But, first…
Before we dive into why you’re not booking clients, I want you to understand that EVERYONE goes through this. No matter who you are or how long you’ve been in photography, business is just slow sometimes. If you’re feeling down on yourself or like you’re not good enough, come back to this reminder: that this is normal, this is okay, and this too shall pass. You’re not alone in this (not even close — I’ve been there!), and you’ll come out of it and back into all the client bookings before you know it.
5 Reasons You’re Not Booking Clients
When I look back on my years of experience in business and in mentoring other photographers, I’ve found 5 main things that are usually keeping people from booking clients — and they tend to come down to marketing. Truly. That’s it. And I get it — marketing can be tough, and it’s also one of those things that you probably didn’t think about when you got into this business. However, it’s key. It really, really is.
Let’s break it down.
1.Your website isn’t encouraging bookings.
Your website has one goal — and that’s to encourage people to do something, right?! If your website isn’t doing that, it’s not going to convert customers or get clients to book. It’s just not. Wondering if your website is encouraging bookings? First off, if you think that it’s *not*… you’re probably right. However, here are a few things to check for on your website:
2.You don’t seem excited about the work you do.
You guys, booking a photographer is a big deal for people. Photography is expensive, and it’s personal — and if you’re not coming across as someone who loves what you do and who is excited about their work, why the heck should people book with you? Make it your goal to scream from the rooftops about how much you love what you do. Be excited about opportunities, share your favorite things about your job, and approach your business from a passionate standpoint. That? That’ll make people excited to book with you.
3.It’s hard to get in touch with you.
To put it bluntly, there are a lot of photographers out there — and, no matter how good you are at what you do, you WILL lose out on bookings if it’s hard for someone to contact you. They will always, always go with another photographer who’s a better communicator. It’s that simple. So, if you think that contact and communication might be keeping you from getting bookings, here’s what I want you to focus on:
4.You’re not sharing examples of your work.
Photography is a visual medium, right? That means that potential clients want to see your work! If you’re not regularly showing examples of your work, or if you have a super bare-bones portfolio, it’s really hard for someone to picture your work. When they can’t picture it, why *would* they book you instead of someone else who has tons of examples as to what they can expect? But, I promise that you don’t necessarily need to do a massive portfolio overhaul, either. Instead, just share client work on socials, consider posting blogs that showcase shoots, and try to update your portfolio quarterly. It’s really easy, and it really pays off.
5.You don’t know *who* to market to.
Just like every photographer isn’t right for every client, every client isn’t right for every photographer — and the key to getting the *right* clients means that you know who that right client is! See, understanding your target audience and your ideal client is such an important part of this whole process. When you can understand who those clients are, you can craft messaging that reaches out to them. When you don’t understand who those clients are, your messaging gets jumbled (if it exists at all), and it’s a lot harder to get bookings.
Now, I hope this empowered you to make some changes in your business — but not to be stressed about them. Like I said, this is a common thing for business owners and photographers to deal with. There will always be times where it seems harder to book clients, and that’s just part of it. You’ve got this, you’re doing great, and you will get there.
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