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What to Do When You Raise Your Pricing and Have a Slow Season · Luxe & Legacy Podcast

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Okay, welcome back to the Luxe and Legacy Podcast where we talk all
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things photography, business, and building a brand that is true to you.
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And last, I'm Marie of Marie Elizabeth Photography.
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And I'm Amber of Light Livin Photography.
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We're so glad you're here with us today.
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If you've ever raised your prices and then panicked when inquiries
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slowed down, this episode is for you.
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Yep.
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We have both been there, raised our prices, felt proud of taking that step,
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and then hit that scary slow season.
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So today we're going to share our own stories.
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Talk about what we learned through those seasons and some practical
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steps you can do right now to keep momentum going and move the needle
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and prepare for long-term success.
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When I first thought about raising my prices, I was honestly
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terrified to go over $400.
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That was kind of my threshold People would DM me saying, you're undercharging.
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You should be at least double that, if not more all the time I was getting these
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messages from other photographers, but I didn't believe them, at that point I was
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already about three years into my business and the other photographers who I admired.
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So there were these photographers encouraging me to grow, but then
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there were other photographers who I was looking at in comparison.
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I'm getting into that competition mode in my brain and looking at how talented
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they were and how amazing they were, how many years they've been in business and.
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They were still only charging 400, 4 50 per session and taking on tons of shoots.
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I'm talking like 10 shoots a week, not taking breaks, not taking vacations.
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Just people who were very, very.
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Extroverted, and I guess they're able to do that, but I knew that
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there was no way I could physically handle that kind of workload for me.
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I'm also an introvert, so I also knew I didn't want that lifestyle ever, and
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I knew that would drain me in the end.
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And back then photography was still a side hustle for me.
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I was still working full-time as an interpreter, so undercharging didn't
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feel like it mattered too much to me.
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And looking back, I realized that I had put myself in a bubble.
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The people in my circle were only ever willing to pay maybe up to $500
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a session, and I didn't realize there was an entire world of clients actively
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looking for a higher priced photographer.
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I finally raised my rates.
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Things got quiet, inquiry slowed, and that was scary.
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But what eventually happened is that I started attracting the right clients,
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the ones who valued my work and the experience that I was creating.
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And that shift showed me I didn't need more sessions, I needed the right ones.
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And here's the thing, you guys, that lull happens every time you
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move into a new pricing bracket.
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When I went from.
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400 to 700 that happened.
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But also it happened when I went from 800 and I jumped all the way into 1400 plus.
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So when I made the jump from all inclusive to adding in artwork, I.
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minimum became 1400 instead of 800, then there also wasn't a cap, so they
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could actually spend thousands with me, and those packages often led to
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clients spending thousands with me.
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the same thing happened and it felt like starting over with each new time
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I jumped into a new pricing bracket.
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And it, it felt like creating a whole new clientele, and that's something that
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I eventually had to just be okay with and letting go past clients who, yes, I
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loved, but they no longer were going to.
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Continue on in the next pricing bracket, and I had to be okay with
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letting someone else serve them in the price that they wanted to be in,
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but that didn't need to hold me back from making the financial goals and
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the profit that I needed to make.
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To keep this business going long term and feel well as a mom and in
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my health and all of that good stuff.
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And that makes sense, right?
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Because the person who budget shops for a purse or whatever it is at Walmart,
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target is not the same person who.
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To stroll into designers stores and invest in an expensive
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handbag that they'll treasure for years, and that is totally okay.
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So we don't need to take it personally when it's really just a different type
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of client, a different person that you're going to be attracting into your
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business, and you have to be okay with letting go someone who maybe isn't the
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best fit for where you're at currently.
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The best thing you can do is prepare for a lull.
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When you make a big jump into the next pricing bracket, I recommend
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actually saving up for the transition so that you can have time to
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buckle down on your mindset, your marketing and your messaging.
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Because you guys, the sooner you jump into that new pool of clients, the sooner
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you'll start getting referrals from their friends who are also in that same bracket.
