4 Things to Consider Before Starting Your Photography Business

So you’ve finally gotten to the point where you’re ready to turn your photography into a full-fledged business. As a creative type, starting a business may be a little out of your wheelhouse and overwhelming. There are a lot of things to put into place in order to have a successful venture. Amazing photography just isn’t enough.

Here are some of the key considerations photographers need to make and get worked out to start a business.

Create a Brand Identity

Your brand is your business identity. That’s the number one rule for any company whether you’re a freelance photographer or a Fortune 500. Successful branding involves creating a voice and personality for the business as well as imagery that’s connected with what you do.

One of the most important aspects of branding is your photography logo. As a photographer, you understand the power of images, and logos are among the most powerful.

The logo embodies the personality of the business and instantly relays what your business is all about. It’s something that customers should instantly associate with your business as much as your name.

Identify Your Niche

You can’t be the go-to photographer for everyone. You’ve got your own style and you have your own subject matter preferences. Instead of trying to appeal to every person under the sun, it’s more effective to identify your niche.

Your niche is the segment of consumers that are going to be most attracted to your work and most likely to pay for your services. If you’ve already got a base of customers this is the perfect place to start zeroing in on your niche.

Think of things like potential customers’ age, location and lifestyle. You’ll want your branding to appeal to the people in your niche and use information about them to create effective marketing.

Build a Website

At one time businesses could get by without a website, but those days are long gone. Even the smallest of businesses need to have a web presence to be taken seriously. A website is also a portal for showcasing your work and processing orders.

Launching a website is easier than ever. The first thing you’ll want to do is secure a web domain from a domain registrar. You’ll want the domain name to clearly represent you and your business.

Securing a web domain is an annual expense, but you may be able to save money by purchasing the domain for several years.

Many domain registrars can also help you set up hosting and get your website up and running. Using a customizable web template is going to be the easiest option since it doesn’t require complex design skills. One thing you’ll want to be sure of is that the template is responsive. This means that it will automatically adjust to the screen of whatever device a person is using.

It’s also important for photographers to have a way to display their photos. Look for a template that gives you a robust gallery, preferably with various layout options.

Put Together a Marketing Plan

Now that you have your branding in place, you know your niche and have created a website you can start putting a marketing plan in action. Fortunately, you don’t need a sizeable budget to start marketing your business. In fact, there are several free methods that can be very effective in getting the word out about your marketing business.

One place you’ll want to concentrate your marketing efforts is on a social media strategy. The people who are already in your network are the perfect advocates for helping spread the work about your business.

Social media platforms like Instagram and Pinterist are all about glossy images. If you’re a photographer it’s absolutely essential that you be on these platforms. All of your social media accounts need to be branded for your business and link back to your website to drive traffic.

Launching a business, even in our digital age, takes a lot of effort and it’s an ongoing process. If you follow the advice above you’ll be able to get your photography business off the ground with little upfront investment and be on your way to creating a successful career.