Talk Shop Thursday, Pricing!

So you've came to point when you want to start charging people for your work (Yay!) but what do you charge?! How do you find a price that works for you and your clients? You worry about being too cheap, but you also don't want to be too expensive because you want anyone to be able to afford you. 

 Here are a few reasons you don't want to be too inexpensive:

• You'll potentially have lots of clients but your workload will be overwhelming! (Don't forget about editing and all the other little things that come along with a shoot!)
• You'll be able to build a client base but your client base will expect your rate to always be low.
• You'll make money... but not enough money to break even, for a long, long while.

So when it comes time to figure out or restructure your pricing, here are some ideas that might help! These have worked for us and hopefully they can help you, too!

• Figure out how many hours you spend on every session you do. Maybe you do an hour shooting, two hours editing, an hour email correspondence, ordering/delivering products, etc,...
• Take the number you are considering charging for a single session and divide it by the number of hours you will be working.
  • Example: You spend a total of four hours on a session and charge $50 for the session. (50/4 = 12.5) That's $12.50 an hour. BUT, don't forget 30% taxes/overhead = $8.75 an hour. Dude. No. Just no.    
• Find that number that makes it worth getting out of bed. Or find a number that makes it worth spending your time away from your friends, family, your reality TV! 
• Look at your market andcompare pricing. If you are in a lower income area, and charging top dollar, you might not be booking anyone. 
• When the time does come for raising your prices, do it in small increments as not to scare your client base away.
• If you are too busy, you are probably too cheap! 

Pricing can be complex and challenging, but it's something that you need to figure out. Find what works best for you!

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Hopefully these tips can help you find what works for you!

Xoxo!

Golden Girls

If you have a topic you would like us to discuss on Talk Shop Thursday, shoot us an email hello@goldengirlsworkshops.com!

Talk Shop Thursday: Pay it Forward, Yo!

Summer here! This edition of Talk Shop Thursday is a little different but still super important! It's all about Paying it Forward. About 2 years ago, I felt that my business was taking off, I had finally got my client base, and I knew I had reached my initial goal. I sat back and reflected and realized that because of the kindness of others, blogs, workshop hosts, meet-ups, I was where I wanted to be.

I decided right then I needed to Pay it Forward! I asked my fans on Facebook if anyone was interested in mentoring, for FREE. The response was incredible. I think I had over 50 inquiries and so many people who really wanted to learn. I ended up taking on 3 teenage girls and 3 super amazing women, One being Miss VALERIE herself! I remember when I first started, I created a whole packet of educational lessons, tips, and I even planned a gorgeous stylized shoot. I was overwhelmed, but the joy I received when these ladies  "got it" was pretty epic.

Since then, I have made some great friendships with so many photographers, and it just keeps going. The idea behind Golden Girls is to create a community of like minded eager beavers who love photography as much as we do, where we can learn together in a safe place, where it doesn't matter what level you are on.

So I'm putting it out there, IF you have received some good will from someone, Pay it Forward! Reach out to a new photographer who might be struggling! Invite someone to shoot with you. You can always invite them to check out Golden Girls, too! ;)

Or even do something that isn't necessarily photography related. Just do something to brighten someone's day!

Let's make this world a better place, a kinder place.

Xoxo,

Golden Girls

Talk Shop Thursday: Putting your best work out there.

It's Talk Shop Thursday and today we are going to tackle the subject of how many images should you show your client. When first starting out we want to show the client all of them because we love them all! The downside of this is way too many photos for the client to sort through and pick their favorites for prints, etc. Plus all the EDITING! Ugh!

Once we start honing in on our craft we tend to get super critical of our work and start deciding to only show the client a small number. This can be beneficial because you are defining your style and only truly selecting your favorites but you are doing to deal with clients that want to see more, and if you give in and show them more, they will think you are holding out on them, or holding them hostage, which isn't a good feeling for a client to have if you want a repeat session.

I believe that every client gallery should tell a story of how the session was. My goal in every session is to give my client lots of variety. Will I give them 4 shots of the same pose? No, I'll pick one and move on. On a typical one hour family session, I'll deliver the client anywhere from 50-60 images. I feel that is a good number for an album design. Keeping that in mind, the gallery will include the traditional shots (all smiles and looking straight at the camera) and some of the more candid shots (the ones that I love doing!) It gives me freedom to be creative and to not really worry about having all the so-called perfect shots.

Think of yourself as your own curator. When artists paint, they don't show all their work, they only show a) what they love and b) what the client will love. 

Trust your gut, if you love a photo at first glance, then stick with it. If you're happy, it will show through your work. A Happy Photographer attracts Happy Clients!

Have a great day!

Xoxo!

Golden Girls

If you have an idea for a business related topic you would like to see discussed on Talk Shop Thursday, please send an email to hello@goldengirlsworkshops.com!

Talk Shop Thursday: Branding 101, Finding your ideal client!

Last week, we gave you a rundown of Branding 101 and how important branding is to running a successful photography business.

(If you didn't get a chance to check it out, go back and do a little reading! It's super important!)

Remember your brand is who you are and it is what sets you apart from other businesses. Good branding allows people to get to know you! We gave you a list of tips last week to help you get started in creating your brand, but we have one more tip for you! This isn't so much about who you are... but it's about who you want to work with!