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'cause it is a, a cycle that goes on.
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Yes, yes to all of that.
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Amber.
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your story is very, very similar to mine and just that huge scary.
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Aspect of, of dealing with no's and ghosting, and I truly think that
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this transition is just not talked about enough because this season will
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make or break you as a photographer.
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Finding clients is so, so much easier when you are priced at a low rate.
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The higher you go, the more you have to work to market to these ideal clients.
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So I first leap into the luxury market about five years ago, and I
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went from being all inclusive around 700 to an a la carte structure
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with my minimum spend around 1800.
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I would book a client once every other month or so, if I was lucky.
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I had gone from shooting a few sessions a month to.
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Barely photographing a few sessions a year.
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And shout out to my friend Jessica of Jessica Burge Photography.
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She might be listening because I remember her saying, Marie, I know
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there are these moms out there who would adore what you have to offer.
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They just need to know you exist.
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And this idea.
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So, so true because oftentimes when we hit this low, we think there's something
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wrong with our work or our brand.
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And although this can be the case, oftentimes it's just a marketing issue.
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We simply have to refine our message and get it out there in
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as many ways as possible so it hits as many people as possible.
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So we really want you to know that you are not alone in this journey.
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We have been there, gotten through it, and are on the other side
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to tell you that it is worth it.
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Yes.
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It's so worth it, you guys.
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We've all been there.
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No one starts out at the top in the luxury market.
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Every photographer you talk to has started way down in the Giving away free session,
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a hundred dollars sessions, and then has had to grow and learn from there.
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So we've put together some key things to work on to get you to the other side.
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Okay.
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Let's dive in, shall we?
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All right, so first we're gonna talk a little bit about the mindset shift.
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And Amber mentioned this earlier, but you definitely want to prepare
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yourself for this lull because you might be used to these.
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Dopamine hits of getting new inquiries in your box, or people
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signing the contract and booking, and that's not gonna happen, or it's
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definitely not gonna happen as much.
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So you wanna prepare your mindset for that.
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And I personally think back on this slow season that I went through, and to me.
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I see it as this golden period because I honed in on my brand and my work
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and only created the work I wanted to.
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I was essentially refining my brand and feeling creatively inspired, and because
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it wasn't booking, I had the time to focus on marketing to get those ideal clients
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who wanted what I had to offer to find me.
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Yes.
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You have to view it as an opportunity for growth and brand refinement and
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making sure you're attracting the right ideal clients now, and not everyone.
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Right.
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The pool of potential clients will get smaller, and that's a good thing.
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You will be the photographer for less and.
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People.
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I find that in my experience, you are usually not the photographer
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for those Facebook group moms asking for photographer recommendations.
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Oftentimes those are based solely on who is the cheapest, right?
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And that's where you'll see all these photographers post these
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groups and they'll all have decent to really beautiful work.
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And once again, who is the cheapest is going to win.
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And those clients are not for you.
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my gosh, yes.
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I stay far away from those Facebook groups.
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That is not where my ideal clients find me.
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Yeah, so you wanna change your mindset to allow space for the nos, because
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you'll get more nos than you ever have.
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And so it's important to be prepared for them.
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Those nos are making room for the best yeses out there.
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And I mean that I absolutely love the clients I work with now.
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They value my work.
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My process, my experience, my eye, basically everything that
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I'm providing them, and that's because they are my ideal client.
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Yes, yes, yes.
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You have to be okay with the no's.
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But also I like to filter out people so I don't ever have to see
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the no's and feel defeated or feel like, oh, is it personally me?
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have to have a base amount on my website so that certain people will
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not even fill out my lead form and will not even waste my time on a call
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if I'm not in their, price range.
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And that's okay because A, we don't wanna waste each other's time.
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B, I don't wanna feel defeated getting on a call with someone
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who isn't my ideal client.
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So.
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That's another tip is when you switch, especially when you switch price
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points and people are not used to you having that price point, having like
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a base minimum amount that people tend to spend on the website can help
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screen you from some of those no's.
