month and because they are part of “the family” they have first dibs. Maybe even offer a small discount to grab that slot in the next 24 hours. You can tease a holiday coming up that it might be nice to have pictures to post for or, even stronger, a date you know is social for them specifically like an anniversary or birthday of some sort if you are able to craft individual, pointed emails for each client.
Coupon Schedule-By
Another scrappy technique is to offer a coupon code or “mention this word to get the offer” for a small discount on a session booked by a specific date (soon) and scheduled for a date by a specific date (soon). These are typically offered via social media but can also be listed on your website using SEO tactics to get new eyeballs on your site. Also consider using in conjunction with an affiliate program!
Partner For a Fundraiser
No matter how dire the economy is, people love spending money on things that they want if it is for a cause they support.
What does your ideal client care most about? Kids? Pets? Politics? Economy? Environment? Deciding on a cause to fundraise for involves a deep understanding of your ideal client (something we can help you with at LPS). Choosing the wrong cause could mean an opposite effect from what you hope to accomplish.
Once you have your cause, contact a local organization that is actively working towards a solution for this population so they can help you advertise your offer and gather around the common goal of raising money for the cause. This will hopefully also draw attention to your business. Since the whole goal of the campaign is to boost your revenue, ensure you are still keeping a portion of the profits.
Early in my career, I volunteered to take pictures for my local Pet Shop for their “Pet Photos with Santa” day two years in a row. It was 4 hours of my time but an incredible amount of publicity for my ideal client (engaged couples who are “pet parents”). The best part was that in those four hours, I raised enough money to sustain their pet adoption program for the entire year, each year. That felt good!
Closing Thoughts…
The bottom line is that sometimes you have to think outside of the box to make your goals happen. And, that’s okay! You will make some incredible connections with real humans who will pass your business information along to others along the way. The trick is not to offer these types of “deals” or “offers” so regularly that they can be anticipated. Sure, you will have some clients who will only book for these deals but your ideal clients will still book your regular collection if you only offer these options sparingly and unpredictably. Sometimes your ideal clients will book these options too…and that’s the real win.
You’ve got this. I’m cheering for you!
Xx - Megan Hoffer