Why Most Photography Businesses Fail | 84

Today, we're diving into an issue that's crucial for so many photographers - Why do so many photography businesses fail?

It's not due to a lack of photography skills.

It's about the balance between marketing and sales.

Most of the advice photographers hear is to prioritize marketing. And while this is important for long-term success, it does little for short-term success.

Let's face it. You need cash flow early on as a photographer to survive. If you don't get past the early stage, you won't make it to the late stage.

The Tale of Two Photographers

Let me tell you a story about Sally and Mark. Both have amazing photography skills, great portfolios, and appealing offers. But their strategies diverge. Mark focuses on marketing, while Sally emphasizes sales.

Mark builds a beautiful portfolio and shares his work extensively on social media, hoping to attract clients. He even starts an email newsletter detailing market trends in product photography. He delivers value but doesn't see clients coming in.

Sally, however, focuses on sales. She starts doing direct outreach, cold emailing companies and brands. Soon enough, she starts booking sales calls and eventually lands her first client.

Here's the critical difference - Mark waits for clients to reach out to him, while Sally proactively reaches out to potential clients.

Mark's plan is simple. He knows his photography is excellent, and he's convinced that a strong online presence would be enough to attract clients. He builds a beautiful website and works hard to create engaging social media content.

Despite all this effort, Mark gets discouraged by the lack of clients. Months pass, and he continues to put in long hours, perfecting his branding, sharing his photos online, and creating high-value content for his newsletter.

He starts to question his strategy. Wasn't his brand supposed to attract clients? Wasn't his portfolio impressive enough? He's investing so much in marketing, yet it feels like he's wasting his time and resources.

Meanwhile, Sally knows that to get her business off the ground, she needs clients and revenue.

So, she begins to reach out to potential clients directly. She spends hours researching companies and brands that would benefit from her photography skills. She writes cold emails and sends direct messages, introducing herself and her services, and inviting them to a sales call.

Sally's strategy starts to pay off quickly. Her proactive approach leads her to her first client, a local business looking for product photography. As she navigates through the sales process, she learns more about her clients' actual needs. This gives her invaluable insights to tailor her services and even introduce new packages based on their requirements.

Unlike Mark, Sally isn't waiting for clients to discover her - she goes out and finds them.

The Pitfall of Passive Marketing

Mark's situation illustrates the pitfall of passive marketing. While crucial for building your brand and reputation, these efforts take time to yield results - often a year or more. The delay can be tough for a beginner business owner. It leads to decreased motivation, burnout, and a feeling of wasted months.

The Power of Active Sales

Sally's strategy brings immediate results. Revenue generation is the lifeblood of any business, especially during the early stages.

By actively finding clients, you bring immediate revenue, secure repeat customers, and stimulate referrals.

This next one is big: Sales calls provide valuable insight into what your clients actually want.

This feedback helps you tailor your services to suit the market's needs, leading to a successful business model.

This crucial feedback loop is often missed by creatives who focus solely on marketing.

The 80/20 Approach

Let's now look at where Sally and Mark stand a year later. Sally has successfully built a solid client base while subtly marketing in the background. Her 80/20 split between sales and marketing allows her to secure immediate results while setting the stage for long-term success.

This balanced strategy ensures that she's not putting all her eggs in one basket. She's optimized her resources effectively, using her sales revenue to invest in marketing efforts.

On the contrary, Mark is still struggling to land clients. The absence of immediate revenue has led to a slow, tough journey.

My Success Story

Spoiler alert: Sally’s approach was my own. Over three years of focusing on sales while subtly marketing led my business to thrive. Today, I barely engage in sales for the company as clients come to me, either as retainers or referrals.

This is great for me because these days, I’m mainly focused on teaching others how to do the same inside of my program, Creative Biz Launch.

Sales are the key to immediate results in your business. So if you're new to the photography business or have been focusing on marketing without significant results, start selling.