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Okay.
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In the same vein, there are clients looking for more
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expensive photographers, right?
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So there are actually people going on websites and going,
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oh, she's too cheap for me.
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Believe it or not, there are people looking for a more expensive,
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more exclusive photographer because they like high-end things.
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They like luxury, they like being exclusive, and they
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don't trust or believe in.
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The skills or talent of someone who is really underpriced
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and that makes sense, right?
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If you buy something really expensive, you expect it to be really nice.
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And so by repelling the budget clients.
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You're Sometimes I find that photographers are so focused on what they're losing.
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They're not focused on actually what they're gaining.
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So you can repel the budget clients, but also attract the more high-end luxury
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clients that are looking for that.
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I find that the higher I go and price point.
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You guys, I actually have better client, not better, but like
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clients that are more excited to work with me, they value me more.
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They don't question me as much.
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They ask for my advice.
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They tell me, Amber, you tell me when to go.
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You tell me what time, what to wear, where to go.
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I trust you a hundred percent.
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of course I want them to be part of the process, but it's really reassuring that
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that's the type of clients that I get now.
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That they trust me that much and, and it makes things easy.
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These are the type of clients who they're motivated to put together
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an amazing session with me.
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They don't show up with one of the kids who forgot their shoes.
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They're wearing mismatched socks.
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I used to get sessions like that.
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Where'd be like, oh, they'd show up and, and.
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Maybe have black and red Nike shoes with like a really nice outfit on their
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kid and it just did not match because they didn't have time or they were late
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to their session or you know, I had really great clients in every price
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point, but I did find that in this price point, easier because people are.
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More financially able to invest in hair, makeup, all the outfit
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pieces, they take it more seriously.
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They're never late.
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They don't, they don't question me.
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So that's another piece of it too.
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I think a lot of people are afraid to go into the next price bracket
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because they think that the clients will be mean or too hard on them,
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but I found that to be opposite.
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I just wanna jump in real fast, Amber, because you brought up
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such good points, and I've heard that from other photographers.
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Like, I don't want to get into the luxury market because I'm worried that clients
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will be mean or Not as down to earth, and that cannot be farther from the truth.
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They really, really do trust you more and all the recommendations you provide.
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They're investing a lot more into the service.
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They're investing a lot more into the photos, and so they
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don't wanna get in their own way.
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They wanna trust the professional.
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Exactly.
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Okay, so the next piece we're going to dive into is website portfolio.
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All right, so this is one of those practical things you can work on during
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this lull, and you wanna put your absolute best work on your website.
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What images.
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Make your work unique.
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If a potential client is going to land on your website, will they notice a
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difference between your work and the work of other local photographers?
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So it might be helpful to have some other people look at some of your images too,
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so you can get an outside perspective, but you really want to curate here.
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And we're thinking quality over quantity.
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So.
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Again, you only want your best work.
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A good rule of thumb is if this image was the only image shared of
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my work, would it represent my brand?
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Yes, I completely agree.
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I like to be very selective about the work that I show.
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It is a hundred percent quality over quantity, and you only wanna show your
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most wow worthy images on your website.
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Delete.
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Anything that you feel is average or something that doesn't truly represent
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your best work, just delete it.
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Less is more if you're showing on your investment page, a picture at the top
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where it's an awkward angle that's creating a double chin for your client.
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Or one of the elements of the wardrobe is off, like I mentioned,
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where I had a client show up or their kid's wearing a really cute.
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Tux basically like this really cute jacket and, and suit pants.
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And then he was wearing Nike shoes, like black and red.
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They, it totally did not match.
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I would not show that on my website because it's, it's not gonna
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represent what I want to recreate and have an a high end brand.
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So another element that you want to check with your portfolio is that
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the lighting is amazing in all of the photos, if there's a photo where you have
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half the background blown out, or the lighting just wasn't very flattering,
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it was muddy, or whatever it is.
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Take that off the website.
