A new year means there’s a new set of improvements you can make to revamp your photography business. And if you’re ready to take your business to the next level, we’re here to help. No craft is created or perfected overnight. That’s why we’ve created an 11-day challenge as a step-by-step guide to getting your photography business in check for 2024. So if you’re ready to make this next year your most successful one yet, keep scrolling.
Image by Melissa Cervantes Photography
Day 1. Ask For Feedback Surveys And Reviews
Before you can make positive changes to your wedding photography business, you’ll need to understand what’s working and what’s not through the eyes of your clients. That’s why we’re kicking off the challenge with this vital tip: ask your clients to complete feedback surveys and submit reviews.
Surveys are a great way to pinpoint specific areas that need improvement. You can get started by using budget-friendly options like Google Forms or SurveyMonkey. If you’re having trouble getting participation, try to incentivize feedback with discounts on your products or services.
While surveys help your business behind the scenes, customer reviews are a public way to build credibility with potential clients. Weddings are cherished moments, and couples take reviews seriously when searching for their wedding photographer. When potential clients are sorting through the endless amount of photographers, your reviews could be the one thing that sets you apart.
Day 2. Make Tangible Short And Long-Term Goals
Creating specific, realistic short-term and long-term goals is essential for growth, personally and professionally. It’s easy to get comfortable, then stagnant. Having goals keeps you motivated to improve your business as a whole.
When setting goals, it’s important to set tangible goals. It’s also important for those goals to be quantifiable—meaning goals that can be tracked. For example, a good wedding photography goal could be to increase yearly profits by 10% or increase your social media following by 5,000 people. Start by asking yourself what you’d like to accomplish throughout the year, and then work backward to set goals as stepping stones to get you there.
Image by Eirin Photography
Day 3. Organize And Declutter Your Gear
The photography industry is constantly growing and developing—and this is true for camera gear as well. That’s why it’s important to take inventory of your gear regularly. It gives you an excuse to sell any old equipment to make room for the new gear you might want to purchase in the new year.
If you’re looking to update your equipment or replace that unused gear, check out this list of products wedding photographers swear by. And whatever you do, don’t skip on gear insurance. When you’re spending hundreds of dollars on photography gear, you want to ensure that you’re protected in case of an emergency.
Day 4. Rebrand Your Wedding Photography Business
At any point in time, your business can grow, shift, and change. That’s why your brand identity should shift every year to reflect those changes. But rebranding is more than just a logo refresh. It can include changing your name, your photography style (including your presets), and even your target audience.
There’s a lot that goes into rebranding your business without losing your clientele. From risks to legal considerations, here’s everything you need to know about rebranding your wedding photography business.
Image by Light Visuals Co.
Day 5. Update Your Website And Professional Portfolio
When potential clients stumble upon your work, you want to make sure everything they see is a relevant reflection of your style. Your website should be eye-catching and leave viewers wanting more. That’s why day five’s challenge is all about giving your online presence a little TLC. This could be completely changing your website theme or just making subtle changes.
This is also a great chance to create a portfolio—an essential tool that every photographer, regardless of experience, should have. And if you have yet to make a portfolio beyond your social media accounts, it’s something we highly recommend considering adding to your site in 2023.
Day 6. Revamp Your Marketing Strategies
Your marketing strategy will impact how people find, follow, and even hire you. If your marketing plan isn’t consistently evolving, it’ll be difficult to turn those inquiries into bookings. And with the recent algorithm changes, social media platforms are now favoring video content.
Make it a goal on day six to play around with Instagram Reels and TikTok. Brainstorm video content ideas and practice editing videos with the content you already have.
Day 7. Adjust Your Rates
Deciding whether or not to raise your rates can be a tough decision. Raising prices can cause a lot of stress, but it’s necessary to build a successful business. Day seven’s challenge is to make sure your wedding photography prices reflect and value your time, experience, and quality of work.
If you’re looking for ways to help you decide on rates, get the low-down on wedding photographers and pricing in your area–benchmark their prices and quality of work against yours. If you find yourself in a place where your prices are lower, but you’re booked well in advance, and your photography is improving, it’s time to give yourself a raise.
Image by JamieY Photography & Rock N Romance Elopements.
Day 8. Create A Value-Driven Newsletter
Don’t let clients forget about you. Continue to build a connection that goes far beyond the vendor-client relationship by creating a value-driven newsletter. Not sure where to start? Check out these photography newsletter design examples from Mailerlite. This is a way to add value to clients and keep the door open for future opportunities beyond their wedding day, which brings us to day number eight.
Day 9. Challenge Your Offerings
When clients land on your website, they want to know what you can do for them. If your goal is to turn one-time clients into repeat customers, expanding your offerings is extremely important.
What is going to keep your clients coming back for more? It might be creating an E-course, selling photography presets, or offering keepsakes like photo albums to your clients. Whatever it may be, expanding your services and offerings is a good way to increase profits and create lifelong customers.
Image by Emilija Photography.
Day 10. Submit Your Work To Relevant Websites
For a wedding photographer, there’s no better feeling than getting your work published. If you want to keep growing as a wedding photographer, getting your work published is a great way to start. Publication is an easy way to expand your reach and grow your social media audience—which means more clients. Make it a goal to complete at least one submission by the end of the day.
If you’re interested in a chance to be featured on the Junebug Weddings blog, you can submit your real weddings, elopements, and styled shoots for editorial consideration here. Just be sure to review the submission guidelines, as they are different for every publication.
Day 11. Seek Additional Wedding Photography Education
Maybe your photography is starting to feel dull and repetitive. Now that you have set yourself up for success, it’s time to expand your skill sets by seeking additional wedding photography education. Even if you’re the best at what you do, there are always ways to improve.
Whether you’re looking to get better at marketing or looking to boost your profits, the Photobug Community has an e-course that is sure to add value to your business and help you stand out from the crowd.
Image by LiviFaith Photography.
We’ve stressed the importance of consistently re-evaluating the core elements of your business. And while this 11-day challenge is a great start, there’s more you can dive into throughout the year that’ll take your photography business to the next level. But what exactly are those core elements?
From your business plan to your marketing strategy, here are the specific areas you should dive into when revamping your business in 2023.
