Business Q&A
Topic: Business, General Legal
Time Investment: 7 Minutes
Suggested Product: BizRevamp®
I love to take Q&A from y’all on the Facebook page and get it on here for you! This is super limited as I’m trying to get legal information out to you and I know not having 1:1 answers sometimes is hard when you have specific burning questions. Here are 10 from this past week’s Q&A call – don’t forget if you need more help BizRevamp is available!
I’m expecting our first child in a few weeks and am worried about taking time off for maternity leave. What did you do when you had your kids? Did you take time off and, if so, how much time did you give yourself?
When you set yourself up to take time off it is important to make sure all of the important things are taken care of before you are anticipated to be off. The next step is to schedule social media and blog posts. If you truly want to take off you can outsource answering of emails or put up an out of office message (I don’t really recommend this as you’ll lose potential clients that you need for when you return). My recommendation is to set some time aside to answer emails to keep the marketing and inquiry flow going so you do have business when you return – but stick to this schedule so you can commit time to family.
As far as how much time to take off that is personal. It depends on your personal family needs for money, the time of year (Christmas card season is hard to be due in the middle of, I’ve been there but you can do it- whether you take off or come right back!).
I recently applied for sales tax ID and put sole proprietor. Should I have done LLC instead so my personal assets are not affected just in case? Will they let me change it to LLC?
LLC is a great formation to protect yourself – you can change your formations just have to follow the state requirements and adjust all documents accordingly. Check out this How to Set Up a Photography Business Checklist
How do I get my name/business out in a community where I know VERY few people (like 8), with the intention of getting new clients?
Get to know local business owners and attend networking events. Also simply telling people what you do – even strangers – makes a world of difference! See more Marketing Offline tips here.
I want to charge what I need to charge to make a profit, but I live in a community where the feeling is “the cheaper the better”. How do I convey the value of my photography and help people to understand how worth it it is to get a better quality of photography and pay a little more.
The actions and way you carry yourself to your community (online and in person) will send this message for you – it is all about inquiry and client management. Getting the most out of the clients you currently have and getting them talking. That will overcome any “cheaper is better” mentality. Also don’t tell yourself based on some inquiries that the mentality is that – it just may seem that way. You never know who is watching and wanting to invest more – give them reasons to want to invest. Show your quality by your presence – social media, blog posts, business partnerships, word of mouth.
I really need to know how to connect with past clients and get them back and booking consistently. How would one do this?
Oh man I just love tapping into past clients – you need to give them a good initial experience, a great follow up experience and continued contact. In fact I believe so strongly in this that is is a huge part of the Bizrevamp Client Management section because there is so much that goes into it that brings GREAT return on investment.
Reveal wall w/prints in person vs. online gallery for client proofing. I am considering the switch, but worried about the costs of prints not purchased. I know I could use the unpurchased prints in my studio, but still a cost! Ack!
If you factor in person prints into your CODB (cost of doing business) you are good to go – and you could even make them standard in the session collections OR use them as incentive to walk away that day with them. Never underestimate the power of in-hand products.
How do you turn the “likes” & “shares” into booked clients?
Engagement, get them onto a newsletter list and follow up – this goes along with the question above asking about getting into past clients. When you get in their inbox and off of social media you can engage way more and convert them!
I shot a wedding over the weekend for a friend. I had many friends that also attended the wedding…How do you handle the situation of the friends emailing and texting to ask for copies of the pictures? I usually give the bride a USB with print rights and have recently been looking into gallery sites. How do I handle?
If your contract doesn’t allow you to Sell to a Third Party you shouldn’t be selling them without permission – even if just as a courtesy. That is a great policy to stand behind to avoid this if you don’t want to sell them. If you do – instead of having to feel like you have to “Give” – simply respond to those friends that here is your pricing, here is the gallery link. Boom. But make sure you have that client’s permission to sell!
I would like more information on model releases. I know that many get these for portraits. My question is how does this cover guests at weddings or events that a photographer might post on their website?
Tons of information for you on model releases here! Check out the many posts that helps to answer this and give a great understanding!
How to rebuild your business in a new city
Social media makes the world smaller. You need to reach out and tell your friends and past clients where you are. Social media. Newsletter. Continued contact. Ask people to share you’ve moved. In fact I believe so strongly in this method that is is a huge part of the Bizrevamp Client Management section because there is so much that goes into it that brings GREAT return on investment. You can also look at this Relocating Your Biz blogpost
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