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Another thing to check is your composition.
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Are you only showing photos that have really beautiful composition, or are there
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some photos on your website where maybe it just feels really imbalanced, like
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there really could have been some more negative space on the right, or you really
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could have used some layering or depth.
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Just delete it, and we're gonna talk about what to do to replace
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those images in a minute, but.
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Instead, you're gonna wanna replace those with images where you do have total
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control and can get the exact images that you want to show without worrying
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about the deliverable to the client.
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So, we're gonna talk about styled shoots in just a minute.
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Okay, so now let's focus on another way to market your business, and that's blogging.
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We want to think of blogging in two ways.
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We want to provide valuable resources.
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To potential clients.
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So they see us as a trusted professional, and we want to write blog posts
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that people are actually searching for so people can discover us.
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So first, you wanna create resource blog posts that will be
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valuable to potential clients.
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So, for example, you can write about the best playgrounds in the DC
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area, or the best date night spots.
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These appeal to local parents and could very well begin ranking on
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Google, bringing in more local traffic and local parents to your website.
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And it's also helpful to write blog posts that are just good resources for
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parents, like your favorite breastfeeding items, how to travel with toddlers,
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what to wear for photos, et cetera.
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These not only help potential clients see you as someone they
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can trust, but you will also build your authority with Google because.
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Posts like how to travel with toddlers.
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Google will see that.
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And although that post by itself might not rank because it might be a heavily
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written post all over the internet, Google will see the relationship
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between that post and the fact that you are a family photographer and you
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have experience working with toddlers.
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So those local posts that you write about best resources in the
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area, those could begin ranking and bringing in new clients for you.
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Yes, and I wanna emphasize it's really important to blog, but only blog things
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that are going to move the needle with.
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Keyword searches.
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We don't have a lot of time to waste.
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I definitely don't.
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I know you don't either.
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Marie, we're busy mamas.
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Right?
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And one thing I love to do is my favorite photography locations in certain areas.
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That way I know people are searching for specific terms and,
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Keyword phrases in those blogs.
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that way if someone's searching South Bay Maternity Photographer, the blog
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post about my favorite locations in South Bay are definitely going
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to come up and rank high for that.
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another thing I like to blog about is educational content for.
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Clients like what to wear for their maternity session, what to wear for their
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family session, how to get their kids to have genuine smiles at their session.
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So these are things that people might search for, and then you can
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add in the keywords from there.
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Yeah, and circling back on something you said, I have three blog posts
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that are all location based, since I am based primarily out of Washington
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DC but I also serve Maryland and Northern Virginia, and so I have.
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Best photo shoot locations in DC best photo shoot locations in Maryland.
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Best photo shoot locations in Northern Virginia, and all three
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of those posts are ranking.
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So that means all three of those posts are bringing in people to my
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website and bringing me clients.
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So there's a lot of value there.
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Yes, exactly, and I, I tend to try to focus on the areas where I
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know, because in California we have a ton of different cities, right?
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I try to focus on the areas where I know those are gonna be people
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searching for end photographers.
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So kind of the wealthier areas are good to focus on too, with those blog posts.
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Absolutely.
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Blogging is definitely a piece of focus on, but something that I chose to pour
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a ton of my energy into during the slow season was website optimization.
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Now, what is website optimization?
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That is basically.
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Putting some key words in strategic places on your website to tell Google
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that I am a family photographer and I want people in my area to find my
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website when they Google, you know, DC Family Photographer or San Francisco
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family photographer, whatever.
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And so.
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What you need to do is I knew that I needed to increase the number of people
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going to see my work on my website.
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So I invested in SEO Education to optimize my website.
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So now I'm ranking for keywords like DC newborn photographer,
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Maryland newborn photographer, DC family photographer and more.
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And what I love about Google is I feel as though people who are searching on Google.
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Are ready to buy.
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Whereas on Instagram, someone can stumble upon your work or get
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distracted and jump somewhere else.
