10 Tips to Grow Your Photography Business Locally

Whether you’re just starting out or have been in the photo biz for years, one of the best sources of new clients are those living right in your own town. A lot of photographers are on a mission to get national or even international recognition for their work. While this is an admirable goal it’s also difficult to achieve. My suggestion is start local and work your way out to the rest of the world. Here are 10 tips that will help you increase sales while at the same time becoming the “go to” photographer in your town.

1. Contact you local Chamber of Commerce or Small Business Association. They often send out welcome packages to new town residences that offer information and coupons for local businesses. Being the first photographer to get your name in front of them will help to secure future business.

2. Connect with local Real Estate agents.

• Most agents take photos of the homes they list, but high-end homes often require higher quality images than what they can create. Not only will you get paid for photographing the homes, but you can also get photo credit on the listing sheet giving you added exposure to the potential buyers and other agents in town who may want to use your services. If you want to take it a step further you could offer to design and print high-quality listing sheets, giving you another source of revenue.
• Some agents will give new home owners a welcome package that includes information and coupons for local businesses. You could offer them a referral commission should one of their customers use your services.
• All Real Estate agents have head shots on their business cards and somebody has to photograph them, it may as well be you.

3. Don’t forget about Commercial Real Estate. Developers want beauty shots of their building’s exterior, suites and lobby for their sales brochures and website. Real Estate Developers don’t get rich off one building, they often own many buildings which could offer you some additional work. If you can offer print and web design services you could really increase your revenue.

4. Get involved with local charities, community groups and clubs. They often need photographers to cover their events and it’s a great opportunity to give back a little while rubbing elbows with some of the town influencers. Networking is key here, you never know who you’ll meet and what opportunities may present themselves.

5. Gift Certificates offer many great opportunities for new business.

• Local charities often look to local businesses to make donations to their cause. Offering gift certificates for a free portrait session is a great way to get people to contact you.
• Give gift certificates to your loyal customers around the holidays as a thank you for their business. It’s a great way to keep them coming back.
• Offer gift certificates for sale in your studio. It’s a perfect opportunity for the family to get together for their yearly portrait.

The biggest cost to you is your time and printing the gift certificates. Most likely the recipients will spend additional money on canvas wraps, framed prints, 8x10s, wallets, etc., but more than that you will have had the opportunity to build a new relationship.

6. Cross Promote with other local businesses. Look for businesses that have similar customers not necessarily similar services. For example, a wedding photographer could connect with the local florist, hair stylist, entertainers, catering venues, etc. then promote each others products and services to their customers.

7. Local sports photography. Go out and photograph the local games. If you’re using pro gear you’ll surely get noticed by parents, coaches and school officials. Let them know that the images will be available for viewing online and they’ll also be able to purchase prints. Rather than just handing out business cards try something different. Printed promotional items like lanyards, pens, mini spirit megaphones, letter openers, magnets, etc. will really make an impact. There are all kinds of promo items to choose from and they’re relatively inexpensive to have produced. Give them $5.00 off their purchase and in return ask them for their email address so you can contact them when the images are ready for viewing. Building your list of prospective local clients is very important and worth every penny you’ll spend on your promotional items.

8. Your window is worth a thousand words. If you have a store front, put large prints in the window showing the type of work you do. If your studio focuses on baby portraits, showing those cute faces will really attract the new moms and dads. Adding a backdrop behind the prints which will cut down on visual distractions, give your studio a little more privacy and entice potential clients to come in for more information.

9. Contact local business. Towns are full of small businesses and there are many opportunities to work with them. Reach out and see what their needs are, you may be surprised what you find. You’re not just shooting for prints anymore, the internet is here and everyone wants to be on it. You could offer interior and exterior shots of their stores for their website, product photography for online catalogs, head shots for social networks…

10. Offer workshops for new photographers. It’s a great way to build awareness for your studio, you can charge for the workshops and you’re providing a valuable service to the community. Also if your town has a camera club, contact the organizer and ask if you can come in and give a talk. They love to have guest speakers and it’s great exposure for you.

Next Steps…

Take just one of these tips and apply it to your photography business. Even if you only get one new customer, consider it a success. Then try another tip, and so on, and so on. There is no one magic technique, it’s the combination of many free or low cost ones. If each only brings in one or two new customers, that’s great. You’ll gain volume through repeatable efforts rather than one high-cost attempt.

If you’d like to get more tips like this one, be sure to sign up for our FREE Weekly Tips to Help You Grow and Enhance Your Photography Business.

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Trevor Current

Founder of Current Photographer, co-host of The Digital Photography Cafe Show, Designer, Photographer, and overall tech geek.

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