Girls’ Gotta Eat: The Great Big Marketing Dump

Freelancers, Embrace the Struggle

“Freelancers, embrace the struggle” — John Dolan

We know what the means: inconsistent income, marketing, putting yourself in the way of opportunity, networking, online presence

Read on if 1) you have or want to run a profitable photography business and 2) you enjoy the art of business

When I mentor young photographers in businesses I say: “no one is knocking at your door to give you money”

Opportunities must be generated and seized

Marketing is highly customized to each person; the income you desire, your target clientele, your personality and where your income is sourced (individuals, agencies, creative directors, brands)

Marketing is based off of supply and demand, which rich concepts on both sides

The following is a list of general concepts and techniques

Creating Demand (By Limiting Supply)

Limited supply: supplying photography which only has one supplier – completely unique (this takes years and is what MC is all about)

Limited time: offering products whose timeline to purchase expires

Limited quantity: offering products in a limited amount (ie. 5 shoots only)

Limited size: offering various versions of products based on quantity of deliverables (mini sessions)

Generating Supply (By Creating Demand)

The work itself: in order to run a profitable photography business, the work has to be high quality all of the time; one cannot market low-quality experiments but only high-quality deliverables a client can expect

Behind the scenes: how it feels to work with you

Providing value: education, guides, courses, recommendations, tips

Sharing the self: disclosing at the level of intimacy you require of your subjects

Music: leveraging music in Reels to express mood

Visibility & Networking (Getting Seen)

Forming relationships: DMs, in-person

Being a patron: purchase others’ work and attend their events
Accessing communities: religious, homeschooling, local meet ups, mom’s groups

Online communities: feature accounts, blogs, wedding planners, ad agencies, classes

Testimonials: reviews, reposted stories, website testimonials

On Selling

Clarity: it must be visually easy for the client to press purchase; simplify the visual process; many use Stories for selling and feed for portfolio imagery

On Selling Again

Former clientele is a rich source of income when tapped; new products, shoot announcements, prints packages, prints gifts a year later

On Romance

Marketing is a form of romance; show instead of tell; create allure; leave something to be desired; tease; flirt; introduce voyeurism; invite them in

On Alternatives

A full time job which provides income

A part time job which provides income

A spouse or fund which provides income

Funding from personal investments

Passive income (creative and non-creative)

On Love

Love the clients you photograph deeply: send gifts, bring drinks, follow them on social, approach them as “client family,” engendering warmth; develop the quality of your presence

Photography is a word of mouth business

On grit

Stressed yet? Many of us take pictures because we love it; that love is challenged when we see the immensity of running a business from the picture-making process

Self-employment is not for the faint of heart and requires tremendous grit and positive internal self-talk

The biggest benefit in my perspective is time freedom! The ability to physically and emotionally chart my days instead of being linked to a building or time clock

One of my professors used to pause and deeply sigh when a student complained

“Get some grit” she would say, with pure disgust

One of my favorite memories of all time