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Google customers are ready to purchase and I know Amber, you get a lot of
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your clients from Instagram and it just may be a difference in our clients.
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So I definitely don't want to diss Instagram.
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So step one is to do keyword research, which is the task of
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figuring out what exact words or phrases people are Googling.
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And then once you find the most Googled word or phrase, sprinkling that in
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on the page you want to rank for.
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In a natural manner.
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That is the overall gist of it, but you definitely dive into a lot more detail.
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You'll wanna put that keyword in your SEO title, your meta description,
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your all text, and on the page itself, and I should mention that.
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I love using Uber suggest for keyword research.
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That's where you can type in a keyword that you might think people are searching
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for, and it will show you exactly how many searches per month that keyword gets,
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and it will also recommend some similar keywords that might get more searches or
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might not be as competitive to rank for.
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So that's a very valuable tool.
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That's so awesome.
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You are amazing at SEOI am.
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Terrible at it.
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I definitely outsource this one, but I do think it is important in this
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price point to not totally ignore it.
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For a long time, I completely ignored Google, SEO, all of that because I
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get tons of inquiries via Instagram.
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It's still 90% via Instagram for me, but I realize that if I need.
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To find specific clients in this price point, I need to also make sure
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I'm optimizing my SEO and working on blog posts that move the needle.
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So that's something that I have learned from Marie as well.
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For sure.
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And that leads us into our next category, and that is social media.
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So you.
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You wanna share post a social media to position yourself as both a photographer
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and a trusted resource for local moms.
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Yes.
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Okay, so I have some quick tips for you for Instagram because like I said, that's
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where most of my inquiries come from.
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A lot of my clients tell me they found me on Instagram, but they've
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been following me for years, so they already have that trust factor.
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That's something that I love about Instagram rather than someone who
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Googled me and found me that day.
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This is people who have.
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Been alongside me for years, so they really know me.
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okay, so here's a few tips, but we have done an episode on this before
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that you can go back and listen to.
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And I'm also going to link in the show notes, a full Instagram guide for you.
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But one thing we wanna focus on for today during slow season is you want
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to curate your Instagram intentionally.
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Just like with your website, your Instagram feed should only show the
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type of work you want to be hired for.
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If you don't wanna shoot for extended families or newborn or weddings,
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then don't post those at all.
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Curate it so that when a dream client in your exact niche that you want lands
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on your feed, then they see themselves in your work post only your most scroll,
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stopping images that reflect your ideal client and what she is looking for.
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Another thing you can do is go back and find some camera rolls from your
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past sessions behind the scenes that you took and create some more stories
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or reels using those higher end clients aren't just buying the photos,
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they're buying the whole experience.
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So if you can show them what a session with you looks like more often, then
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they're gonna be more likely to feel like they can trust to invest that much in
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you and book you If you have clips of you styling the client or fluffing their dress
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or shooting, behind the scenes on the location, those little glimpses help them
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understand why your work is different.
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Another thing I do is using stories, so not just the posts in my feed,
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but the actual stories I use that.
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Probably way more often than I've actually post, I'd say at least
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six times a week I'm posting to stories, whereas with an actual.
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Client post or styled shoot post in my feed.
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That's really only every couple weeks now.
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stories are where people get to know you, so you can share tips.
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Mom hacks.
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Favorite local spots or something I like to do is reshare reels that I
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think my ideal client would also enjoy.
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I'm not gonna share.
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Every reel of a funny cat video that I see.
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But I will often share something that relates to being a mom or being a parent.
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If it was something that actually really made me laugh and I think my clients would
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enjoy it, I'll put that in my stories.
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another thing you can do is show more of your family and things
26:20
that you're up to in your stories.
26:22
I try to keep.
26:24
Any personal images or videos out of my feed personally, because
26:28
I do feel like a luxury brand.
26:30
shouldn't have any iPhone photos as like the cover photo.
26:34
So anything that's like, oh, my first day of school with my kid that's gonna
26:38
go in, my story is not in my feed.
26:40
That type of thing.
