photography business education

for driven photographers who want to get to the next level

If you are a hobbyist, side-hustle or part-time photographer looking to generate more income and take your business full-time then you already know all the hats you need to wear to have a successful photography business.

You probably already have heard that to market your photography business your website needs to be SEO-friendly. Oh, and you need to blog all of your sessions or weddings. (And those things called alt-tags are important!)

Maybe a webinar told you that you need to have an email list and that paid forms of advertising, like Facebook, can be successful….but you haven’t seen those results for yourself.

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Larissa Welch | Owner of We, The Light Photography

Here’s What You Might Not Know

Even if you have an Instagram account with a few hundred followers, a website that showcases your favorite pictures and you get a few leads here and there, having a clear marketing strategy for your photography business will allow you to:

Generate Consistent Leads

Stop waiting around for the next lead to magically pop into your inbox. Take control of your marketing and create a plan that sends leads to your inbox consistently.

Know Where To Spend Your Time (+ Money)

Know exactly what SEO is, what your website needs to have, how to run successful Facebook ads, what you should be posting on social media and what to blog about so that you no longer waste your time aimlessly trying out what you think will work best.

Turn Leads Into Paying Clients

Generating leads doesn’t always equal paying clients. Create a killer inquiry response and follow-up process that shows you as the expert and allows you to confidently turn leads into paying clients.

Become An Expert In Your Niche

Photograph what sets your heart on fire (whether that’s weddings, elopements, families or something else) and distinguish yourself in the industry as THE photographer to hire.

Even though the reason to start your photography business came out of passion, the process to actually create a successful business is tough.

Want To Build A Successful Photography Business? Fantastic!

But how the heck do I do that?

You made the courageous decision to just start.

You photographed your first ever session (maybe it was just of your best friend) and got giddy about the thought that this could be your full-time job. You started following other photographers on Instagram who have “made-it” and are doing exactly what you dream of.

You stay up until midnight, after working a full day at your other job, to work on perfecting your website, editing pictures and thinking about what the heck to post to Instagram.

If you’re super committed…

Maybe you’ve even put your own money into Facebook ads that say “now booking 2020”. You were hopeful, ran the ad, but got only one lead that turned into a dud.

Perhaps you purchased an online course from a successful photographer and all they told you was to be yourself, find your niche and blog all your sessions to build up your SEO. But you want something that you can do TODAY that will bring your next client to you.

Even with the best intentions, most would-be photographers fail to make this dream-job come true, sitting on the sidelines, watching others pursue what you so desperately want.

#Alltheheadnods show me what i’ll learn

Here’s why most would-be photographers fail to take their passion full-time:

1. A Lack of Strategy

Without a strategic marketing plan and proven methods that get your service out into the world, most would-be photographers get completely lost.

2. Paralyzing Comparison

They fall victim to paralyzing comparison on Instagram, disbelief in the quality of their photos, and lack of clarity on exactly what they need to do to market their photography business.

3. Believe Skills Are All They Need

They think that just because they know how to take pictures with their camera, people will start asking them to be their photographer.

Knowing how to take pictures DOES NOT EQUAL knowing how to run a business.

Here’s why this is crippling

As an already busy human being who is maybe balancing another job, or kids, or other passions, you can’t afford for it to take five years to get to the point with your photography business where you are financially stable.

The moment that you get stuck on how to market your photography business, you give it less and less of your time until that dream is stuffed so far down in uncertainty that you stop altogether.

Therefore, learning successful marketing strategies to get your name and service out there is critical to your dream.

And luckily for you, there are a lot of photographers out there who are struggling too.

And there are very few doing it right. Which means…

Even if you have been trying to build your photography business for a couple years, or you are just now ready to turn it from a hobby into your job, there’s still an opportunity to jump in, learn the marketing strategies and bring leads into your inbox that you can convert into clients (and solid income).

5 Myths That are Killing Your Success as a Photographer

“If I have a website and post to Instagram, the leads will come”

The barrier to entry to starting a photography business is low. It’s not particularly hard or complicated to have a successful photography business. But many start their photography business with a passion for photography, not understanding anything about how to run an actual business. They believe that if they have a website and post somewhat often to Facebook and Instagram, the leads will follow. You can’t just expect people to show up in your inbox asking you to be their photographer.

It’s time to take action and respect it for what it is – a BUSINESS – and approach it accordingly.

“Your photography has to be awesome before people will pay you”

Being a photographer is very personal. You are putting your heart into the photos you capture and sharing a piece of your soul with the world. It’s scary!

But, I call bullsh*t on this myth! Most photographers think they need to photograph a ton of sessions for free before they can start charging a dime. Or, they need to be “better” with their camera before they can demand higher prices.

But the fact is you will ALWAYS feel like you could learn more and get better at the art of photography (I STILL DO!). The truth is you DO have a talent and you are good enough to start building your photography business RIGHT NOW.

So, stop tearing yourself down, waiting for the right time and start making your dream happen!

“Good SEO involves blogging all my sessions and including keywords”

SEO is a buzzword in the photography community. Yes, it is important. Yes, it is a free marketing strategy. And yes it helps you get found on Google.

But, what most photographers don’t know is that blogging too many sessions and aimlessly putting the keyword “Colorado photographer” into each one can actually HURT your performance on Google.

Be done with aimlessly trying what you heard in a Facebook group and know that what you are working on what will actually make an impact on your SEO.

“Just be yourself and you’ll attract clients who hire you for you”

Many online courses for photographers highlight the fact that you need to show your true self and that is what is going to attract your ideal clients. But they stop there.

I do think that showcasing yourself and your voice is very important, but it’s not the only thing you need to do get people to book you. You need to be the most helpful, serving and problem-solving photographer they inquire with.

So stop focusing on yourself and instead showcase how you can help them.

“You have to spend hundreds of dollars on Facebook ads for them to work”

Many photographers try to run Facebook ads in a desperate attempt to get new clients. They create an ad with their best picture and say “now booking 2020”. They get nervous because they see their ad spend ($$$) creeping up with no results.

They’re disappointed when they see the money racking up, with little or no leads.

Put an end to wasting money and create a real strategy and offer that will encourage people to click your Facebook ad and reach out.

Introducing

1-on-1 coaching for photographers

get personal one-on-one time to create a custom strategy to grow your Portrait/Wedding Photography Business

Larissa Welch | Owner of We, The Light Photography

I want to dive into your business, hear what your goals are and help you create a custom growth strategy. I’ll be open and honest and share everything I’ve learned from starting my photography business almost four years ago and making $5K in 2016 to generating over $77K in 2019. On average I receive almost 29 leads per month (that’s practically a lead EVERY DAY). I’m channeling my successes and my failures into a comprehensive, step-by-step workshop that not only teaches you successful marketing methods to generate consistent leads, but the actual EXECUTION of how you can do the same.

photographer coaching sessions aren’t just a high-level coaching call, but custom strategy session that teaches you step-by-step implementation.

The End Result: A step-by-step framework for multiple marketing methods ready for you to deploy and start generating real profits in your business.

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