Having a photography marketing plan is easily the most important part of running a business.
It’s easy to get caught up in the fun parts of having a photography business like all of the gear, cameras, lenses, editing, and the craft itself. But, the truth of the matter is that none of those things matter in comparison to having a marketing plan if you want to see your business grow (and be able to pay for all of that fancy gear).
If you want your photography business to grow and succeed, without wasting a lot of time, effort, and ad money, then you absolutely will need to have a marketing plan in place.
Why?
Plain and simple, you won’t reach your goals of being a successful business owner if you don’t take your business seriously. And having a marketing plan for your business is the very first step.
So, what exactly is a marketing plan anyway?
Basically, it’s a road map and a plan that you put in motion to attract more people, grow your business, and make more money. You can do this by implementing small tactics and in-depth strategies to reach your goals faster and more intentionally.
Think of a marketing plan like the military thinks of tactical operations. Armies don’t just go into a risky situations guns-blazing do they? Heck no! That’s a sure-fire way (no pun intended) of putting soldiers in danger or it becoming fatal. What do they do instead? They come up with a strategic plan of action to get the job done. They look at it from all angles to foresee any obstacle that could put the operation into jeopardy.
Without a strategy, how can we expect to win as business owners?
Though it’s not as risky as military operations, your business success is determined by how much planning you put into it.
Want even more proof? Here’s 5 reasons why you shouldn’t overlook this pivotal part of your business.
HELPS YOU BOOK MORE CLIENTS
This is the entire point of creating a marketing plan in the first place, right? Not only does a marketing plan help you book more clients, but it helps you book more of your ideal client – you know, the clients who value your craft & your time.
More bookings doesn’t always mean more money, so focusing on a marketing plan can actually help you book more quality clients that make you & your business happy in the end.
HELPS YOU REACH FINANCIAL GOALS
Without clients, how can you expect to reach your financial goals and make money in your business?
When you have a plan to market your business, you will be more likely to stick to that plan. When you stick to the plan, with financial goals in mind, the more likely that you will reach those goals.
There’s no way around it – you need to market your business in order to make money (even with mini sessions).
HELPS YOU GROW YOUR BUSINESS
You might be able to get away without a marketing plan for a little time by word of mouth and social media, but that will only go so far unless you truly have a gift for unplanned business growth (in which, please share with us your secret).
At some point in time, your business will plateau and won’t reach the levels that you want because there is no plan set in motion. But, when you have goals and a plan to reach those goals, then you are in a much better place to grow your business!
HELPS YOU BE MORE ORGANIZED
When you are intentional about WHAT you are doing in your business and WHEN you are doing it, then you will be a lot more organized.
Not only will this free up a lot of time, but it will help you work smarter and with ease.
Just think, if you knew your plan for the next 6 months, what’s stopping you from working on reaching those goals now? Not only could you get more work done and not scrambling at the last minute putting things together, but you can have quicker success. Sounds pretty nice, eh?
HELPS YOU WORK SMARTER WITH MORE INTENTION
I’ll admit, I used to be the kind of photographer that just did what I wanted, when I wanted to – without a plan or without any clear reason.
I’d write blogs, start newsletters, create ads, and do so many little things in my business without slowing down to ask myself why I was doing them. I honestly thought that the more things I put out there, the more business that I would get – but it turns out that I was way wrong.
It wasn’t until I practiced a fully intentional marketing plan for my photography business that I saw major growth.
Not only did my bank account expand, but I started booking more clients who were my dream clients. Clients that value what I do & don’t bat an eyelash when they whip out their credit card.
This was all because of a strategic plan that forced me out of my old willy-nilly “marketing ways” and brought me to a level of professionalism that I should have sought from day 1.
How to create a marketing plan
Creating a marketing plan is pretty straight forward once you know who your ideal client is, how much you want to earn, and how many sessions you need to book.
The next step to creating a marketing plan is blocking out certain times of the year to dedicate to a promotion or event, and then fill in the gaps with ways to market that.
When you know what your focus is in your business, you can start creating a plan ahead of time so that you can book more sessions.
If you’re ready to book more photo sessions and fill your calendar with new clients – the simple way – then check out my complete marketing and booking system for photographers, Fully Booked.
Fully booked is an action-oriented marketing system and booking strategy for portrait photographers ready to become fully booked.
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