26:41
So posts are more selective stories.
26:44
There's more freedom to show who you are as a person.
26:47
Another thing that you can do is, like we said, for blog posts, you can that
26:52
same thing but for your Instagram.
26:54
So educational content, thinking about what your dream client is
26:58
Googling or asking their friends for advice on what do we wear, where's
27:02
the best locations for a photo shoot, um, how do I get my kids to behave?
27:08
types of things.
27:10
You can be a helpful expert, not just another photographer.
27:13
Consistency matters more than volume, so you don't need to post every day,
27:18
but you do need, do, need to show up consistently with content, not just ghost
27:23
your, your Instagram for months at a time.
27:26
So whatever's sustainable for you.
27:29
like I said, I'm on my stories quite a bit per week, but I am only
27:34
posting, once every week or every couple weeks to my actual feed.
27:39
you'd like more of these tips, you can download that guide below.
27:43
Those are so great.
27:44
Amber, you are the queen of Instagram.
27:47
I definitely love sharing, you know, personal content in my
27:51
stories and I find that is a great way to connect with clients.
27:56
I'll often share about, I don't know, Europe or Jane Austen
28:01
or you know, stuff like that.
28:03
And I've found potential clients that way.
28:06
Potential clients will reach out to me and say that they've seen, that
28:10
I've shared a lot about X, Y, Z, and.
28:13
They love me for that.
28:15
So it is a great way to connect with clients.
28:18
Alright, moving on.
28:19
So another thing you can do during a slow time are styled sessions.
28:24
This is the most fun part of slow season.
28:27
You get to create your dream work.
28:30
Nowadays.
28:31
There are all these styled shoot events where you can go and get three
28:35
to four sessions worth of content.
28:37
That's super helpful in establishing a consistent brand and getting content
28:42
that you can share With that said, I definitely recommend planning and styling
28:46
at least one of your own style shoots because you want your work to stand
28:51
out to potential clients, so you don't want someone to land on your website
28:54
and see images from the same session that another local photographer was at.
28:59
Because one, you're not gonna stand out and two potential
29:03
clients are likely going to go with whoever's cheaper in that scenario.
29:07
So , those Styler events, they're so fun.
29:10
It's a great way to meet people and you will get beautiful
29:13
content that you should share.
29:16
I'm just suggesting that you want to create your own style session as well.
29:21
Yes, definitely.
29:22
There's pros and cons to doing both.
29:24
I think creating your own styled shoots allows you to develop your brand
29:29
and your specific voice really well.
29:33
But going to those retreats can sometimes be great, especially for
29:36
people who haven't really fleshed out their brand and exactly.
29:41
Inspires them quite yet.
29:43
So I highly recommend kind of doing a mix of both doing your own styled shoots that
29:48
are unique, but also if you do a retreat or a content day, try traveling to one
29:55
in another location if you can afford it.
29:58
That way you're not getting just like all the same thing that the local
30:01
people are doing and having that same portfolio as everybody else.
30:05
In your area, like Maurice said, I absolutely love styled shoots as well.
30:10
I'd say that's the jam that I, I just love styled shoots.
30:15
It's part of what makes me an artist.
30:18
I've always been an artist since, you know, kindergarten.
30:20
That's what I put that I wanted to do.
30:22
So it's something that really helps me keep up my inspiration
30:26
and continue to develop my brand.
30:29
So I highly recommend right now use.
30:32
Sit down and make a plan for at least two to three styled shoots this year.
30:37
Think about different seasons that you can plan them for and make sure they feel
30:41
completely aligned and unique to you.
30:45
This will really boost your luxury bookings when you create shoots
30:48
that attract a high-end client with well thought out outfits, locations.
30:54
And models who are photogenic and easy to work with in front of the camera with
31:00
their hair, nicely done with professional hair and makeup, that helps too.
31:05
Adding florals can also be a really great boost for an elevated aesthetic as well.
31:12
, Certain things that.
31:13
People in a, in a higher price point are looking at and going, oh wow.