Ask yourself: Who is your ideal client? Sit down. Brainstorm. Write it all down. What does your ideal client look like? Where does she live? Where does she work? Does she have kids? What interests her? What are her hobbies? Yeah, you might feel kind of crazy writing about this make believe person, but the more you dream about her, envision her, the closer you are to knowing your target market.

Once you have a good idea of who you want to work with, you can create a marketing strategy that will draw that client to your business! The more you know about this ideal client, the more you know about your brand. Is your ideal client young, fun, and stylish? Maybe those three words also describe your brand!

The best part about having branding that accurately represents you and your business, is that it helps weed out the clients that don't exactly mesh well with you and your vision. (Face it, not every photographer is a good fit for every client.)

Occasionally, we hear of photographers receiving inquiries only to be reprimanded for having outrageous prices. Well, unless you've way overpriced your work, we don't think your pricing is the problem. Instead of worrying that your prices are too high, maybe ask yourself if you are just attracting the wrong clientele.

Ever wonder how some photographers can charge $15,000 for a wedding package and stay completely booked year-round? They've found their target market and they have the brand to match.

Think about your ideal client, market yourself accordingly and don't worry if certain inquiries don't pan out. Once your branding makes sense and it connects to the people you want it to connect to, those potential clients will start contacting you.

Xoxo!

Golden Girls

If you have an idea for a business related topic you would like to see discussed on Talk Shop Thursday, please send an email to hello@goldengirlsworkshops.com!

Talk Shop Thursday: Branding 101

Happy Talk Shop Thursday, ladies and gentlemen! We have a fun business topic to discuss today! Branding!

Branding is such an important part of running a successful photography business but, truth is, it's something that a lot of photographers forget to focus on and fine-tune! We get so caught up in the logistics of running a business (the editing, the late nights, the taxes, etc.) that we forget to spotlight the most important piece of what sets our businesses apart: Ourselves!

So, what is branding and how does it relate to you and your business? Well, first off, let me tell you this... your brand is not your logo. It is so much more!

A Brand is the stories, the relationships, the memories and feelings, that help a consumer choose one service over another. Are you lost? OK, time out.

Here's a question for you: Do you prefer Coke or Pepsi? Why?

If you chose Coke because you have a thing for polar bears and because your grandma always had ice cold Coke in her fridge and it's what you remember drinking every 4th of July, then, voila! You've been lured in!

That's branding for you. Coke has created a brand that is so strong, so familiar, that you will choose Coke products anytime you have to make a decision between it or another soft drink.

The same can be applied to lots of other products and businesses! Starbucks, Target, Nike! Strong brands = loyal customers. And the same principle can work for your photography business!

A common complaint among photographers, especially those relatively new to the business side of things, is that they have trouble booking clients because the competition is so fierce.

There are so many good photographers in my area. No one wants to book me when they can hire so and so. I give up.

A lot of us have felt that way at some point in our photography journey... and you know how we fix it? We sell ourselves. We sell our story. We sell our personality.

Sure, those other photographers may have awesome talent and the pictures to prove it, but you know what they don't have? They don't have YOU.

We've heard it said that when clients are shopping around for a photographer, they aren't making a decision based solely on the photographs. They're shopping for the photographer.

The key to setting your business apart from the other businesses in your area is creating a personal BRAND! If your brand accurately reflects who you are and what makes you special, then your clients will be drawn to your business... even in an over-saturated market!

So, how do you create a personal brand? We have a few steps for you!

1. List three words that describe who you are and use these to form your brand.

• Remember to focus on you NOT your business.
• Use words that describe who you are today... not who you want to be.

For example, if your words are Edgy, Fun, and Loud, then that is how you should portray yourself to your clients. (Also, you sound awesome. We should be friends.)

2. Inject your personality into ALL of your social media posts.

When I first started posting sneak peeks on Facebook, I fell into the habit of using the same generic phrases over and over. (Isn't this baby the sweetest baby ever? Isn't this  mom the best mom ever? I had a great time taking these pictures! I loved taking these pictures! In the words of my two-year-old daughter,  BOOOOORING.) It wasn't until I started thinking about refining my brand that I realized, that's not how I speak. I'm a Valley Girl at heart. Every other word is dude or rad or girrrrrl... and that's me. That's my personality.

Remember your three words from Step 1? Your social media posts should be reflective of those same qualities. That's who you are. That's your brand.

3. Showcase who you ARE not what you do.

Of course, you're going to want to talk about your talent and your photos, but that's not what your brand is. Your brand is you! Who are you? Are you a mom? Are you a vegetarian hippie home-schooler? Do you make your own laundry soap and grow your own food? Tell your story! Let people get to know you!

4. Personalize everything.

Your blog, your web site, your Facebook... everything! When people find you online, they should know exactly who they are checking out. Let your presence be known, people! Don't make your clients work to find out who you are. Make it obvious.

5. Be yourself.

It's really easy to create a persona from behind a computer... but please, make sure that the brand you're creating is an accurate reflection of who you are. You don't want to sell yourself online as this outgoing party animal photographer and then clam up when you meet your clients in person. Make sure you're honest and that your clients are hiring the person they fell in love with!

Creating a personal brand doesn't have to be hard. It's really all about just being yourself and letting people get to know you. Don't be afraid to be yourself!

Xoxo!

Golden Girls

If you have an idea for a business related topic you would like to see discussed on Talk Shop Thursday, please send an email to hello@goldengirlsworkshops.com!