31:18
That is the whole package that screams luxury to me.
31:23
That's something that you will definitely be worth your
31:26
time and energy to invest in.
31:28
For sure, and as Amber said, like both Amber and I still do
31:32
styled shoots yearly because it is just a great creative exercise.
31:38
We're constantly wanting to push our creativity and also.
31:43
Constantly want to refine our brand and they're just fun.
31:47
So when you're doing these styled chews during the slow season, we totally
31:52
understand that finances will be limited when you're not booking clients.
31:56
So you don't need to plan these elaborate sessions for each styled session you do.
32:02
I would recommend investing in wardrobe, hair, and makeup, and
32:06
possibly florals or location permit for at least one style shoot.
32:10
But you can still get refined.
32:12
True to brand and unique images by working in locations that don't have
32:17
a permit fee or using wardrobe you or a model might already have, or putting
32:21
some pieces together or just investing in a new wardrobe piece for a session and
32:27
opting out of florals or new location.
32:30
So style sessions.
32:31
So many benefits.
32:33
, There's portfolio refinement.
32:36
You get fresh content to share on social media, and it just makes your brand more
32:42
and more clear to potential clients.
32:44
Definitely and some other ways you can, save some money is by.
32:50
Contacting professional models, but they also are gonna do it for free.
32:55
So maybe not working with people who charge per hour for it, but someone
33:01
who's really interested in getting free images in exchange for their time.
33:06
, And then you can also reach out to hair and makeup people and say, okay,
33:09
this person, she's a model, so you'll get the images you want for your feed.
33:14
Would you be willing to, know, donate your time?
33:18
To the hair and makeup, so that saves you money.
33:21
You're not having to pay for the hair and makeup, and that person gets the images
33:25
that they want for their website as well.
33:28
, You could rent the dress instead of buying a dress, you could.
33:32
Buy a dress and return it if you're only using it once and not getting
33:36
it dirty if you really need to, there are ways you can work with it.
33:39
You can even find florists who are just starting out and they, they
33:44
want some portfolio images too, so you can take some images of their
33:49
bouquets or their head pieces for them and, get free florals as well.
33:53
I've done that before.
33:55
Yeah, you shared a great piece of advice there, Amber, and that was like reach
34:01
out to other vendors, whether it's a florist, hair, makeup artist model
34:06
who are at the , same point in their business is where you are in yours.
34:10
Because someone who is a highly established luxury hair and makeup
34:14
artist is not going to do a style shoot for free or little charge.
34:20
They are going to charge their full rate.
34:22
But if you're reaching out to people who are just getting started or
34:27
trying to elevate their business like you, you could very well establish
34:32
a wonderful relationship with these vendors that you can go back to
34:37
and use when you are getting those consistent clients in for booking.
34:42
Yeah, I've even done more expensive florals, offered to do a free
34:48
branding session for a florist.
34:50
So like you set up these amazing florals and I will do
34:54
some branding photos for you.
34:55
So there are workarounds that will help you save on that
34:59
when you're in slow season.
35:00
For sure.
35:01
The next little bit we're going to touch on really quickly
35:05
is repurposing your content.
35:07
So once you get the ideas for your blog posts, you can change them into Instagram,
35:14
carousels reels, or Pinterest graphics to extend the life of each content.
35:21
Yeah, there is no need to reinvent the wheel.
35:24
So what you share to your blog, you share as an Instagram post.
35:28
You share as an Instagram story.
35:30
You share as an Instagram reel, you pin to Pinterest.
35:33
So one piece of content can go a long way.
35:37
All right, now on to strengthening client relationships.
35:41
So we want to nurture past clients.
35:45
This is a great time to reach out to these past clients and share how
35:50
you revamped your business and the experience clients are gonna receive.
35:54
Share how excited you are about this new experience and how excited you
35:58
are to work with these past clients again, then give them an action step.
36:04
Tell them it's time to book their next session so you can
36:07
build off that excitement.
36:09
You can also reach out to past clients and ask for Google reviews,
36:14
and these reviews will go into the Google Business page, which will help
36:19
your business get found on Google.
36:22
And you could also repurpose these reviews into testimonials for your website.
36:27
So the most powerful and best reviews you get, just use those on your
36:32
website because that is social trust.
36:35
So when potential clients are going to your website and seeing what these former
36:40
clients of yours are saying about your images and the experience working with
36:44
you and how you made them feel, it's going to get them to get on board a lot easier.
36:50
Lastly, it is such a good time to invest in your education.
36:54
Use the slow season for continued learning, like workshops, online
36:59
courses, mentorship, coaching programs.
37:02
Believe me, everything that I've ever done education wise, I've gotten back.
37:08
and I know that my students in my courses have gotten back
37:11
their investment a hundred fold.
37:13
So this is a great time to invest in things like that.
37:16
And make sure you commit to finishing it.
37:19
Take the notes, do all the things, go out and practice the things that
37:23
you learned and implement them.
37:25
Yeah, when I was in the slow season, I took a moment to look at my business
37:30
from a very objective perspective, so I wanted to see where I was.
37:35
Then where I wanted to be, and then what were the holes?
37:38
What were the gaps?
37:38
Like, why wasn't I there yet?
37:40
And so for me, during that transition, it was my marketing.
37:44
I simply wasn't getting enough people to my website and my social media.
37:49
So I invested in education to help patch those holes.
37:53
I learned SEO so I could get more people to my website so I
37:58
could get more people to book me.
37:59
The last thing you could do is update your workflows, make sure
38:04
things are more automated, more streamlined in your business.
38:07
Use client guides.
38:09
So if you're someone who's still sending requests for a Venmo, or
38:13
you're still sending them information via email, like a Gmail template.
38:18
some guides, templates that you can make in Canva, make things look
38:22
really beautiful, really luxurious.
38:25
This is the type of thing that luxury clients definitely expect, when you're
38:29
giving them the whole client experience.
38:31
Alright, we went over so much during today's episode, so here are some quick
38:38
tips that you can implement right way that sums up everything we went into.
38:44
So number one.
38:45
Update your homepage with three to five of your strongest images.
38:51
Number two, write one blog post this week on a local resource
38:56
and share it on Instagram.
38:59
Number three, plan one styled session in the next month.
39:03
Number four, research and add one new keyword phrase to your website copy.
39:09
And number five, reach out to three past clients with a genuine check-in email.
39:15
Another thing I want you to do really quick today is.
39:19
Mute the local competition if they make you feel anxious and
39:24
scared about raising your prices.
39:26
So like that person I talked about at the beginning of the episode,
39:29
she was so talented, been doing this for 10 years, tons of weddings and
39:35
clients and all the things, and she was still only charging four 50 a
39:39
session and that's just not profitable.
39:42
And she was gonna wear herself out eventually.
39:45
So.
39:46
I wish someone had told me, just mute her.
39:48
Ignore her.
39:49
Do not focus on people who are bringing your prices down, because really,
39:54
truly, it does not matter if you've got the messaging, the marketing,
39:59
and the brand presence that you need.
40:04
as a reminder, raising prices is a natural growth step.
40:08
Trust the process.
40:11
Use the slow season as an investment season, not as a setback.
40:15
The clients who value you will come.
40:19
Yeah.
40:19
Remember, slow seasons are not setbacks.
40:22
They're truly opportunities.
40:24
So use this time to refine your brand, connect with your clients, and
40:28
create work that you genuinely love.
40:31
And don't forget, the right clients will come.
40:34
Raising your prices is part of stepping into the business and lifestyle you want.
40:39
We've been there and are cheering you on every step of the way.
40:44
Thanks so much for joining us on this episode of Luxe and Legacy Podcast.
40:48
If you found this helpful, share it with a fellow photographer and
40:51
don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss the future episodes.
40:58
Until next time, keep building your dream business to support the life you love.